Sechelt and Gibsons will benefit from the funds raised at the third annual Rick Hansen Wheels In Motion event. Chris Cowan and Wendy Comeau led a team of volunteers to organize the community-based event that raised over $4,000.
Funds from the event will go towards helping to improve the quality of life of people with spinal cord injury and to the development of a spinal cord injury registry. The registry is an invaluable research tool that tracks information about treatments from point of injury on and that will ultimately provide better outcomes for people today and lead to a cure in the future.
The Quality of Life community funds have been granted to two separate projects in Sechelt.
The first grant will assist the B.C. Paraplegic Foundation in providing funding for a local individual with a spinal cord injury to acquire a new kayak. The kayak will allow her to stay active and enjoy the water as she did before her injury. The second grant assists the Town of Gibsons with the purchase of an aquatic wheelchair for the Gibsons Aquatic Centre. Funds raised from Wheels In Motion support people with spinal cord injuries and related disabilities in the areas of education and skill development, sport and leisure, assistive devices, accessibility, awareness and peer support programs, research and integration back into the community after an injury.
The fourth annual Wheels In Motion event will be held in communities across Canada on Sunday, June 11. To get involved and help organize an event in your community, visit the website at www.rickhansen.com or call 1-866-609-4335).
