The Man in Motion is rolling through Surrey and making stops in White Rock and Delta this weekend.
Rick Hansen will attend end-of-day celebrations May 19 at the White Rock Community Centre, 15154 Russell Ave., for the relay that bears his name.
Hansen will be a part of the official ceremony, which is slated for 7 p.m., and will share the stage with White Rock’s relay team, including final medal-bearer Jayme Hall and “Mr. O Canada” Mark Donnelly – who will be singing the national anthem.
The celebration will begin at 5 p.m. with performances from Semiahmoo Secondary youth band, local solo singer Payton Rector, students from the Todd Brewer School of Music and a short performance from the Sources Life Skills Resource Centre Group, Events Unlimited.
The White Rock Fire Department will be on hand to host a barbecue with partial proceeds going towards the Richard Morrison Trust Fund.
On May 20, the Rick Hansen Relay stop at Delta Municipal Hall will feature a community celebration from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. that will include a free pancake breakfast, family entertainment, adaptive activities and crafts, displays and demonstrations.
And at around 10 a.m. the Delta Police Pipe Band will welcome the medal bearer arriving at Municipal Hall.
The community is encouraged to come out and support the relay by lining the route, wearing yellow, and even following the relay medal runners.
The relay is commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Man in Motion World Tour (MMWT), which saw Hansen cover 40,000 kilometres through 34 countries in 26 months with his wheelchair, in order to raise awareness about spinal cord injury.
This year, Hansen retraced the Canadian segment of the MIMWT. Starting off in Newfoundland, travelling westward towards B.C., the nine-month relay will cover 12,000 kilometres in total, visiting more than 600 communities. The relay’s final destination is Vancouver.
In the last 25 years, the Rick Hansen Foundation has raised more than $250 million to accelerate progress towards a cure for spinal-cord injuries.
For more information about the event and a map of the relay route, visit http://www.rickhansenrelay.com