Chopping a bike for Soldier On

Yanick Létourneau, Christian Jalbert and Érick Cloutier will work as a team to transform a motorbike as a benefit to the Soldier On program. Photo by Édouard Dufour, Adsum Newspaper

Yanick Létourneau, Christian Jalbert and Érick Cloutier will work as a team to transform a motorbike as a benefit to the Soldier On program. Photo by Édouard Dufour, Adsum Newspaper

Édouard Dufour, DND ~

Chief Petty Officer Second Class Christian Jalbert, currently working at Naval Reserve Headquarters in Québec City, boasts a 27-year career in the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN), divided between the Regular Force and the Naval Reserve.

With the help of two collaborators, he is embarking on an ambitious project: modifying and auctioning off a motorbike as a benefit to the Soldier On program.

Thanks to donations from their loved ones and the general population, the three men working on the project were able to purchase a 1994 Harley-Davidson Sportster bike for $1,725. “Throughout my career, I’ve known and worked alongside people who were injured, both physically and mentally. I haven’t experienced what they’ve had to live through, but I do see the impacts it all has on their lives. I wanted to do something that would bring them a sense of accomplishment and build awareness of mental health issues in the general population,” said CPO2 Jalbert, a bike aficionado from a very early age.

For the coming months, the three men will meet weekly in Lévis, Quebec, to transform the bike. CPO2 Jalbert and his partners have already assembled the bike, having purchased it dismantled. Only a few parts of the original structure will have been retained when the machine reaches its final form.

The goal is to auction the bike off during fall 2020; all profits are to go to the Soldier On program.

“This program gives back to veterans who really need it. It enables them to become active again and it’s a community promoting sport and physical activity. I’ve met many people who were having trouble. They’re just looking for that spark, such as what the Soldier On program offers, to push forward,” said CPO2 Jalbert.

CPO2 Jalbert and his collaborators are forever on the lookout for partners and donors who can help them purchase the parts they will need to transform the bike. People who wish to contribute can do so by visiting the www.gofundme.com/soldier-on-bike-project page. Information on the project can also be found on the Chris De Moto Facebook page.

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