This national sport bursary is intended to provide support to up-and-coming Canadian athletes or teams in para sport to offset costs related to registration fees, facility rentals, training, equipment, coaching, competition, and travel.
The bursary was established in 2022 by the Kabush family in-part to help support the work of the Canadian Cerebral Palsy Sports Association (CCPSA). The fund’s capital is held with a private investment firm and annual earnings are used by the CCPSA to support three financial awards annually, each with a value of $1,000.
About Alison Kabush
Alison Kabush began her involvement in the sport of boccia in 1989 through the Variety Child Development Center in Vancouver. She went on from there to be selected to the British Columbia Provincial Boccia Team, followed by the Canadian National Boccia Team. Along with her BC3 teammates Monica Martino and Paul Gauthier, for decades these three athletes from British Columbia transformed boccia in Canada.
From the mid 1990’s to the early 2010’s, they spent thousands of hours together on the boccia courts of Vancouver, New Westminster, and Surrey, building their shared love of competition and honing their skills. The depth of their Pairs results was so great that what was often lost in their consistency and longevity was their beautifully executed shots, time and time again. Their accomplishment include:
- Gold at World Championships in New York, 1998
- Bronze at Paralympic Games in Sydney, Australia, 2000
- Gold at World Masters Games in Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal, 2004
- Bronze at Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece, 2004
- Gold at America’s Cup in Mar del Plata, Argentina, 2005
- Gold at Americas’ Cup in Montreal, 2009
At the age of five, Alison and her parents went to a full educational review and fought for her right to attend a regular school in Surrey, British Columbia. Alison later became the first person in Surrey with a disability of her magnitude to graduate from a regular high school on time, with honours.
Candidate Eligibility
Financial awards to support athletes in parasport will be granted annually to three applicants who meet the criteria in these categories:
- Must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident;
- Must have Cerebral Palsy;
- Must be active in para sport as an athlete;
- Demonstrate a need and incur expenses in the area of registration fees, facility rentals, training, equipment, coaching, competition, and/or travel;
- NOTE: expenses covered by other sources of funding are ineligible
- NOTE: athletes that have competed at World Championships or major games e.g. Paralympic, Parapan Am Games are ineligible.
Assessment Criteria
Each candidate’s application will be reviewed and assessed using the following evaluative framework found in the application:
1. Meeting the eligibility requirements as outlined above.Â
Application Process:
The application deadline date is August 29, 2025 at 17:00 EST. Applications received after that time will not be accepted.
Click here to complete Kabush Para Sport Athlete Fund application form.
About the Canadian Cerebral Palsy Sports Association
The Canadian Cerebral Palsy Sports Association (CCPSA) is a non-profit organization and the national governing body for the Paralympic sport of Boccia in Canada, with a mandate to represent, promote, and advance the sport in the country.
The CCPSA’s broader mandate is to support anyone with physical disabilities in accessing quality sport activities.
About boccia
Boccia is a Paralympic sport of precision and strategy similar to lawn bowling or curling, played by athletes with Cerebral Palsy, Muscular Dystrophy, and related disabilities. It is one of only two Paralympic sports that do not have an Olympic counterpart. Athletes compete in one of six sport classes based on their level and type of disability: BC1, BC2, BC3, BC4, BC5, and Open. For more information on boccia, visit www.bocciacanada.ca.
Information Contact
Jennifer Larson
Safe Sport and Special Projects Coordinator
hbonas@bocciacanada.ca