Rick Hansen has been a busy man over the last few months.
Twenty-five years to the date of his Man In Motion World Tour, the Canadian hero hit the road once again to continue his journey of making the world more accessible and inclusive. He's been traveling across Canada since last August, igniting dreams through a series of stops in as many locations as possible.
And the relay will be in this area next week, with activities planned from Hope to Chilliwack.
The 25th Anniversary Relay will arrive in Hope on May 10. There will be an "End of Day Celebration" in Memorial Park, beginning with local entertainment at 4 p.m. and the Official Ceremony at 5 p.m.
And on Friday, May 11, the relay will stop in Chawathil and at Agassiz's Pioneer Park.
The celebration will start at 1:30 p.m., with music by local musician Adam Briscoe, followed by the Agassiz Christian School Choir.
In every province, relay medal bearers will pass along the singular Rick Hansen Medal - produced by the Royal Canadian Mint - as the relay makes its way across the country. While Hansen will be present at a number of cities and stops along the 25th Anniversary Relay, it will be these 7,000 medal bearers who will complete this cross-Canada tour.
In Agassiz, that medal bearer is Danae Timmers. She has been an inspiration to Kent School because of her dedication, determination and commitment. She volunteers for the morning reading program where she reads with primary-aged children in the library, getting the students engaged and excited about reading.
She also works in the lunch monitor program, volunteers in the classroom by distributing food in the fruit and vegetable program, and helps out with the salmon release program. Timmers takes great pride in maintaining a proper fish tank by regulating the water temperature, feeding the fish and cleaning the fish tank.
She is also an inspiration to others by playing on the Kent School girls’ basketball team. She is an incredibly hard worker and has gained the respect of the rest of her teammates.
Above all, she does not allow her disability to stop her from doing what she enjoys.
Timmers will present the medal at 2:30 p.m. on May 11.
Audrey Peters is another local medal bearer, who will take the medal from Chawathil River Landing to an area along the train tracks.
Peters was born and raised in Chawathil and is very involved her community. Her front door is always open to family members who need a place to stay. She participates in and attends many gatherings. She is an excellent cook and has taught herself the catering business; everyone looks forward to her delicious pies.
She cooks a pancake breakfast for the Chawathil Alcohol & Drug Abuse program on Monday mornings and is busy fundraising as the president of the Chawathil Elders Group. Every year she does volunteer work in the community garden. When community members are in need of transportation, Audrey volunteers to drive them to their destination. She likes to walk on her treadmill every day and is always looking for a new healthy recipe to try. Audrey is leading a healthy lifestyle and encourages other community members to do the same.
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 retraces the original Man In Motion cross-Canada tour, spanning 12,000 kilometres
• Will travel through over 600 communities, visit every capital city and all provinces and territories and reach more than 70 per cent of the Canadian population
• Will engage approximately 7,000 participants – 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 participant.