The Man in Motion World Tour is celebrating its 25th anniversary by re-creating the Canadian portion of Rick Hansen’s journey.
The tour will go through more than 600 communities. This includes an End of Day Celebration in 100 Mile House on March 27, 2012 (Tour Day 217).
Medal-Bearers will leave Williams Lake that day, travel south with stops at Lac la Hache and 108 Mile Ranch and overnight in 100 Mile, says local organizing committee chair Ken Mills.
The local End of Day Celebration in 100 Mile House is currently in the planning stages.
There is still time or South Cariboo residents to get involved as Medal-Bearers, but they need to hurry because the deadline for applications is Nov. 7.
To apply, folks need to complete the Relay Contest Entry Form on the website at www.rickhansenrelay.com.
The local organizing committee is also looking for an individual to complete the last section of the relay into 100 Mile and to carry the medal onto the stage during the celebration.
“If you, or someone you know, has made positive changes in the lives of others within your community, submit an entry of no more than 200 words, outlining why this person should be chosen to carry the medal into our community celebration,” Mills says, adding this person also has to complete the Relay Contest Entry Form at www.rickhansenrelay.com.
Entries can be delivered to the District of 100 Mile House office, 385 Birch Ave., but no later than Nov. 7.
On Aug. 24, Hansen returned to Cape Spear, Newfoundland to kick off the nine-month relay. To set the tour in motion, Hansen put the Relay Medal, designed by the Royal Canadian Mint, on the shoulders of Jacob Manning, a 13-year-old boy who was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in 2008.
This same medal will be passed to each Medal-Bearer, linking the country and the cause.
All Medal-Bearers will receive their own medals to remember the way in which they personally added to the momentum of the 25th Anniversary Relay.
Overall, the relay will have three modes: Medal-Bearer, Endurance (unique to this relay) and Carrier, says relay spokesperson Max Voykin.
The Medal-Bearer mode will feature exchanges of the medal between participants who entered through the contest.
The Endurance mode will have a recognized or significant endurance athlete carry the medal through the community, and the Carrier is restricted for highway travel between communities (usually greater distances).
The relay leaves 100 Mile House on March 28 (Tour Day 218), and will continue south through 70 Mile House, Clinton and then stay the night in Cache Creek, Voykin says.
“It is our hope to engage in some capacity all of the communities, be it a community or school stop, lunch visit or relay segment. All will receive at minimum a community stop and an opportunity to see the singular Rick Hansen Medal and visit with the relay team.
For more information, call Donna Bellingham at the district office at 250-395-2434, or visit to the website at www.rickhansenrelay.com.
