In the friendly, cheerful atmosphere of the Claude-Robillard Sports Complex, the Défi Sportif AlterGo’s volunteers greet each other, chat with the AlterGo team, and reconnect with athletes that, in many cases, they have gotten to know over several years.
Among the volunteers that everyone seems to know are Andréanne, Jean, and Monique, for whom volunteering is a family affair.
Andréanne, who we can count on
Andréanne first heard about the Défi Sportif AlterGo during her teaching internship at Victor-Doré School. A few years later, she decided to volunteer at the event, in the cafeteria. She eventually became the cafeteria manager, before being hired as AlterGo’s volunteer coordinator.
For her first Défi Sportif AlterGo as an employee, Andréanne asked her parents to join the team of 1,200 volunteers. “I thought they would both be good assets,” she explains.
Andréanne had developed an affinity for volunteering thanks to her parents, who were involved with organizations like Operation Red Nose and the Dr. Julien Foundation, as well as their children’s school.
“Volunteering runs in our family,” says Jean.
Andréanne no longer works for AlterGo, but she still returns as a volunteer every year. She even takes time off work for the event.
When she shows up, everyone knows and recognizes her, and she often hears comments like, “Oh, I saw your dad earlier!”
Jean, a volunteer who helps out everywhere
Andréanne was correct in thinking her parents would be excellent assets to the team of Défi Sportif AlterGo volunteers. Both of them are now back for their 6th year.
Jean helps set up the different event sites. He goes everywhere, does a bit of everything, and is known by everyone. While he has gained a lot of experience, what brings him back year after year are the team spirit and the smiles of the children.
“Everything here runs smoothly. It’s very well organized. The atmosphere is great, and everyone is happy to see each other. And when the kids arrive each morning, it’s like, ‘Wow.’ We’re truly here for a reason. We create the environment for them, and they repay us in smiles,” explains Jean, who also discovered a love of power soccer thanks to the event.
“That’s our reward,” Andréanne concurs.
Monique, loyal boccia volunteer
As for Monique, she fell in love with boccia the first time she volunteered.
“I convinced her to take on the role of time-keeper, which I actually wasn’t too familiar with, because I needed people. It was in fact very challenging,” says Andréanne. “But then she told me, ‘I’ve just discovered something new. The athletes, their precision, their concentration . . . I’m staying right here.’”
Now in her 6th year, Monique is well-known by both the athletes and the other boccia volunteers, many of whom, like Monique, fell in love with the unique sport by pure happenstance and now return year after year.
Volunteers and ambassadors
As is true of many people involved in adaptive sport, it came about somewhat by chance for this family. Andréanne briefly saw the Victor-Doré schoolchildren practicing swimming during her internship, she was completely unaware of the “parallel universe” she was about to discover.
“For a lot of people, it just doesn’t exist. They simply never encounter it. But when you meet these athletes, it opens up a whole new world,” she says.
Jean was not familiar with adaptive sport either, until he became involved in the event. Nowadays, he is glad to see that events like the Défi Sportif AlterGo are receiving more attention, creating more space for people with disabilities.
Fortunately, Andréanne, Jean, and Monique’s story is not unique. The Défi Sportif AlterGo is able to rely on a large number of volunteers who serve as excellent ambassadors for the event each year. And by spreading the word, they encourage more and more people to join the remarkable team.
Read also : The Pelletier Sisters: Boccia Volunteers
