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- Jean-Marie Lapointe
Jean-Marie Lapointe
A Dedicated Artist…
Défi sportif can boast about having exceptional individuals in its team. Jean-Marie Lapointe, a talented and generous artist, is renowned in various areas: music, radio, television and film. If his career brought him to share the stage with his father in the show Faces à Farces and appeared on television in Le 7e round or 450 chemin du Golf, he chose to associate with his favourite causes in order to pursue his social and spiritual commitment.
With Leucan, Jean-Marie Lapointe supports young children terminally ill with cancer, while he is also involved with L’Éclaircie, a transition house for people suffering from eating disorders. His commitment does not stop there: he is the spokesperson of Le Grand Chemin Foundation, which supports teenagers struggling with drug, alcohol or gambling addictions, and it is a well known fact that Jean Lapointe Centers, which are helping youth living with drug and alcohol addictions, hold a special place in his heart.
For the Défi sportif, Jean-Marie Lapointe is much more than a spokesperson. He is dedicated to the youth who put their efforts, all year-round, into living their dreams.
More Than Sport…
Physical activity is part of Jean-Marie Lapointe’s lifestyle. An accomplished athlete, he excels in a variety of sports and has a passion for dragon boat, in which his team won World Championship in Prague in December 2009.
More than just exercise, sport boosts self-esteem, and helps us feel valuable, set
personal goals and reach our full potential. No matter what we are going through, we
always have the choice and no one can take such a freedom away from us. When we choose
to win, we also look for ways to reach victory. Be it at school level or international
level, athletes set goals for themselves. I think that, as long as we are determined to
reach our goals and push ourselves to a higher level, we can live our mission, our dream.
Stepping on the podium is the ultimate reward for steady training and repeated sacrifice.
Each time, we are living a dream. Watching the pride of kids at the
Défi sportif is priceless.
For Jean-Marie, the kids’ pride is enhanced by public recognition, such as all the applause and the encouragement for the achievements of these young athletes embracing their difference.
Celebrating difference…
Narrator, interviewer and participant in the movie Trisomie 21/Le défi Pérou,
Jean-Marie Lapointe cares about the place given to handicapped
people in society. He notes the meaningful interaction we can have with them and the
important role different people play in our society. The absence of contact perpetuates
our discomfort towards handicapped people. We tend to judge them. When we see a
handicapped person, we tend to feel pity and to project ourselves:
I would not want
to be in their place
. We can transform this attitude into compassion. Our discomfort
disappears if we get to know these people. They can teach us patience, tolerance and
non-judgment. Défi sportif celebrates this difference, applauses
it and points a finger… in a good way. Young participants feel loved and appreciated.
Jean-Marie feels particularly close to these young athletes.
His fuel: the new generation of athletes…
One of my favourites of the Défi sportif is school sports. For sure it is the future.
Just like Chantal Petitclerc and other national and
international-level athletes, many kids will take part in the school sports section of
the Défi sportif, to later have a chance to compete at an
international level. Jean-Marie believes it is important to
encourage young children and teenagers in order to allow them to develop their talent
and, who knows, reach high-level competition. In that way, the
Défi sportif shows the importance of believing in their potential
and their extraordinary strength. It is a first step in celebrating their difference.
By prioritizing young people, the Défi sportif is carrying out its
mandate.
Also, by competing alongside professional athletes who are handicapped,
just like them, kids benefit from a special contact with a source of inspiration.
Since Chantal is living with a physical handicap, many youth
identify with her and tell themselves that, if Chantal can achieve
so much, so can they. When Chantal wins, it is also a small
victory for every one of them living with a difference or a handicap.
Jean-Marie invests his heart, his time and his love in the
Défi sportif. Being in contact with these young athletes, he
finds inspiration to live life to its fullest and to get involved year after year in
the Défi sportif. Evidently, there is still a lot to do. Even
if the Défi sportif is in its 27th year, we cannot
take for granted that everyone knows about it. We constantly need to raise awareness and
move forward. The game is not won yet.
