Jeffrey Lalonde
Constable, Cornwall Police Services
Police Foundations, 1999
Volunteering was a family affair when Jeff Lalonde was young. Everyone volunteered, individually or as a family, with the local soup kitchen or other charitable organizations. Having done so from a young age, he continued once he started his studies at Algonquin College and has never stopped. “I always stuck to it,” Lalonde says. “It was just something that was natural to give back to the community.”
His impact as a volunteer in Cornwall, where he lives and works, has been significant. The long-time Constable with the Cornwall Police Service organized a youth soccer fundraiser for four years. Called Blazers vs. Tasers, the event matched youth teams against the local police and raised over $40,000.
“Competitive team sports is expensive, especially when most of your games are in Ottawa – so travel costs, hotels, and so on. But it’s so important for kids to have this kind of opportunity. It plays a huge role in their development. Our kids played, and one day our youngest son came home and wanted to raise money for the team. Out of that we developed the annual event with the police.
“This way, families who wanted their kids to play but didn’t know how they’d pay for it could enrol them in soccer without any worries.”
Beginning in 2013, he and his wife Cherie launched an annual event in support of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, which has raised more than $150,000. Named an Alumnus of Distinction for 2021 as Rena Bowen Volunteer of the Year, Lalonde has also been awarded the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers, the highest medal for volunteer service that an individual can receive within the Canadian Honours System.
Lalonde says it’s just his way of contributing to Cornwall, a centre known for its community spirit. Cornwall is a city of about 60,000 people, but he says it retains the civic cohesiveness of a smaller centre. “It’s a very giving community. There are lots of fundraisers, events to support charity groups. I think it’s incredible for such a small city. It’s just the culture here.”
He came to Algonquin College for the first time after graduating from high school. His initial choice – the Corrections program – didn’t work out as hoped. “It was not a good fit, it turned out. It was half that it just wasn’t for me and half that I still didn’t know what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.”
He remained in Ottawa after graduating and worked for Bell Canada for a few years. But he ultimately identified his true career goal, and with this in mind returned to the College for the Police Foundations program. “Right away, I knew this was where I belonged,” he says. “I have a lot of police officers and military members in our family. It was something I badly wanted to do. I just had to encourage myself to take that step and I had some great mentors who helped guide me in that time.”
Lalonde graduated with the Class of 1999 and notes happily that he still retains friends from those days. “I was working full time while I was going to school, so I didn’t have much time to socialize. But you still find time to hang out and make friends, and it’s great to retain those connections even after 20-plus years have passed.”
He was hired by the Cornwall Police Service, where he spent more than 15 years as a crisis negotiator and worked another five years in the crime prevention branch. He has also served as Vice President of the Cornwall Police Association.
Lalonde is a big believer in the power of team spirit on the job and off. So are his colleagues on the force, many of whom contributed their time and energy to his soccer initiative. “They didn’t have to do that. They could have rightly said they had enough going on between work and home. But they came out and helped raise the money for the kids. Some were actually good soccer players, some just liked to come out and kick the ball for fun – and it’s not easy keeping up with a bunch of 14- and 15-year-olds!”
For health reasons, Lalonde has stepped back from some of the activities he’s loved over the years. But he hopes to return when the time is right.
“I can’t wait to start volunteering again,” he says. “Especially now, when things are starting to open up and we’re getting a little bit of normality back in our lives. Fortunately, we have some great people around us who continued raising money for diabetes when I had to step back. They didn’t want it to die, they wanted to see a great event keep on going, and I couldn’t be more grateful for what they’ve done.”