Alumni Foundation awards Pat O’Neill 4H Legacy Scholarship to two future ag students

Christian Lavoie, left, and Courtney Werstiuk, right, receive the Pat O’Neill 4H Legacy Scholarship on Friday night, as the St. Paul Canadiens hosted the Wainwright Bisons for Game 4 of the NEAJBHL playoffs. Image submitted. 

The St. Paul Canadiens Alumni Foundation continues to branch out to provide scholarship opportunities for students looking to further their education.

Board member Pat O’Neill, one of the key contributors to the Canadiens organization for several decades, donated a total of $1,000 for two club members in 4H who were qualified for the funds.

With that in mind, a scholarship presentation was held on Friday night to award Christian Lavoie and Courtney Werstiuk with the $500 scholarship.

Each of them are pursuing agriculture when they attend post-secondary, providing another avenue of support in the community beyond the game of hockey.

“That was very important to Pat because he spent his whole life farming, being a cattleman, cow-calf operaton, he was involved in all sorts of agricultural boards, locally and nationally,” Patrick Lamoureux, Alumni president told Lakeland Connect.

“Beyond the game of hockey — Pat’s heart is still very much with the Canadiens and the Alumni — this was equally important. We hope that this is just the beginning of providing a non-athletic scholarship, just like we have with the Saik Cooperators.”

While Canadiens players have been awarded scholarships, since 2022, local students who aren’t affiliated with the club have also been awarded academic scholarships, through a partnership with Saik Insurance Services – Cooperators.

It is part of the organization’s goal of having a wide reach beyond the rink.

In the four years of the Alumni Foundation’s existence, several scholarships have been handed out, and they hope they can continue to expand their reach.

While bolstering those athletic scholarships, partnerships with the Town of St. Paul through the STEP (St. Paul/Elk Point Economic Development Alliance), the Montreal Canadiens Alumni, and Edmonton Oilers, continue to strengthen.

“We really believe that building a community, building a foundation, begins with education,” said Lamoureux.

More short term goals for the Alumni include becoming a multi-title partner, a major sponsorship opportunity with the group.

But also, as former players have stepped up to become involved, the foundation would love to see more players who played in the 2000s announce themselves to get a youthful injection into the organization.

Other long term plans are also being scouted out, that might be announced in the near future as well.

To stay connected with the latest happenings with the St. Paul Canadiens Alumni Foundation, follow them on Facebook or go to their website.