Rick Hansen Relay gets the city in motion

Almost exactly 25 years ago to the day, Rick Hansen made a stop in Sudbury as part of his Man in Motion World Tour.
 
On Dec. 12, the Man in Motion Tour made a triumphant return to the city.
 
More than 30 individuals relayed the Rick Hansen Medal across the city, winding their way from the South End to downtown Sudbury.
 
Andrew Olivier was one of those individuals.
 
When he was 15 years old, Olivier suffered a spinal cord injury while playing hockey, leaving him a quadriplegic. He’s spent the last 17 years overcoming the numerous barriers — both physical and mental — he’s faced and continues to face.
 
He said his perseverance is something he has in common with Rick Hansen.
 
“The will to battle through life’s obstacles, to achieve goals and make the best out of one situation, is a trait Rick Hansen has displayed throughout his life,” Olivier said. “It is in that path that I am here.”
 
Olivier has embraced his disability as an engine to inspire change, and is now a part of the city’s accessibility advisory panel.
 
“I like to think of myself, and my fellow panel members, as advocates to the more than 20,000 citizens in the City of Greater Sudbury who have various types of disabilities,” he said.
 
He said the tour was “a fantastic way to raise awareness, again, 25 years later, about the changes we need to make for an all-inclusive community.”
 
While Olivier said the city has come a long way, making local venues and public transportation more accessible, “we have a long way to go and a lot of work to do.”
 
“Raising awareness is the first step to making changes.”
 
In fact, raising awareness was the driving force behind the 25th anniversary tour, according to Jamie Levchuk, managing director of the tour.
 
“The goal of the relay is to raise awareness around the needs for an accessible and inclusive world and to really showcase the potential of people with disabilities ... just like when Rick went around the world 25 years ago to raise awareness,” Levchuk said.
 
The tour began Aug. 24 in Cape Spear, Newfoundland. Retracing the Canadian portion of the original Man in Motion World Tour, the Relay travelled westward and is making its way across the country over the course of nine months. It’s set to conclude in Vancouver, BC on May 22, 2012.
 
It may be the same route, but instead of one man in motion, the trek has many in motion, engaging 7,000 participants from across Canada who have made their own difference in the lives of others.
 
“These are people who have been showing the same values as Rick — courage, determination, perseverance — some fantastic people who can really inspire a next generation,” Levchuk said. “If Rick, himself, could inspire a generation 25 years ago, imagine what 7,000 people just like Rick can do here now.”
 
The participants will walk, run, wheel or bike their segment of the relay. While Hansen will be present at a number of cities and stops along the tour route, it will be these 7,000 participants who will compete this cross-Canada tour. As the relay travels westward, each participant will pass the singular Rick Hansen Medal to one another along the 12,000-kilometre journey.
 
To follow the relay across Canada, visit rickhansenrelay.com.

Posted by Laurel Myers