scholarships
DOUG & DIANE CLEMENT SCHOLARSHIPSDOUG & DIANE CLEMENT SCHOLARSHIPS
In 2022, in gratitude for Doug and Diane Clement’s 57 years of leading the Achilles International Track & Field Society (Achilles), friends and colleagues created a lasting Clement family legacy by creating an endowment fund to grant scholarships to community minded student athletes at the University of BC (UBC) and Simon Fraser University (SFU).
In early 2022, an Achilles Clement Scholarship Committee of 11 approached in secret the athletic community, colleagues, and close corporate connections to try and raise $100,000 for an endowment fund at the Vancouver Foundation. These early donators were to be known as the ‘Founders Club 57′.
At the end of May, at a surprise reception, Doug, Diane and the Clement family were told that donations of $180,000 were received with a multi-year commitment totalling $255,000. Donations ranged from $50 to $25,000, with one multi-year donation of $100,000 by Victory Creative Group & Mark Starkey.
With great appreciation, listed below are the 100 initial donators:
Founders Club 57
Brian & Rose Blamey
Peter & Karen Butler
Alvin Chow
Brian & Anne Cliff
Doug Consiglio
Charmaine Crooks
Peter & Anna Diemer
Lori Durward
Entwistle Family Foundation
Geri & Drew Fitch
Jason Gray
Nigel Hole
Tim Hopkins
Dennis & Carol Hoy
Marek Jedrzejek
Chris Johnson
Gary Kingston
Colin Laight
Wendy Long
Jill MacLauchlan & Kevin Parks
Dr. Don Mckenzie
Ron Mattison
Richard Miller & Chantal Nevo
Bill & Yolande Paine
Brian & Paula Phillips
Brian Pound
Rabinder Rai
Dr. Alec Ritchie
Greg Ryan
Carl Savage
Joan Sheanh
Bill Smart
Andre Smith
Clement-Gale Family
John Coates
Zeba Crook
** John Currie
Evan Dunfee
Phil Ellis
Graeme Fell
Ken & Anneli French
Chris Hancock
Simon Hoogewerf
Cheryl & Tom Howard
Carmyn James
Valerie Jerome
Lynn Kanuka
Allan Klassen & Marcie Good
Sue & Richard Lee
Dr. Rob Lloyd-Smith
Dr. Bob McCormack
Max & Margrit Meier
Shane O’Brien
Ian Newhouse
Fred Pawluk
Ken Poskitt
**Laurier Primeau
Gary Reed
Tinker Robinson
Bill & April Sanders
Jeff Scheibler
George Short
Gavin Smart & Rhonda Roylance
Jim & Wendy Scorgie
Gerry Swan
Cindy and Ken Teskey
Mark Starkey
Jack & Cheryl Taunton
Norm Tinkham
Townsend Family
Tiiu Vaartnou
John & Shannon Wheeler
Paul Williams
Jerry Ziak
Dr. Doug Webber
Chris & Leslie White
Paul Wong
Anna Ziarek
Tourigny Family
Norm Trerise
Larry Blaschuk
Ed Booth
ORGANIZATIONS
Achilles International Track & Field Society
Athletics Canada
BC Athletics
BC Sports Hall of Fame
Kamloops Track & Field Club
Richmond Kajaks
SportMedBC
TELUS
UBC Dept. of Athletics
UBC Dept. of Kinesiology
UBC Faculty of Medicine
Vancouver Sun
Vancouver Thunderbirds Track & Field Club
Victory Creative Group, Inc
Achilles Scholarship Committee
Dr. Ken Poskitt
John Wheeler
Marek Jedrzejek
Markus Bill
Brian Blamey
Charmaine Crooks
Chris Hancock
Dennis Hoy
Lynn Kanuka
Allan Klassen
William Paine
Carl Savage
Clement Support Letter
“Diane and I were surprised on May 30th last year when we met our family for a 63rd wedding anniversary dinner that the Achilles Clement Scholarship Committee secretly organized. Yes, it was a complete shock, as we were completely unaware that this group had raised over a quarter of a million dollars in three months to start a scholarship fund created as a legacy to our family.
2022 was a significant year for Diane and me. It marked our 86th and 89th birthdays, plus the “Big Surprise” wedding anniversary, and 58 years since founding the Achilles International Track and Field Society. Hundreds of outdoor and indoor track and field events as well as road races have been organized by Achilles during that time as well as founding the Vancouver Sun Run, which has attracted over a million participants seeking an active and healthy lifestyle.
Clearly, our family supports the Clement Scholarship Committee’s efforts to double the fund in the second phase of fundraising. Success will make the scholarships more impactful for UBC and SFU student-athletes and facilitate granting of more and more significant scholarships. We welcome your support.”
Public Phase Donations – 2022 to Present
With the Clement Scholarship Fund made public, a second phase of fundraising began in the Fall of 2022. As of May 2025, an additional $169,000 had been raised including a $137,000 gift from Pacific Road Runners from their legacy fund. Achilles agreed to name in their honour a fifth Clement scholarship in 2024.
With great appreciation, the event recognizes the following additional donors:
DONORS
Julie Iverson
Maurice Wilson
Craig Asmundson
Michael Bentley
Dr. Philip Clement
In Memory of Ivor Davies
Suzy & Hartley
Randy & Mary Kaardal
Bill & Jana Maclagan
Winne & Mary Beth Meeuwisse
David & Pamela Richardson
In Memory of Dr. Drew Young
Larry Beazley
Neil Chomos
Barbara Cook
Trish Hopkins & Bob Doran
George & Jane Hungerford
Frieder & Irene Kempe
Marcelle & Donald McLean
Andrew Pipe
Dr. Kristin Wingfield
ORGANIZATIONS
Pacific Road Runners
Victory Creative Group, Inc
The Pender Fund
Value of Endowment Fund
At the end of March 2025, the socially responsible endowment fund managed by the Vancouver Foundation grew to more than $430,000, while distributing $40,000 in scholarship grants. This is due to additional donations and positive investment returns.
Matching Grants from UBC & SFU Doubles Scholarship Awards
We thank UBC and SFU for offering matching programs for up to $5,000 per year for the next 10 and five years, respectively. Thanks to the Pacific Road Runners large donations and a second matching program with SFU.
Make a difference TODAY
Donate to the Clements Scholarships Fund and support students who embody dedication, resilience, and community spirit. Donations with an immediate tax receipt can be made by going to this Vancouver Foundation link. We thank you for your support!
NEWS
2025 Celebration
Achilles was pleased to have SFU Coach Tom Dickson and UBC Head Coach Laurier Primeau in attendance to present their scholarship athletes. It was noted that these scholarships allow their universities to attract and keep athletes here in Canada. Notably Marie-Eloise competed for Canada at the 2024 Paris Olympics in the 4x100M relay. Two new athletes received scholarships, Jose and Katie. Please see below short biographies of the athletes.
Jose Castro
Middle Distance – 800-3,000m, X country.
Top Achievements – Great Northwest Athletic Conference 2024 indoor team distance relay champions, 3:50 for 1,500m personal best.
Academic – 5th year, Communications & Minor Education.
Volunteerism – 2025 media communication coordinator Student Athlete Advisory Committee; 2024 United Way Book Sale, Content creator for
SFU Track & Field; 2023 Jerome Outreach Society Coach.
Awards – Clement Scholarship 2025.
Hometown – Brampton, ON.
Marie-Eloise Leclair
Sprinter – 60, 100, 200, 400m.
Top achievements – 4x100m team member at Paris 2024 Olympic Games, 3rd in 200m National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division 2 Nationals, 3rd in senior 100m Canadian Nationals, and breaking Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) records.
Academic – 4th year SFU majoring in Health Sciences with a minor in Indigenous Studies.
Volunteerism – at local track meets as an official, track set up, announcing and coaching.
Awards – SFU Lorne Davis Female Athlete of the Year (2023) and nominated for Freshman of the Year in 2022. Clement Scholarship (2024, 2025).
Hometown – Montreal, QC.
Katie Newlove
Middle Distance runner – 1,500 to 10,000m and cross country.
Top Achievements – In 2023, National Assn. of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) 5,000M champion, 11th at Canadian Track Championships 5000M, and 7th in Canadian X-country championships. In 2024, a Canadian team member at 2024 World X-country championships held in Belgrade Serbia.
Academic – UBC Bachelor degree, Global Resource Systems (Health Sciences, Food and Nutrition).
Volunteerism – Retirement home volunteer for several years, past volunteer at Sprouts Café serving low cost or free meals to UBC community. Led run club to help women compete in Run for Women 5K road race, which supports mental health programs in Canada.
Awards – USports and CanWest Female X-country athlete of year in 2023, Clement Scholarship 2025 .
Hometown – Ottawa, ON.
Lauren Curtis
Hammer Thrower
Top Achievements – U18 Canadian national champion (2022, 2023). As 17-year-old placed 4th at U20 national championships in 2023.
Academic – grade 12 Maple Ridge Secondary honours student enrolled in September 2024 for UBC Bachelor of Arts.
Volunteerism – volunteer at many track meets, seniors’ facilities and various activities at high school.
Awards – Premier’s (BC) Award for Indigenous Youth Excellence in Sport (including demonstrated commitment to their education and culture, and promotion of healthy active lifestyles). Clement Scholarship.
Hometown – Mission, BC.
First Grants of 3 Scholarship Awards 2023/2024
We are pleased to announce that the first three Doug and Diane Track and Field/Cross Country Awards have been granted – two in 2023 by SFU and one in early 2024 by UBC, which total $15,000. The scholarships were announced by head coaches Brit Townsend and Laurier Primeau, respectively, in late February 2024 at an Achilles Celebration reception with the Clements in attendance.
Marie-Eloise Leclair
Sprinter – 60, 100, 200, 400m.
Top achievements – 4x100m team member at Paris 2024 Olympic Games, 3rd in 200m National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division 2 Nationals, 3rd in senior 100m Canadian Nationals, and breaking Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) records.
Academic – 4th year SFU majoring in Health Sciences with a minor in Indigenous Studies.
Volunteerism – at local track meets as an official, track set up, announcing and coaching.
Awards – SFU Lorne Davis Female Athlete of the Year (2023) and nominated for Freshman of the Year in 2022. Clement Scholarship (2024, 2025).
Hometown – Montreal, QC.
Sebastian Brinkman
Middle Distance Runner – 5000, 3000 and 1500m and X-country.
Top achievements – NCAA Div. 2 National Cross-Country Championships in 2022 where had a breakthrough race (42nd) and helped SFU team exceed their national ranking, finishing 19th.
Academic – 5th year SFU Business major studying Marketing and certification in Data Analytics.
Volunteerism – community engagement with NCAA to support local organizations including the Boys and Girls club and engaging with local track community.
Awards – multiple All-Conference and All-West Region honors for track and field and cross country. Clement Scholarship.
Hometown – Bellevue, Washington State.
Lauren Curtis
Hammer Thrower
Top Achievements – U18 Canadian national champion (2022, 2023). As 17-year-old placed 4th at U20 national championships in 2023.
Academic – grade 12 Maple Ridge Secondary honours student enrolled in September 2024 for UBC Bachelor of Arts.
Volunteerism – volunteer at many track meets, seniors’ facilities and various activities at high school.
Awards – Premier’s (BC) Award for Indigenous Youth Excellence in Sport (including demonstrated commitment to their education and culture, and promotion of healthy active lifestyles). Clement Scholarship.
Hometown – Mission, BC.