Quebec City, May 29, 2025 – Patrick Cyr, Executive Vice-President and Leader – Value Creation at Beneva, as well as a member of the Aléo Foundation's Board of Directors, had the pleasure of awarding $100,000 $ in scholarships and services to student-athletes at the 16e Beneva cohort. Indeed, it welcomed the 24 scholarship holders from the 2025 edition during the annual event held at Beneva's offices in Quebec City.
Among the recipients, 12 received their first scholarship from the company, thus joining the group of athletes supported by Beneva since 2009, including Olympians Kim Boutin, in speed skating, Katherine Savard, in swimming, and the diver Nathan Zsombor-Murray, still bullish this year!
A few months after the Paris Olympic Games, attendees at the award ceremony were able to witness an Olympic segment where bronze medalist Nathan Zsombor-Murray (2024) and Beijing 2022 Olympian Émile Nadeau shared their unique experiences.
Finally, the Beneva scholarship award is part of a multiple partnership, which Montreal Marathon Beneva, for which the Aléo Foundation will be responsible From the heart to the race, as the official cause for a second year.
In their own words:
«Our commitment to the Aléo Foundation is measured not only in years, though our 16-year partnership is proof of that. It is also demonstrated by the sharing of deep convictions and a common mission. At Beneva, we take care of our people, and this benevolence is also reflected at the Aléo Foundation. Each recipient not only receives a scholarship but also access to lifelong support services. It is with great pride that we partner with the Aléo Foundation.»
– Patrick Cyr, Executive Vice President and Leader – Value Creation at Beneva
«Our major partners, like Beneva, have been indispensable allies of the Foundation since its inception. A bond of trust has been established, and our shared goals for Quebec's student-athletes allow us to offer them invaluable support. Integrating high-level sports, studies, planning major goals, and achieving dreams within a unique journey is a significant challenge for young people. Beneva helps provide them with the means to do so.»
– Patricia Demers, Executive Director of the Aléo Foundation
2025 Beneva Scholarship Program Recipients
| Name | Sport | Age | Amount | City | School |
| Chad Beaudoin | BMX | 18 | 2000 $ | Quebec (La Haute-Saint-Charles) | Limoilou College |
| Jeanne Boilard | Artistic swimming | 20 | 4000 $ | Quebec City (La Cité-Limoilou) | Cégep at a distance |
| Justin Boudreau | Cross-country skiing | 19 | 2000 $ | Boucherville | Collège de Maisonneuve |
| Amélie Bourgeois | Alpine skiing | 20 | 4000 $ | Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville | University of Montreal |
| Charlie Breault | Artistic swimming | 15 | 4000 $ | Saint-Hyacinthe | College of Montreal |
| Florence Brunelle | Short track speed skating | 21 | 4000 $ | Trois-Rivières | McGill University |
| Victoriane Charron | Artistic gymnastics | 17 | 4000 $ | Mont-Saint-Hilaire | De Mortagne Secondary School |
| Samuel Darveau | Short track speed skating | 21 | 4000 $ | Sainte-Julie | University of Quebec at Montreal |
| Laurence Demers | Tennis | 16 | 2000 $ | Boischatel | Les Estacades Academy |
| Ion Diacenco | Water polo | 19 | 4000 $ | Côte Saint-Luc | Vanier College |
| Olivier Gagné | Snowboard cross | 19 | 2000 $ | Lac-Etchemin | Beauce-Appalaches College |
| Florence Hamel | Sprint canoeing | 18 | 4000 $ | Kirkland | Sainte-Anne International College |
| Félix Hamel | Road cycling | 21 | 2000 $ | Sainte-Julie | Cégep Édouard-Montpetit |
| Simone Huang | Badminton | 18 | 4000 $ | Laval | College of Bois-de-Boulogne |
| Amélie-Laura Jasmin | Diving | 21 | 4000 $ | Montréal (Saint-Laurent) | HEC Montréal |
| Jacob Lebel | Snowboard cross | 18 | 4000 $ | Saint Mary | Champlain College Saint Lawrence |
| Hugo Leperlier | Squash | 17 | 2000 $ | Quebec (Beauport) | Garneau College |
| Stella Letendre | Artistic gymnastics | 14 | 2000 $ | Sorel-Tracy | Les Trois Saisons Secondary School |
| Grégoire Mercier-Noël | Volleyball | 22 | 4000 $ | Boucherville | University of Sherbrooke |
| Émile Nadeau | Freestyle skiing (aerials) | 21 | 4000 $ | Prévost | Limoilou College |
| Samuel Picard | Cross-country skiing | 19 | 4000 $ | Whale's Head | Cégep Garneau and Cégep à distance |
| Greta Robinson | Freestyle skiing (aerials) | 20 | 2000 $ | Stoneham-et-Tewkesbury | Queen's University |
| Jacob Townsend | Veil | 20 | 4000 $ | Hudson | Concordia University |
| Nathan Zsombor-Murray | Diving | 21 | 4000 $ | Pointe-Claire | Vanier College |
| Program Give to the Next – Marie-Claude Surprenant donor | |||||
| Shelby Lajeunesse | Triathlon | 20 | 2000 $ | Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu | Cégep de Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu |
| Joel Thibault | Cross-country skiing | 18 | 2000 $ | Saint Teresa | Cégep of Saint-Jérôme |
About Beneva
Beneva is the largest insurance mutual in the country with 3.5 million members. Born from the merger of La Capitale and SSQ Assurance in 2020, it has over 5,500 dedicated employees: people protecting people. Its caring approach, based on human values shared by its employees, is rooted in its mutualist origins. With $27.5 billion in assets, Beneva stands out in Canada as one of the largest companies in its industry. It distinguishes itself with its wide range of offerings in group insurance, damage insurance, individual insurance, and financial services. Its head office is located in Quebec City. For more information, visit beneva.ca.
About the Aléo Foundation
The Aléo Foundation's mission is to maximize the full potential of as many outstanding student-athletes as possible, from all backgrounds, to generate significant and lasting impact. Established in 1985, it has awarded over $25 million in scholarships to more than 5,000 student-athletes from across Quebec. In addition to these scholarships, there is an essential component of lifelong services provided to all recipients during and after their athletic and academic journeys. To support these mentoring services, the Aléo Research Chair is now a vector of scientific results available to the entire sports community here.
The fundraising campaign Generations of Impact aims to raise six million dollars in three years to move closer to our grand vision: that student-athletes of excellence enrich society through their current and future leadership, both through their exceptional contributions and the inspiring examples they embody.
To support Generations of Impact
For more information: fondationaleo.ca
LinkedIn Facebook Instagram YouTube Spotify
-30-
Annie Dubé
Director of Communications and Marketing
Aléo Foundation
438-884-6626
annie.dube@fondationaleo.ca
Media relations
Beneva
1-866-332-3806
media@beneva.ca
Aléo Foundation x Beneva Scholarship Program: Investing in the dreams of Québec student-athletes
Quebec City, May 29, 2025Patrick Cyr, Executive Vice-President and Leader, Value Creation at Beneva, and a member of the Aléo Foundation’s Board of Directors, had the pleasure of awarding $$100,000 in scholarships and services to 24 student-athletes, all part of Beneva’s 16the class of recipients, at the 2025 edition of this annual event held at Beneva's Quebec City offices.
Of the recipients, 12 received their first-ever scholarship from the company, joining such illustrious athletes as Olympians Kim Boutin, speed skating, Katherine Savard, swimming, and diving Nathan Zsombor-Murray, who has been actively supported by Beneva’s program since 2009.
At the scholarship presentation, held a few months after the Paris Olympics, attendees had the opportunity to hear from 2024 bronze medalist Nathan Zsombor-Murray and Beijing 2022 Olympian Émile Nadeau as they shared their unique experiences.
Beneva scholarships are part of a broader partnership that includes the Montreal Marathon Beneva, of which the Aléo Foundation is From the heart to the race will be the official cause for a second year.
In their own words:
“We don’t count our partnership with the Aléo Foundation in years, although 16 years is quite impressive. For us, it’s about having shared values and a common mission. At Beneva, we take care of our people, and so does the Aléo Foundation. Each recipient not only receives a scholarship but access to lifelong support. We are proud to be associated with the Aléo Foundation.“
– Patrick Cyr, Executive Vice-President and Leader, Value Creation at Beneva
“Our major partners, like Beneva, have been steadfast proponents of the Foundation since the beginning. Mutual trust has been established, and our commitment to providing essential support to Quebec’s student-athletes is clear. Juggling high-caliber athletics, studies, aspirations, and dreams is a major challenge for young people. Beneva gives them the means to do this.”
– Patricia Demers, Executive Director, Aléo Foundation
Beneva's 2025 Scholarship Program Recipients
| Name | Sport | Age | Amount | City | School |
| Chad Beaudoin | BMX | 18 | $2,000 | Quebec (La Haute-Saint-Charles) | Limoilou College |
| Jeanne Boilard | Artistic Swimming | 20 | $4,000 | Quebec City (La Cité-Limoilou) | Cégep at a distance |
| Justin Boudreau | Cross-Country Skiing | 19 | $2,000 | Boucherville | Collège de Maisonneuve |
| Amélie Bourgeois | Alpine Skiing | 20 | $4,000 | Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville | University of Montreal |
| Charlie Breault | Artistic Swimming | 15 | $4,000 | Saint-Hyacinthe | College of Montreal |
| Florence Brunelle | Short Track Speed Skating | 21 | $4,000 | Trois-Rivières | McGill University |
| Victoriane Charron | Artistic Gymnastics | 17 | $4,000 | Mont-Saint-Hilaire | De Mortagne Secondary School |
| Samuel Darveau | Short Track Speed Skating | 21 | $4,000 | Sainte-Julie | University of Quebec at Montreal |
| Laurence Demers | Tennis | 16 | $2,000 | Boischatel | Les Estacades Academy |
| Ion Diacenco | Water polo | 19 | $4,000 | Côte Saint-Luc | Vanier College |
| Olivier Gagné | Snowboarding (snowboard cross) | 19 | $2,000 | Lac-Etchemin | Beauce-Appalaches College |
| Florence Hamel | Canoe Sprint | 18 | $4,000 | Kirkland | Sainte-Anne International College |
| Félix Hamel | Cycling | 21 | $2,000 | Sainte-Julie | Cégep Édouard-Montpetit |
| Simone Huang | Badminton | 18 | $4,000 | Laval | College of Bois-de-Boulogne |
| Amélie-Laura Jasmin | Scuba diving | 21 | $4,000 | Montreal (Saint-Laurent) | HEC Montréal |
| Jacob Lebel | Snowboarding (snowboard cross) | 18 | $4,000 | Saint Mary | Champlain College Saint Lawrence |
| Hugo Leperlier | Squash | 17 | $2,000 | Quebec (Beauport) | Garneau College |
| Stella Letendre | Artistic Gymnastics | 14 | $2,000 | Sorel-Tracy | Les Trois Saisons Secondary School |
| Grégoire Mercier-Noël | Volleyball | 22 | $4,000 | Boucherville | University of Sherbrooke |
| Émile Nadeau | Freestyle Skiing (Aerials) | 21 | $4,000 | Prévost | Limoilou College |
| Samuel Picard | Cross-Country Skiing | 19 | $4,000 | Whale's Head | Cégep Garneau and Cégep à distance |
| Greta Robinson | Freestyle Skiing (Aerials) | 20 | $2,000 | Stoneham-et-Tewkesbury | Queen's University |
| Jacob Townsend | Sailing | 20 | $4,000 | Hudson | Concordia University |
| Nathan Zsombor-Murray | Scuba diving | 21 | $4,000 | Pointe-Claire | Vanier College |
| Program Give to the Next – Marie-Claude Surprenant donor | |||||
| Shelby Lajeunesse | Triathlon | 20 | $2,000 | Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu | Cégep de Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu |
| Joel Thibault | Cross-Country Skiing | 18 | $2,000 | Saint Teresa | Cégep of Saint-Jérôme |
About Beneva
Beneva is the country’s largest mutual insurance company with 3.5 million members. Created by the coming together of La Capitale and SSQ Insurance in 2020, Beneva employs over 5,500 dedicated employees: people looking out for people. Its caring approach founded on human values and shared by its employees is anchored in its mutualist roots. With $$27.5 billion in assets, Beneva has positioned itself as one of the leading Canadian companies in the insurance industry. It stands out for its diverse offerings in Group Insurance, Property and Casualty Insurance as well as Individual Insurance and Financial Services. Its head office is located in Quebec City. For more information, please consult beneva.ca.
About the Aléo Foundation
The Aléo Foundation’s mission is to maximize the full potential of the greatest number of excellent student-athletes from all walks of life, in order to generate a significant and lasting impact. Founded in 1985, the organization has awarded over $$25 million in scholarships to more than 5,000 student-athletes across Quebec. In addition to these bursaries, the Foundation also provides lifelong services to all recipients during and after their athletic and academic careers. To support these services, the Aléo Research Chair is now a vector of scientific results available to the entire sports community.
The Generations of Impact The fundraising campaign aims to raise six million dollars over three years to bring us closer to our grand vision: that excellent student-athletes enrich society through their current and future leadership, both through their exceptional contributions and the inspiring examples they embody.
To support Generations of Impact
For more information: fondationaleo.ca
LinkedIn Facebook Instagram YouTube Spotify
-30-
Annie Dubé
Director of Communications and Marketing
Aléo Foundation
438-884-6626
annie.dube@fondationaleo.ca
Media Relations
Beneva
1-866-332-3806
media@beneva.ca
