A trio of paraplegic snowmobilers is riding 5,000 kilometres across Saskatchewan and Manitoba, raising awareness and funds for the First Steps Wellness Centre.
One of the riders is Shane Hartje who says these non-profit Centres are in Regina and Winnipeg and they are a spinal cord injury and neurological rehab centre. Hartje explains the pandemic hit their facilities and their clients hard, because you can’t really put therapy on hold, and there is a need for more of this type of therapy.
He says, “There is a real lack of focus on neurological rehabilitation. We have a children’s program at both locations which makes phenomenal progress with children who have CP (cerebral palsy) or neurologic disorders from birth that we have worked with.” Hartje believes snowmobiling is a great sport for paraplegics, because the machines don’t have to be adapted and all the controls are done with your hands.
He invites snowmobilers to ride along, but you need to register ahead. If you would like to do so, or to buy some raffle tickets with the grand prize being a brand new snowmobile, click on the link below. The trio will be hosting a ride-along in Prince Albert on Monday.
