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Laurier Toronto
Laurier professor and student join Rick Hansen 25th Anniversary Relay
Communications, Public Affairs & Marketing
Dec 1/11| For Immediate Release
| Contact: | Lori Chalmers Morrison, Associate Director, Communications & Public Affairs |
| or | Kevin Crowley, Director, Communications & Public Affairs |
WATERLOO – Science student Alina Reid and Kinesiology Professor Quincy Almeida will run with the Rick Hansen medal when it makes a brief stop at Wilfrid Laurier University’s Waterloo campus on Saturday, Dec. 3 as part of the Rick Hansen 25th Anniversary Relay across Canada.
Reid and Almeida will be among 7,000 medal bearers from 600 communities as the Rick Hansen Relay retraces the Canadian segment of Hansen’s original Man in Motion journey. A quarter-century ago, Hansen pushed his wheelchair through 34 countries and more than 40,000 kilometres, dedicated to finding a cure for paralysis after spinal cord injury and supporting quality of life programs for those with disabilities.
Hansen’s anniversary relay celebrates everyday Canadians who are making a difference and having an impact in their own communities.
At approximately 12:34 p.m. on Dec. 3, Tyrone Henry, an 18-year-old from Ottawa who sustained a spinal cord injury in a car accident 15 months ago, will pass the Rick Hansen medal to Reid just inside the Laurier entrance at University Avenue and Mid-Campus Drive. Reid will run through campus with the medal to Laurier’s Science Building, where the Rick Hansen relay team will introduce the Laurier medal bearers. At approximately 12:47 p.m. Reid will pass the medal to Almeida, who will run with the relay convoy for the next 250 metres of its journey.
Reid, in her fourth year of Laurier’s Biochemistry/Biotechnology program, has always wanted to be a scientist so she can make a difference. She volunteers for Laurier’s Emergency Response Team, and is a member of the Laurier Chemistry Association and the Women’s Athletics Association. Outside of school she volunteers numerous hours with the Special Olympics, where this year she is helping an eight-year-old girl with her swimming skills.
For Almeida, his research isn’t only about discovery, but also about making a difference in the community. He is director of the Sun Life Movement Disorders Research and Rehabilitation Centre (MDRC), where he devotes his research to understanding brain function and defining exercise rehabilitation strategies for people suffering from movement disorders such as Parkinson’s Disease. Improving quality of life for those suffering from Parkinson’s is Almeida’s main priority, and his research has achieved world-ranking status in the medical and neurological fields.
Before the Laurier rest stop, the Rick Hansen Relay will stop at the Waterloo Public Square at approximately 11:06 a.m., as part of a city event that runs from 10 a.m. until noon.
For more information about the Rick Hansen 25th Anniversary Relay, please visit: www.rickhansenrelay.com.
