Honorary patrons
Rick Hansen, C.C., OBC
From 1985-1987 Rick Hansen wheeled 40,000 kilometres
around the world and raised $26M in support of spinal cord research, rehabilitation,
wheelchair sports and awareness. In 1988 Rick was appointed Commissioner General
to the Canada Pavillon at Expo 88 in Brisbane, Australia. Since 1989, in his role
as National Fellow - Disabilities in the Rick Hansen National Fellow Program at
UBC, Rick has continued to contribute to the community through development of
programs such as the Disability Resource Centre U.B.C., the Commission for the
Inclusion of Athletes with a Disability, and by producing events such as Independence
'92, an international exposition on disability issues held in Vancouver. He also
serves in a variety of capacities on committees and boards such as the Governor
General's Canadian Study Conference and the Canadian Network for Neural Regeneration
and Function Recovery, and as President of Rick Hansen Enterprises which focuses
on education, training, and motivation, he has made numerous presentations in
Canada and abroad.
Rick has two books to his credit, and is presently involved in contract negotiations for the production of a movie based on his life story. Rick's efforts have been recognized with diverse honours: the Order of Canada, Order of British Columbia, five honourary law degrees from prestigious Canadian universities, and the 1994 Royal Bank Award. In December 1994 he initiated The Life Skills Motivation Centre at the U.B.C. in which he acts as Director. Rick is a 1987 graduate of the School of Physical Education at U.B.C.
Rick's involvement with BCANDS began while the organization was in its infancy. He supports the valuable initiatives of BCANDS in the areas of public education and improving accessibility of Aboriginal People living with a disability.