25th anniversary relay of Rick Hansen’s Man in Motion Tour reaches Kitchener
by Helen HallKitchener Citizen
The 25th anniversary of Rick Hansen’s Man in Motion Tour was celebrated in Kitchener on December 1, when a medal in his name was relayed to the Activa Sportsplex.
The relay retraces the Canadian segment of Hansen’s original tour. Only this time the Man in Motion is being replaced by 7,000 participants from across Canada who make a difference in their communites.
The participants are “Medal Bearers” who pass along the Rick Hansen Difference Maker Medal that was produced by the Royal Canadian Mint. The relay will take nine months to journey from Cape Spear, Newfoundland where it started on August 24, 2011 to a homecoming celebration in Vancouver on May 22, 2012.
Kitchener was day 100 of the 227 day trip.
Paula Saunders was Kitchener’s final medal bearer as the relay came into the Activa Sportsplex on Lennox Lewis Way.
Saunders was 17 years old and the mother of a six-week-old baby when she was involved in a car accident that resulted in the amputation of both her legs above the knee.
Today, Saunders is a public speaker, community volunteer and secretary of Independent Living Canada. She has been an advocate for those with disabilities in Kitchener.
She and her husband Paul have three children and six grandchildren.
“Her positive spirit is an inspiration to all who meet her,” said city councillor Kelly Galloway when she introduced Saunders at the relay celebration.
Saunders wore the Hansen medal into the celebration at the Sportsplex, which is a wheelchair accessible building.
The 85mm diameter medal is composed of sterling silver and weighs 400 grams. Relay bearers receive a smaller reproduction of the original medal to keep.
Hansen started his Man in Motion World Tour in 1985 to raise money to find a cure for spinal cord injury. For 26 months he and his team wheeled more than 40,000 kilometres through 34 countries, raising awareness of the potential of people with disabilities.
To date, his foundation has raised more than $250-million to accelerate progress towards a cure for spinal cord injuries and a more accessible and inclusive world.
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