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AUNCH AND SIGNING •
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The Rick Hansen Relay Tour made a
special stop at Goderich District Colle-
giate Institute December, 2 where a relay
team shared Rick Hansen's original and
ongoing message of hope and inspira-
tion in the face of adversity.
Beginning on August 24, 2011 in Cape
Spear, Newfoundland and Labrador -
the easternmost point in North America
own' gigco• ric ould like to thank those companies, individuals
c1 $ . ered or offered their assistance, expertise and resources
own
of Goderich and area during and, after the destruction caused
the F3 tornado that struck the Town of Goderich and neighbouring
communities on August 21, 201l.
ith this su prim and the future planning and rehabilitation efforts that
will occur, the Town of Goderich will recover stronger than ever.
i(talcs toall.
Mayor lett' a 1, 0
eric•/t Town Council, Staffand the Emergency
Operations Control Group
and approximately 15 kilometres south-
east of St. John's - the 25th Anniversary
Relay began to retrace the Canadian
segment of the original Man In Motion
World Tour, but this time one man in
motion is represented and celebrated by
many; engaging 7,000 participants from
across Canada who have made their
own difference in the lives of others.
"Fifteen months ago I had full mobil-
ity," said Medal -bearer Tyrone Henry.
'I,hen, I got into a car accident and suf-
fered a spinal chord injury. I'm a para-
plegic, so I.. can move or feel my legs.
Since then, I made decisions very early
on that no matter what challenges 1
faced, or what obstacles, I would stay
positive and do everything I can to over-
come those uphill challenges."
Henry's message, inspiringin its own
right, was applicable to each member of.
the audience, who have experienced
their community rise up to challenges
brought forth by the August tornado.
Goderich Councillor Judy Crawford
took part in a Rick Hansen Relay run
staged in London earlier this year. She
said it's played a role in her drive to
ensure rebuilding Goderich includes
accessibility.
"It's amazingto be a part of this
incredible and emotional tour. 1 was
asked by McDonald's to represent theme
in the Relay, and I was very honoured too
do that It was a pretty incredible
moment. (Tyronej was behind me all the
way while I did my 250 -metres, and the
one thing that I want to tell you is
because of this tornado in our town we
have the opportunity to work on making
our communfty far more accessible than
it was before August 21, and that's some-
thing that we're working on, and I think
Rick Hansen would be thrilled to know
that we are doing that very thing," Craw-
ford said.
This week, the Rick Hansen Relay is
winding its way through Guelph, Aurora,
Bradford, then on to Barrie.
Rick travelled 40,000 kilometres
around the world to raise money and
awareness of spinal cord, injury 25 years
ago. He now plays a leading role in a
number ofspinal cord injury, accessibil-
ity and inclusivity initiatives, including
the work done at the Rick Hansen Foun-
dation. Because of his commitments, he
is unable to travel along with the entire
relay but will be making appearances at
certain parts along the Relay.
Hansen's journey inspired the 1985
Billboard hit "St. Elmo's Fire (Man in
Motion)," which was originally written
by David Foster and John. Parr for
Hansen, and later used as the theme
wing for the film St. Elrno's. Fire.
Learn more about the relay at www.
rickhansenrel ay.com.
25th Anniversary relay fast facts
• Began on August 24, 2011 in Cape Spear, Newfoundland and Labrador and
concludes in Vancouver, British Columbia on May 22, 2012.
• Fully recreates the original Man In Motion cross -Canada tour, spanning
12,000 kilometres from coast-to-coast.
• Will travel through over 600 communities, visit every capital city and all
provinces and territories and reach more than 70% of the Canadian
population.
• Will engage approximately 7,000 Medal -Bearers - difference makers in their
own right - who will collectively cover an average of 40 to 80 kilometres a day,
making their way across the country passing a singular Rick Hansen Medal to
the next Medal -Bearer.