Wheels in Motion

General

1. What is Rick Hansen Wheels In Motion?
Rick Hansen Wheels In Motion, presented by Scotiabank, is an annual event held in communities across Canada to raise funds that help improve the quality of life of people living with spinal cord injury (SCI). This year’s event will be held on Sunday, June 13, 2010.

Wheels In Motion events feature a wheelchair challenge activitiy where teams race against the clock through an obstacle course designed to foster a better understanding of what it is like to navigate through life in a wheelchair. Many communities also run a wheel/walk activity for individual participants and fundraisers and incorporate other fun elements such as sport demonstrations, partner booths, kids’ crafts, main stage entertainment and more.

Wheels In Motion is an important part of the Rick Hansen Institute’s commitment to minimize disability and maximize quality of life for people with disabilities. Since 2003, Wheels In Motion has supported more than 900 Quality of Life projects and research aimed at discovering a cure for spinal cord injury.

2. What is the Rick Hansen Institute?
The Rick Hansen Institute, formerly the SCI Solutions Network, started as an initiative of the Rick Hansen Foundation and was established and began working in partnership with Wheels In Motion in 2006. Since his Man In Motion World Tour more than 20 years ago, Rick Hansen has envisioned true collaboration throughout Canada’s SCI community and this was realized with the establishment of the Rick Hansen Institute. While Wheels In Motion focused on orchestrating the event itself, the Rick Hansen Institute assumed responsibility for allocating the funds raised, and established Local Solutions Teams in event communities to help identify worthy projects. In January, 2010, Wheels In Motion became a program of the Rick Hansen Institute.

3. What does the Rick Hansen Institute do?
The Rick Hansen Institute is a registered charitable organization that strives to minimize disability and maximize the quality of life of people with SCI. The Rick Hansen Institute enhances health, social and economic outcomes through seamless coordination among the many organizations that provide services to people with SCI.

4. How does the Rick Hansen Institute define spinal cord injury?
The Rick Hansen Institute defines spinal cord injury as any damage to the spinal cord resulting from traumatic or non-traumatic causes. For example, individuals who acquire a spinal cord injury as a result of a motor vehicle crash or from diseases like polio or spina bifida are all examples of people with spinal cord injury that we serve directly through our programs and initiatives. Individuals who may benefit indirectly from the Foundation’s work to improve accessibility and inclusion include Canadians who have or may experience mobility impairment in their lifetime.

5. What is the Rick Hansen Ambassador Program?
The Rick Hansen Ambassador Program, presented by Scotiabank, is comprised of people with SCI who share their stories of inspiration in communities across Canada. Ambassadors speak to audiences about the courage it takes to move on after an injury and demonstrate that it is possible to overcome major life challenges through hard work and determination. Ambassadors help to raise awareness about the potential of people with disabilities, and inspire others to make a difference in their communities.

Participation

1. How can I participate in Wheels In Motion?
Wheels In Motion is for all ages and abilities. Register a team in the wheelchair challenge or participate in the community wheel/walk. No one’s left on the sidelines – on-site activities will get everyone moving from wheelchair sport demos, SCI partner booths, kids crafts, main stage entertainment and more.

Join us at an event near you. Register online to find an event in your community.
     
Special events in support of Rick Hansen Wheels In Motion take place year-round and make a lasting impact in communities across Canada. These volunteer-driven events, everything from car-washes to pub nights and bake sales, raise much needed funds and create awareness for people living with spinal cord injury. To find out more about a special event in your community, or if you are interested in organizing a fundraising event, please contact us at 1-866-60-WHEEL (609-4335) or  This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . 

Where Funds Go

1.  How has Wheels In Motion made a difference?
Since the inception of Rick Hansen Wheels In Motion in 2003, Canadians have raised over $10 million and supported more than 900 Quality of Life projects in communities across Canada. Each year, Wheels In Motion brings us one step closer to achieving the goal of a fully accessible and inclusive Canada.

2. Where do the funds in my community go?
Funds raised through Wheels In Motion will continue to support projects that improve the quality of life of people living with SCI at the local, provincial and national levels. Funds raised benefit the people who live in the region in which they were raised through community-based Quality of Life initiatives. Quality of Life funds provide customized solutions in the areas of active living and peer support and leadership, as well as the Community Partnerships Program.

• peer support programs and other support services
• equipment and assistive devices
• sports and leisure activities
• education, skills development and employment initiatives
• positive awareness
• health and wellness
• accessibility – community, transportation and housing
• participation in research studies
• integration for return to community following a spinal cord injury

Wheels In Motion Quality of Life projects also indirectly benefit a wide array of Canadians that have or may experience a mobility impairment in their lifetime.

4. How are Quality of Life projects identified?
Quality of Life funds are administered through the leadership of the Rick Hansen Institute's Community Partnerships Program. This program works with various SCI organizations across Canada to identify and collaborate on regional and national priorities to improve the quality of life of people with SCI, and administers Quality of Life grants.