Cycling across Canada to raise funds to create a psychomotor space for the children of Chaudière-Appalaches housed in rehabilitation centers is the mission that Guy Dominique started with his wife Marie-Eve Jalbert.

By Xavier Nicole – xaviernicole@journaldelevis.ca

“I wanted to challenge myself with my recent retirement, so on May 9th we will begin our journey from Vancouver to Saint John, New Brunswick. It’s a journey of more than 7,000 kilometers and we should have enough for three months. We usually take a day off every seven days,” explained cycling enthusiast Guy Dominique.

During this project, Guy Dominique and his wife will travel in total autonomy. You will therefore have a tent, stove, pots, burner and some other essentials with you. They also allow themselves to sleep in the hotel in extreme temperatures.

The couple have also created a Facebook page called Carnet de cyclotouristes where they will post updates on their trip. They also want to publish explanatory videos there about the cause they support. The public response is already positive with almost 300 people subscribed to her page.

Several companies in the area have shown their support for the project by teaming up with the two cycling enthusiasts. This is particularly true of HLC, which sent them a $500 donation for equipment, and the Fondation jeunesse du CISSS de Chaudière-Appalaches, which is their main partner.

A well thought out project

“I thought about this project for a long time. Two years ago I told myself I had to do something to celebrate my upcoming retirement. I’m a big fan of cycling and I’ve seen a lot of people cycling in Canada and every time I thought it was amazing and I had to do it too,” said Guy Dominique.

For her part, Marie-Eve was initially not supposed to take part in the project as she found it “completely crazy”. However, after a few weeks of thought, she decided to come on board to help her husband.

“In the beginning there was the Guys project. We’ve been together for 23 years when I wanted to break up with him. I will accompany him by bike from Vancouver up to here and after that he will continue without me,” said Marie-Eve Jalbert.

An important reason

For Guy and Marie-Eve, one of the main goals of the project is to support a cause close to their hearts. Drawing on a 35-year career at the Center jeunesse Chaudière-Appalaches, Guy and Marie-Eve, who have worked there for 23 years, immediately wanted to raise funds to help children in rehabilitation centers.

“We want people to realize that there are very young children living in a rehabilitation center. Our children are free and have everything at hand, while those in the centers have a very different reality. They have a lot of rules and extreme oversight,” explained Guy Dominique.

The funds raised during the project should make it possible to create an inner psychomotor space. This space should contain climbing walls, play modules, a ball pit and several small games to encourage the development of young people.

“Our goal really is for kids to have a place where they can have fun and have fun, a place to relax. We really hope it will be a good wake up call and that people will start to care about this reality. People often have a bad idea about these children, but they don’t care about their past to better understand them,” concluded Marie-Eve Jalbert.