Fate, fitness, faith and forgiveness: how a stolen car connected workout buddies

In his ongoing effort to keep his life on track and not fall back into addiction and crime, Genereaux relies on his faith in God and constant routines like working out. Where he used to run from police, he now works out beside officers and is treated as an equal and with respect, he says.

Once he knew exactly who Leonard was, Genereaux realized he needed to apologize.

“That’s one thing I’ve learned, that you need to make amends to the people that you’ve harmed. I thought to myself, I owe this family an apology,” said Generaux.

He knew who Tammy Leonard was by recognizing names from his court hearings, but the reverse was not true.

Leonard only knew who Generaux was casually by talking to him when they happened to be working out at the same time, for about three or four months.

She is also a writer and this past Christmas had just finished a book that deals with mental health and addictions.

Another person in the gym told her that she needed to give a copy of the book to Genereaux, who has become a motivational speaker targeting youth, such as the hockey players on the Prince Albert U18 AAA Mintos. Leonard’s husband is the Mintos’ head coach.

Raised in a good family, Genereaux said it was only a few wrong decisions in his mid-teens that diverted him from playing AAA hockey for the Beardy’s Blackhawks team to skipping practices and doing drugs.

By talking to teens the same age he was back then, he hopes to help them realize how easy it is to go down a bad path.

This was a wanted post for Joey Generaux around the time he stole a car and ended up in jail. (file photo/paNOW)

Leonard’s book is aimed at helping people with mental health and addiction issues to find messages of affirmation.

“After Christmas, I had finished my last book and I knew I needed to get that to Joey. We had talked working out beside each other a couple times, so I told him I had a book for him,” explained Leonard.

All she knew was that he was “a great guy that I happened to work out beside sometimes”.

“Kind of in a break between lifting weights, he came over and said he had a story to share with me about my family,” she said.

“I’m looking at Joey thinking, where’s this going? And he said, I just wanted to tell you that I’m the one who stole your son’s car. And I’m looking and thinking, no, I don’t think you did,” Leonard said.

Genereaux apologized and explained he had been high and going through a difficult time. The day he got caught with the Leonards’ vehicle was also the last day he used drugs.

Approaching someone he harmed in the past is a risk in and of itself as there is no way to know how they will react, but apologizing for misdeeds helped Genereaux heal.

Finding forgiveness, such as he did with Leonard, is icing on the cake and takes a huge weight off his shoulders.

“Not for a second did I feel anger or anything about it. He said I wanted to make amends and apologize to your family,” said Leonard.

Her next words went a step further.

“If it took stealing my son’s car for you to end up in jail and to hit rock bottom and turn yourself around, I’m so happy you stole my son’s car,” said Leonard.

Genereaux says that if he had not gone to jail for stealing the car, he likely would not be alive. He had tried 28-day stretches in treatment before, but it was not long enough. As soon as he was out, he would head right back to his old habits.

The much lengthier sentence was enough to gel new patterns. He knew he needed to take the chance before he was lost for good.

“It gave me enough time to get away from society. This whole year I had away, it gave me enough strength to work on myself,” he said.

For Leonard, the larger purpose is clear and the two met for a reason.

“It’s those pieces connecting. Joey did that but now he has this purpose. Going out and telling his story and giving other people hope. People do change,” she said.

Genereaux shared the experience on his Facebook page, Leonard shared it on hers and four parents reached out to thank her for the hope for their children who are in active addiction.

That was when she knew the story needed to be shared with a wider audience and contacted paNOW.

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susan.mcneil@pattisonmedia.com

by Susan McNeil

Fate, fitness, faith and forgiveness: how a stolen car connected workout buddies

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