Martin Bédard was the star of Thursday’s 2019 Shaw CFL Awards. He has become a proud receiver of the Jake Gaudaur Veterans’ award. Based on his accomplishments, it’s a well-earned achievement!
Jake Gaudaur is the longest-serving CFL commissioner
As such, receiving his award is a huge honor that only the best Canadian football players are worthy of. The honor will immortalize Martin Bédard as someone who perseveres, and someone who bravely contributes to Canadian communities.
Honourable Lawrence MacAulay praised him for his efforts
The Associate Minister of National Defense himself had nothing but praise to share with the rest of us. According to his words, Martin Bédard is an embodiment of comradeship, resiliency, and strength both on and off the field.
Bédard has experienced personal tragedy before
It doesn’t take much to guess that heroes like him haven’t always had it all cut out for them. Bédard, too, is no stranger to personal tragedy. His brother can no longer use his legs. As if this weren’t enough, both of his parents lost their fight against cancer.
But unlike many who succumb to a life of depression due to similar circumstances, he draws strength from his losses, which led him to become the pillar of support on the fields. It’s thanks to his character, combined with a fearsome and relentless work ethic, that he is now able to stand where he is. When all is said and done, positivity is one of the key traits that allowed his to persevere even when the world was crashing down all around him.
During the speech, he paid respect to his late parents
As he was being presented with the award, the emotions came oozing out of him and he shared a couple of words on how much of an influence his parents were. Being kind to others, as he noted, was one of the main lessons to note, and he made it the pillar of his life and the compass behind his actions. At the same time, he admitted that, as a kid, he wasn’t quite the role model that he is today. However, he did grow up experiencing many things, and eventually realized that being good is what he wanted to achieve in life.
His efforts can be seen in the community
At the time of writing, this is his 11th year with Montreal and the community all around him reflects his efforts. There is a program dubbed Together at School with the Alouettes and he is the ambassador of it. One of its main objectives is to encourage the youth to stay in school. He is also active in the community; his contribution comes in the form of visiting youth centers as well as the elderly. Back in 2013, he also paid a visit to the Canadian troops in Afghanistan and Kuwait. His motivation? Giving back to his hometown.
Conclusion
Speaking of football, make sure to stay tuned with the latest news and place a bet here and there to show your support and love of this beautiful sport. Online Casino is another alternative if you’d like to experience the thrill of betting on something without needing to have in-depth knowledge of the current top performers. But most importantly, purchase a ticket and come out to see your heroes in action!
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