Wheels in Motion

Funds raised through Wheels In Motion will continue to support projects that improve the quality of life of people living with spinal cord injury 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 Solutions Program.

Quality of life projects help to ensure that people with spinal cord injury receive the support they need to fully participate in their community and lead active and healthy lives. In doing so, these projects also contribute to making communities more accessible and inclusive. Projects are identified and funds allocated through the Rick Hansen Institute's (RHI) 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. Examples of Quality of Life projects that have been funded in the past include:

• 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, helping individuals with disabilities live life to its fullest potential and making our community stronger, richer and more vibrant.

Quality of Life in Niagara, ON
Funds raised will be used to develop a fully accessible fitness facility at Brock University.

“I am truly looking forward to the Exercise Facility that will be built at Brock University with the funds raised by Wheels In Motion in 2009! This will be a place where myself and other people with  SCI can feel comfortable to work out and get healthy, while gaining confidence to get back into the community.”

- Maria Natale, RHF Ambassador and Niagara Region Wheels In Motion Event Leader. People living with disabilities in the Niagara Region will no longer have to travel to Hamilton for fully accessible exercise facilities thanks to Rick Hansen Wheels In Motion and Brock University.