The Montreal Canadiens Children's Foundation Renews its Commitment to Champions for Life

MONTREAL, September 1, 2022 — The Champions for Life Foundation is pleased to announce the renewal of a major donation from the Montreal Canadiens Children's Foundation to support the provision of annual physical literacy programs in 25 schools near BLEU BLANC BOUGE rinks for the next 3 school years.

This funding will allow over 3,000 vulnerable children in Quebec to access free after-school programs over the next three years. Champions for Life physical literacy programs help these children gain the skills, confidence, motivation and knowledge to stay active for a lifetime.

According to David Arsenault, Founder and Executive Director of the Champions for Life Foundation, "We could not continue to help children in disadvantaged neighbourhoods develop the skills they need to become healthy adults without the annual support of dedicated partners like the Montreal Canadiens Children's Foundation. These children face challenging circumstances that can create a vicious cycle of sedentary behaviours, preventing them from engaging in regular physical activity and thriving as individuals. We are very grateful for the continued support of our partners. We need more collaborators like the Montreal Canadiens Children's Foundation, who share our vision and goals.”

This renewed commitment by the Montreal Canadiens Children's Foundation as a visionary partner adds to a total of $1.4 million donated since 2016 to bring Champions for Life after-school programs and resources to vulnerable communities. To date, this collaboration has impacted the well-being of more than 55,000 children, providing them with the opportunity to develop fundamental movement skills and enjoy physical activities.

"The Foundation recognizes the importance of developing fundamental movement skills in children, especially those from less fortunate backgrounds, so they have all the tools they need to be active throughout their lives. With this goal in mind, the Foundation has chosen to continue its contribution to the Champions for Life program," said Geneviève Paquette, Executive Director of the Montreal Canadiens Children's Foundation.

In Quebec, there are over 800 schools located in economically disadvantaged communities. Data shows that children living in low-income households are at a disadvantage when it comes to accessing extracurricular opportunities. Children from low-income families are three times less likely to participate in after-school programs. By the sixth grade, students from middle-income families will have spent nearly 4,000 more hours in after-school and summer educational programs than their low-income peers.

The Champions for Life Foundation is always looking for partners to help achieve its goal of supporting more schools with free access to physical literacy programs.