Montreal, May 2, 2024 – Once again this year, for the 17the Once again, as part of the Défi sportif AlterGo, Loto-Québec is joining forces with the Aléo Foundation to highlight, recognize, and encourage 14 para-athletes, who will receive 40,000 $ in grants in addition to the lifetime services offered by the Foundation.
The Loto-Québec Scholarship Program holds a unique place within the Aléo Foundation, as it annually recognizes the achievements of athletes with a physical or sensory limitation exclusively. Aléo manages the program in collaboration with organizations that support para-athletes. In 2024, Parasports Québec, Cross Country Ski Québec, Hockey Québec, the Fédération de natation du Québec, the Association québécoise des sports pour paralytiques cérébraux, Ski Québec Alpin, the Association sportive des Sourds du Québec, Badminton Québec, and Table Tennis Québec are once again collaborating on the program.
Of last year's fourteen recipients, eleven are once again supported by the Aléo Foundation and Loto-Québec. Among these athletes, some could represent Canada at the Paris Paralympic Games this summer, including Sofia Fassi Fehri and in wheelchair basketball Félix Thomas Cowan in our nation.
Several former scholarship recipients of the Loto-Québec Scholarship Program have previously left their mark internationally, including Philippe Bédard in wheelchair tennis, our ambassador Charles Moreau, Mark Beggs and Marie-Claude Molnar in paracycling, Marco Dispaltro in boccia, Valérie Grand'Maison para-natation, Dominic Larocque and Antoine Lehoux in para ice hockey as well as Maude Jacques, Rosalie Lalonde and Cindy Ouellet wheelchair basketball.
In their own words:
«Loto-Québec is committed to giving back to the community. It is always a pleasure to support many of the top para-athletes in their pursuit of excellence. Our bursary program has a proven track record, encouraging its recipients to reach, and even surpass, their goals. Our bursary recipients can, without a shadow of a doubt, be proud of achieving wonderful and great things. Their successes and efforts deserve to be highlighted. Congratulations to these high-level athletes!»
– Eric Meunier, Director of Societal Engagement at Loto-Québec
«It is essential to highlight the major impact in our sporting sphere of Quebec para-athletes, and it is with great gratitude that we can do so in collaboration with Loto-Québec for a 17the year. The state-owned corporation is a loyal partner of the Aléo Foundation, and we are extremely proud to count it among our most prestigious allies who greatly contribute to the pursuit of our mission. Once again, we extend a huge thank you to them!»
– Martin Lavigne, President of the Aléo Foundation
2024 Loto-Québec Scholarship Program Recipients
| Name | Sport | Age | Amount | City |
| Marian Catalin Barbu | swimming | 21 | 2000 $ | Montreal |
| Lyne-Marie Bilodeau | nordic skiing | 23 | 3000 $ | Sherbrooke (Lake Magog) |
| Vincent Boily | para ice hockey | 23 | 3000 $ | Saint-Eustache |
| Félix Thomas Cowan | swimming | 21 | 3000 $ | Brossard |
| Olivier Dussault | bocce | 29 | 2000 $ | Québec (Charlesbourg) |
| Sofia Fassi Fehri | Wheelchair basketball | 35 | 3000 $ | Montréal (Saint-Laurent) |
| Alexis Guimond | alpine skiing | 24 | 3000 $ | Gatineau |
| Jean-François Huneault | para ice hockey | 29 | 3000 $ | Saint-Eustache |
| Melanie Labelle | wheelchair rugby | 39 | 3000 $ | Longueuil (Saint-Hubert) |
| Samuel Larouche | para-athletics | 30 | 3000 $ | Saguenay (Jonquière) |
| Alexandre Ouellet | deaf golf | 33 | 3000 $ | Saint-Jérôme |
| William Roussy | para badminton | 20 | 3000 $ | Mary |
| Olivier Roy | bocce | 20 | 3000 $ | Québec (Saint-Émile) |
| Gabriel Seguin | para table tennis | 23 | 3000 $ | Blainville |
About Loto-Québec
Loto-Québec has been entertaining Quebecers for over 50 years, and its activities benefit the entire community. In 2023, it awarded more than $1.6 billion in lottery prizes. For a 17the Each year, Loto-Québec supports the Aléo Foundation through its scholarship program.
About the Aléo Foundation
Established in 1985, the Fondation de l’athlète d’excellence (FAEQ) has awarded over $20 million in scholarships to nearly 4,000 outstanding student-athletes from across Quebec. With the goal of clarifying the organization's mission to propel athletes beyond sports, in 2022 the FAEQ rebranded and changed its name to Fondation Aléo. In addition to continuing its provision of scholarships and support services to tomorrow's leaders, it confirms its personalized approach, focusing on the overall well-being and development of its scholarship recipients in their performance.
For more information: fondationaleo.ca as well as the Aléo Foundation's official pages on our platforms:
LinkedIn
Facebook
Instagram
YouTube
Spotify
– 30 –
Annie Dubé
Director of Communications and Marketing
Aléo Foundation
438-884-6626
I'm sorry, but you have not provided any text to translate. Please provide the text you would like me to translate into English.annie.dube@fondationaleo.ca
Loto-Québec x Aléo Foundation Bursary Program
14 Para-Athletes Honoured
Montreal, May 2, 2024 – For the seventeenth year, Loto-Québec is once again partnering with the Aléo Foundation during the Défi sportif AlterGo to showcase, honor, and encourage 14 para-athletes, who will receive a total of $40,000 in scholarships, as well as lifetime services from the Foundation.
The Loto-Québec Bursary Program stands out within the Aléo Foundation, as every year it exclusively recognizes the achievements of athletes with physical or sensory limitations. The program is managed by Aléo, in collaboration with organizations serving para-athletes. In 2024, the program’s collaborators once again include Parasports Québec, Ski de fond Québec, Hockey Québec, the Fédération de natation du Québec, the Association québécoise des sports pour paralytiques cérébraux, Ski Québec Alpin, the Association sportive des Sourds du Québec, Badminton Québec, and Tennis de table Québec.
Of last year’s fourteen recipients, eleven are once again being provided support by the Aléo Foundation and Loto-Québec. Some of these athletes may have the chance to represent Canada at the Paralympic Games in Paris this summer, including Sofia Fassi Fehri in wheelchair basketball and Félix Thomas Cowan in para-swimming.
Several former Loto-Québec Bursary Program athletes have made their mark at the international level, including Philippe Bédard in wheelchair tennis; our ambassador Charles Moreau, Mark Beggs, and Marie-Claude Molnar in para-cycling; Marco Dispaltro in boccia; Valérie Grand'Maison in para swimming; Dominic Larocque and Antoine Lehoux in para hockey; and Maude Jacques, Rosalie Lalonde, and Cindy Ouellet in wheelchair basketball.
In their own words:
“Loto-Québec is committed to giving back to the community. It’s always a pleasure for us to support several top para-athletes in their quest for excellence. Our bursary program has a proven track record of encouraging recipients to achieve and even exceed their goals. Our bursary recipients can inarguably boast of having accomplished great things. They deserve to be recognized for their efforts and achievements. Bravo to these high-level athletes!”
– Eric Meunier, Director of Social Engagement, Loto-Québec
“It is essential that we highlight the major impact Quebec’s para-athletes have on our sports communities, and we are very grateful that we’re able to do so in collaboration with Loto-Québec for a 17th year. The public corporation is a loyal partner of the Aléo Foundation, and we are extremely proud to count it as one of our most distinguished allies—one that makes a major contribution to the pursuit of our mission. Once again, a huge thank you!”
– Martin Lavigne, President, Aléo Foundation
Recipients of the 2024 Loto-Québec Bursary Program
| Name | Sport | Age | Amount | City |
| Marian Catalin Barbu | Para Swimming | 21 | $2,000 | Montreal |
| Lyne-Marie Bilodeau | Para Nordic Skiing | 23 | $3,000 | Sherbrooke (Lake Magog) |
| Vincent Boily | Para Hockey | 23 | $3,000 | Saint-Eustache |
| Félix Thomas Cowan | Para Swimming | 21 | $3,000 | Brossard |
| Olivier Dussault | Bocce | 29 | $2,000 | Quebec City (Charlesbourg) |
| Sofia Fassi Fehri | Wheelchair basketball | 35 | $3,000 | Montréal (Saint-Laurent) |
| Alexis Guimond | Para Alpine Skiing | 24 | $3,000 | Gatineau |
| Jean-François Huneault | Para Hockey | 29 | $3,000 | Saint-Eustache |
| Melanie Labelle | Wheelchair rugby | 39 | $3,000 | Longueuil (Saint-Hubert) |
| Samuel Larouche | Para Athletics | 30 | $3,000 | Saguenay (Jonquière) |
| Alexandre Ouellet | Golf (for the Deaf) | 33 | $3,000 | Saint-Jérôme |
| William Roussy | Para badminton | 20 | $3,000 | Mary |
| Olivier Roy | Bocce | 20 | $3,000 | Quebec City (Saint-Émile) |
| Gabriel Seguin | Para table tennis | 23 | $3,000 | Blainville |
About Loto-Québec
Loto-Québec has been entertaining Quebecers for over 50 years. Its activities benefit society as a whole. In 2023, it paid out over $1.6 billion in lottery prizes. It has been supporting the Aléo Foundation through its scholarship program for 17 years.
About the Aléo Foundation
Founded in 1985, the Foundation for Athletic Excellence (FAEQ) has awarded more than $20 million in scholarships to nearly 4,000 student-athletes from across Québec. To better reflect the organization’s mission of helping athletes achieve more than just success in sports, the FAEQ changed its name and brand image in 2022, becoming the Aléo Foundation. In addition to continuing to provide scholarships and guidance services to the leaders of tomorrow, it maintains its personalized approach, in which the overall development and well-being of its scholarship recipients are at the heart of its activities.
For more information, visit fondationaleo.ca or the Aléo Foundation's social media pages:
LinkedIn
Facebook
Instagram
YouTube
Spotify
– 30 –
Annie Dubé
Director, Marketing and Communications
Aleo Foundation
438-884-6626
annie.dube@fondationaleo.ca
