Hi Folks!
I wanted to post this wrap up message I sent out to our amazing Walk’n’Roll teammates to bring some more attention to the awesome accomplishments we all achieved throughout the months leading up to the race and as well, on the day of the race. For such a small group we really made a huge impression on our fellow racers and the community that hosted us, as well as, we raised a substantial amount of cash that will help SCI-BC continue providing much needed support and information around the province! We are really hoping that the success of this years team is a stepping stone to big things to come for next year. If 22 of us can do what we did this year then it is exciting to imagine what a true representation of our extensive Peer and Membership group could accomplish together! I am stoked to find out!
What a race…! Kudos to all of you who were there on Sunday and crossed the finish line! You challenged yourself to what turned out be a very scenic yet challenging 5km course with various obstacles to maneuver through and you conquered it all with valiant efforts! It was with great satisfaction and pride that I later, while sitting in my garden under the sun with an ice cold beer, reflected on not only how stellar the morning had been, but also on how the whole process had evolved from the very first planning meeting to the text I received from Gerry Burns minutes after he legendarily crossed the line after his 5.5 hour goal-crushing trudge. To see how it all came together after the hard work that Gary Steeves, Shelley Milstein and Jen King did behind the scenes for Team Walk’n’Roll and also to watch the dollar amount raise daily and eventually surpass our Team goal thanks to your diligence in fundraising, was very satisfying for me as the team captain and as an employee of SCI-BC. It was such a great group effort! A lot of the pride I felt was in knowing many of you from early on after your injuries and seeing you continue to succeed in reaching goals you set for yourself. Every time we get out into our communities and get involved in such events as a group (this includes everyone!) we create a pretty cool energy that naturally promotes awareness to those around us. Race organizers, volunteers, fellow racers and spectators were all I am sure, pretty stoked and even surprised to see us there… well… minus a few racers who got their heals clipped by the odd roller trying to make a pass whilst zipping around Lost Lagoon! What a slog that was! It was also very cool to have our Executive Director Chris McBride and our new Communications Specialist Candice Vallantin hop in chairs and wheel the course. I knew that Chris had a lot of experience in a wheelchair and it was slick to see him handle it on the course like a seasoned vet! Candice on the other hand was a first timer and a total trooper as she hung tough and finished strong with only a sore thumb as a result. Not too shabby as my arms were still burnin’ a few days later!
A shout out to Team Walk’n’Rollers Sylvie, Bobby and Gary who could not join us on race day but were all there in spirit! As well, One of our team members Gerry Burns was there giving it his all and once again achieved an incredible goal of completing the 5k’s long after everyone including the event crew had gone home. He crossed the finish line with an amazing group of both family and friends there to cheer on his accomplishment. I am including this YouTube video of Gerry kickin’ some Grouse Mountain butt so that all of you who don’t already know him can be introduced to yet another great person who was on this year’s team. Congrats Burner!
Gary Steeves, our main man behind the scenes, has been in consistent contact with Scotiabank throughout the last 6 months has brought to my attention a very important request for our team to follow up on.
“Yesterday after the race, both Race Director Cliff Cunningham and Charity Challenge organizer Robert Tucker made a point of coming over and indicated that they wanted to set up an event debrief with me sometime next week to provide them with any constructive feedback from our team.”
As this was our first time competing in a community event like this, our experienced input as far as constructive ways to build this annual event into one that is both more efficient and accessible for future participants and organizations that represent people with mobility challenges is absolutely necessary. We need to take advantage of opportunities such as this and follow up with wise, timely, and educated observations. So please, take some time to write down anything that you believe could make this event bigger and better for next year’s team! Send your thoughts to Gary and myself as soon as possible! gsteeves@sci-bc.ca and bjacobsen@sci-bc.ca
Our incredible fundraising efforts have come to its fruition and as of today (July 4th) we have surpassed our original $10,000 mark and busted pass $15,000, with more to come after we tally the cheques and cash! Absolutely stellar! Thank you all and your family, friends and co-workers for making this happen! I would like you all to know that on behalf of SCI-BC we are so very appreciative of all that you have done as members of Team Walk’n’Roll!
Click here to see photos of the event through our Facebook page. (Please feel free to add some of your own to the page!)
And here is a link to our latest Website blog profiling your teammates and active Peers, Darrel Harder and Gerry Burns.
It has been an honor serving as your captain!
Cheers,
Brad Jacobsen
