“It’s unacceptable to be denied from participating in sports because of a disability”
Since October 2014, Steve Charbonneau is the Executive Director of the Adaptive Sports Foundation. The foundation’s main objective is to ensure that people with physical disabilities have the opportunity to participate in sports without obstacles. An experience that most of us take for granted, but that can seem out of reach for many disabled aspiring athletes.
It was by pure luck that the former Alouette stumbled upon this role. He had a temporary position as Director of the recreation department for the city of Farnham when he received a call from Peter Treacy, the founder of the Adaptive Sports Foundation, who was looking for a successor. Treacy had been amputated in a car accident a few years prior and never stopped skiing. He created the organization to break down barriers for people with disabilities.
“We met and I agreed to help him find a new director. The more I read about this organization, the more I realized it fit with my values. Forty-eight hours later, I expressed my interest, and the hiring process was quick.”
The Cowansville-native loves his mission: to give people with disabilities the chance to practice sports. “These are values that resonate with me. I had the chance to play professional football for ten years and I always wanted to give back to society. I’m aware that I’ve been privileged in life. It’s unacceptable for anyone to be denied from participating in sports because of a disability. We do everything we can to bring joy into our members’ lives.”
When Steve first started the foundation, the only activity the 50 members practiced was skiing. Six years later, more than 800 disabled adults and children have the opportunity to go kayaking, water skiing, hiking in the mountains, skiing, and paddleboarding.
Steve organizes a variety of group activities throughout Quebec. He travels across the province, spending time in the Eastern Townships, the Laurentians regions, and the Mauricie.
“I’m very pleased with the success of our organization, but there is still a lot of work to be done. Due to the pandemic, many of our activities are canceled, so we have to work way harder.”
To support his business, he relied on sponsors, fundraisers, and donations from individuals. Of course, volunteers play a vital role in all the activities organized.
“Over as little as a day, people develop a certain autonomy; Our members feel a newfound sense of freedom. We often see chemistry develop between our volunteers and our athletes. When our participants smile and forget about their daily worries, it’s the best feeling.”
Steve made his dream come true by wearing the Alouettes’ jersey. “I played here in the first years of the team’s return to Montreal. It took some time to rebuild a relationship with our fans, but we ended up creating a strong bond.”
Steve played in Alouettes hockey games to connect with the community, and had a great time doing that. “Everywhere we went, the red carpet was rolled out, we always enjoyed great meals after our games and we got to spend time with our fans.”
He considers himself lucky to have been able to play his favorite sport for the team he rooted for as a child.
“As a Montreal-native it felt special for me to play here. People would recognize me in the streets and restaurants, I loved the relationship I developed with the fans”.
Charbonneau raised the Grey Cup twice, in 2003 and 2005, wearing the Edmonton uniform. He shared champagne with Danny Maciocia, the current GM of the Alouettes, who was with Edmonton at the time.
Steve Charbonneau gives so much to his organization, provides so much to his members. He knows he has helped change hundreds of lives, but don’t count on him to brag about his achievements. He is way too humble for that…
