Mark DeMontis Greets the Queen (Ernest Doruzuk/Toronto Sun)

Courage href="http://www.couragecanada.ca">Canada Founder, href="http://www.couragecanada.ca/the-founder.htm">Mark DeMontis received an

interesting call from his publicist about a month ago. The Federal Government

had contacted her with an interesting request. Would DeMontis be interested in

presenting Her Majesty the Queen with flowers at Queen's Park in Toronto July

6th? Without hesitation or asking Demontis for that matter, she said

absolutely.

At the age of 21, DeMontis

founded Courage Canada, a national, registered charity with the goal to

implement hockey schools for blind and visually-impaired youth across Canada.

The following year in 2009, DeMontis ambitiously launched the organization

by in-line skating from his hometown Toronto across five provinces and 5,000

kilometers to Vancouver to raise funds and awareness for his

cause. DeMontis's "Quest to the West" gained local and national media

attention along the way, appearing on CBC's Hockey Night in Canada and Global

National with Kevin Newman. The campaign raised over $60,000 and was sponsored

by Ottawa Senators' owner Eugene Melnyk and organizations such as the NHL,

Reebok, Tim Horton's and Rogers.

"I was a little nervous, I didn't

know what to expect, DeMontis recalls. I also wanted to make sure I got the

protocols correct."

DeMontis shared that he was honored

even to be considered for such an opportunity and it was a moment he will always

cherish. "This opportunity certainly motivates me to keep motivating

others, he states.

Courage Canada continues to promote

visually impaired hockey events for youth and adults and is planning his second

in-line skating quest, by skating from Halifax to Toronto next

fall.