Wheels in Motion fundraiser ready to roll into Wolfville

BY KIRK STARRATT

kstarratt@kentvilleadvertiser.ca

NovaNewsNow.com

It has been 21 years since Rick Hansen took his wheelchair across the country and around the world to raise awareness and funds for spinal cord injury as part of his “Man In Motion” tour, but the impact is still being felt.

Event Leader and Ambassador Sharon McInnis says this year’s local Rick Hansen Foundation “Wheels In Motion” fundraiser is coming to Wolfville’s Willow Park Saturday, June 28 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

They will raise funds for spinal cord injury research in the hope that a cure will soon be found and to help purchase an arm cycle for a local nine-year-old boy with a spinal cord injury. The group is trying to raise $1,900 for the arm cycle, which is like a bicycle but powered by the arms instead of the legs. McInnis said the arm cycle would help build strength and provide a measure of independence for the young man.

There will be all sorts of fun activities, including a soap slide, silent auction, barbecue, games and prizes. McInnis said stores and businesses in the Wolfville and New Minas areas have been fantastic in donating items for the silent auction.

She said there would be a special surprise for children involving a guest bringing gifts and a pie-in-the-face event. Representatives from Kia Land have volunteered to take pies in the face in exchange for donations to the cause.

Popular local band Reboot will play live country, rock and pop rock music and, of course, there will be wheelchair races. McInnis said teams of five would compete and the one with the best time will receive a plaque from Things Engraved and a gift certificate for a pizza.

Pledge sheets available

McInnis said they would set up a table that morning to register people for the fundraising walk. You contact her in advance for a pledge sheet or pick one up onsite that morning, make a contribution and participate. McInnis can be reached at (902) 365-5413 or by e-mail at norahs@eastlink.ca.

She said her own experience with spinal cord injury drives her to help raise funds to find a cure as soon as possible and it’s a great feeling to be able to help people out. For example, it’s great to see the reactions on people’s faces when they’re provided with equipment that will help make their lives easier. “I love to help people,” she said. “I’ve had so many friends tell me I think of others before myself.”

McInnis said they hope to better last year’s total of $2,700 this time around. After four years, this will be McInnis’s final year as event leader. She’ll still be helping out, but Ben Brown will be taking over in 2009. She was integral in establishing the local Wheels In Motion fundraiser.

McInnis recalls fondly when she got to meet Rick Hansen in Halifax in 2004 when she received the Dr. James Reid Award at the Westin Hotel. She said he’s a wonderful man. “He’s just like a member of the family,” she said. “He’s a great guy.”