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Innisfail's Groenvelde awarded AAF bursary

OTTAWA – AthletesCAN and Investors Group are pleased to announce that kayak slalom national team member Jessica Groeneveld has been awarded a $5,000 Team Investors Group Amateur Athletes Fund bursary. In keeping with their commitment to amateur sport in Canada, Investors Group established a bursary fund for Canada’s top high performance athletes.

OTTAWA – AthletesCAN and Investors Group are pleased to announce that kayak slalom national team member Jessica Groeneveld has been awarded a $5,000 Team Investors Group Amateur Athletes Fund bursary.

In keeping with their commitment to amateur sport in Canada, Investors Group established a bursary fund for Canada’s top high performance athletes. A national leader in delivering personalized financial solutions to Canadians, Investors Group annually awards twenty $5,000 bursaries to assist Canada’s elite amateur athletes with the costs of training and competition. Selection criteria includes: athletic achievement, financial need and community involvement. Since its inception in 2000, the Team Investors Group Amateur Athletes Fund has provided more than $1,300,000 to Canadian athletes. AthletesCAN administers the bursary on behalf of Investors Group.

“Investors Group considers it an honour to help support our nation’s elite athletes with these bursaries,” said Richard Irish, vice-president, Community Affairs and Marketing Support for Investors Group. “Athletes at this level are constantly juggling the demands of work and school with training and competition. For 13 years now, we have been pleased to provide Canada’s athletes with bursaries totaling over $1 million to make those demands easier to manage.”

“This bursary recognizes the dedication and excellence Jessica exhibits on the field of play and as a leader within her community,” said AthletesCAN executive director Jasmine Northcott.  “AthletesCAN values Investors Group’s ongoing support of Canada’s national team athletes, and are excited to see this bursary assist Jessica in achieving her dreams.”

Jessica recently won a gold medal at the 2013 Pan American Championship and was the first boat on the 2013 Canadian National Team.

“I feel incredible grateful and honored to be selected for the Investors Group bursary,” said Groeneveld. “I also feel relief from some financial worries that are sitting on my shoulders with the upcoming race season.

“The Team Investors Group Amateur Athletes Fund will allow me to focus on competing at my best in 2013 and allow me to spend more time working on local events I am organizing rather than working a paid job to make ends meet,” she added.

“After not making the 2012 Olympic team I had a poor season and as a result lost my athlete assistance carding from Sport Canada. I regrouped after the season and gave it my all in training for the next 6 months. This included working part time jobs, full time university and full time training. I came out of the training season stronger and fitter than ever and Pan American Champion at my first competition in 2013.

“I made the 2013 National elite team and committed to all the competitions. The Team Investor’s Group Amateur Athletes Fund will carry me through the 2013 racing season including 4 world cups, world championships, and National Championships.”