PRESS RELEASES

The Quebec Foundation for Athletic Excellence Awards $126,000 in scholarships to 37 student athletes

Montreal, December 9, 2020

The 29th edition of the National Bank Bursary Program is especially important this year owing to the unprecedented global health situation. The Quebec Foundation for Athletic Excellence (FAEQ) is very proud to be able to count on the trust of National Bank, its long-standing major partner, for the distribution of a total of $126,000 in individual scholarships to 37 student athletes.

As part of a live event on its Facebook page, the FAEQ awarded individual scholarships of $2,000 or $4,000 to student-athletes, aged between 14 and 27, in the Hopeful, Elite and Excellence categories.

What they said:

"National Bank is proud to be a partner of the Quebec Foundation for Athletic Excellence since 1993. We've awarded scholarships that have supported hundreds of student-athletes. This year is no exception. We want to continue to support the Foundation's mission to help shape models of discipline, perseverance and academic excellence. I'd like to congratulate this year's recipients and wish them the best of success in achieving their goals."

- Louis Vachon, President and Chief Executive Officer of National Bank

"This year in particular, the Foundation is extremely grateful to National Bank for supporting its core mission of providing student athletes with assistance and financial support as they strive for academic and athletic excellence. After almost 30 years of collaboration with this prestigious institution, we can say that National Bank's deep loyalty has made a difference for close to 400 of the province's top athletes."

- Claude Chagnon, President of the Foundation for Athletic Excellence

The 29th edition of the National Bank Bursary Program has provided 26 scholarships for academic excellence highlighting the academic achievements of student-athletes and 11 scholarships to support academic and sporting success aimed at promoting a balance between sport and studies.

Of the student athletes supported by the Bank in the past, some have truly made their mark internationally. Among them, tennis player Félix Auger-Aliassime, freestyle skier Mikaël Kingsbury, para swimmer Aurélie Rivard, para athlete Diane Roy, cyclist Hugo Houle, cross-country skier Alex Harvey, boxer Ariane Fortin, weightlifter Christine Girard, speed skaters Marianne St-Gelais and Sylvie Daigle, hockey players Charline Labonté, Caroline Ouellette and Guillaume Latendresse, as well as divers Jennifer Abel and Roseline Filion.

2020-2021 National Bank Bursary Program Recipients

Name

Discipline

Age

Amount

*

City

School

Haitam Aboufirassi

Tennis

15

$2,000

EX

Montreal (Verdun)

Académie les Estacades

Mathys Ayotte

Baseball

16

$4,000

S

Drummondville

École secondaire Marie-Rivier

Caroline Beauchamp

Alpine skiing

20

$4,000

EX

Town of Mount Royal

Collège André-Grasset

Alex Bellemarre

Weightlifting (81 kg)

22

$4,000

S

Macamic

Université de Montréal

Antoine Bouchard

Judo (73 kg)

26

$4,000

EX

Saguenay (Jonquière)

Université du Québec à Montréal

Jules Burnotte

Biathlon

23

$4,000

S

Sherbrooke

Université Laval

Olivia Chamandy

Diving

20

$4,000

EX

Westmount

Collège André-Grasset

Maude Charron

Weightlifting (64 kg)

27

$4,000

S

Rimouski

École nationale de police du Québec

Maksim Chelmaev

Figure skating

17

$4,000

EX

Laval

Collège Montmorency

Melody Collard

Tennis

17

$4,000

EX

Gatineau (Hull)

University of Nebraska High School

Antoine Cyr

Cross-country skiing

22

$4,000

S

Gatineau (Le Plateau)

Cégep à distance

Olivier Desrosiers

Fencing (Sabre)

16

$2,000

EX

Rosemère

Académie Sainte-Thérèse

Alisson Gobeil

Para swimming

15

$2,000

S

Alma

Pavillon Wilbrod-Dufour

Rébéka Groulx

Artistic gymnastics

14

$4,000

EX

Longueuil (Saint-Hubert)

École secondaire Gérard-Filion

Annabelle Guay

Softball

17

$4,000

EX

Terrebonne

Cégep régional de Lanaudière à Terrebonne

Anton Jacobs-Webb

Para hockey

20

$4,000

EX

Gatineau

Concordia University

Claudia Janvier

Synchronized swimming

17

$4,000

EX

Pointe-Claire

Collège Sainte-Anne

Vincent Jourdenais

Sprint kayak

23

$4,000

EX

Trois-Rivières

Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières

Rose Kanemy

Water polo

18

$4,000

EX

Pointe-Claire

John Abbott College

Sarah L'Allier

Tennis

14

$4,000

EX

Montreal (Verdun)

Académie les Estacades

Emy Legault

Triathlon

24

$4,000

S

Notre-Dame de-l’Île-Perrot

TÉLUQ

Tristan Lemire

Mountain biking (downhill)

16

$2,000

EX

Montreal (Verdun)

Académie les Estacades

Émeraude Maheux

Snowboarding

14

$2,000

EX

Saint-Faustin-Lac-Carré

École secondaire Augustin-Norbert-Morin

Alexis Marceau

Short track speed skating

22

$4,000

EX

Rivière-du-Loup

McGill University

Griffin Mason

Snowboard cross

16

$2,000

S

La Pêche

École secondaire Philemon Wright

Léa Morin

Karate (Kata)

17

$4,000

EX

Sherbrooke

Cégep de Sherbrooke

Benjamin Nadon

Freestyle skiing (Moguls)

17

$2,000

EX

Laval

Collège Lionel-Groulx

Mathieu Ouellet

Swimming

17

$2,000

EX

Alma

Cégep Garneau

Louis Paradis

Freestyle skiing (Moguls)

17

$4,000

EX

Quebec City

Collège François-de-Laval

Andres Esteban Riano Rodriguez

Boxing (56 kg)

18

$2,000

S

Lévis (Sainte-Hélène-de-Breakeyville)

Cégep Garneau

Mathis Rowsome

Sprint kayak

17

$2,000

EX

Trois-Rivières

Collège Laflèche

Josie-Anne Synnott

Judo (78 kg)

19

$4,000

EX

Sept-Îles

Collège de Maisonneuve

Rose Thibault

Archery

17

$2,000

EX

Trois-Rivières

Collège Ahuntsic

Loïc Tremblay

Diving

14

$4,000

EX

L'Ancienne-Lorette

École secondaire Cardinal-Roy

Roxane Vermette

Mountain biking

20

$4,000

S

Saint-Ferréol-les-Neiges

Cégep Limoilou

Annabelle Xu

Tennis

16

$4,000

EX

Montreal (Saint-Laurent)

Académie les Estacades

Tommy Xu

Table tennis

19

$4,000

S

Brossard

Cégep à distance

* EX: academic excellence / S: athletic and academic support

About National Bank of Canada
With $332 billion in assets as at October 31, 2020, National Bank of Canada, together with its subsidiaries, forms one of Canada's leading integrated financial groups. It has more than 26,500 employees in knowledge-intensive positions and has been recognized numerous times as a top employer and for its commitment to diversity. Its securities are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: NA). Follow the Bank’s activities at nbc.ca or via social media such as FacebookLinkedIn and Twitter.

About the Quebec Foundation for Athletic Excellence (FAEQ) 
Since it was founded in 1985, the FAEQ has awarded no less than $18 million in scholarships, representing 6,000 individual scholarships to 3,000 different recipients. The FAEQ provides not only financial support to Quebec student athletes but also support services in terms of academic orientation, help with balancing sports and education, internships in companies, etc. The FAEQ stands out for its personalized approach, its sound management, and its influential role in sport and the education community. faeq.com


For more information:

Annie Pelletier
Director of Communications and Partnerships
Quebec Foundation for Athletic Excellence
Andreia Furtado
Advisor, Public Affairs and Corporate Social Responsibility
National Bank of Canada