Man in Motion celebrates the 25th anniversary of a tour that raised awareness about spinal cord injuries and money for research.

Rick Hansen will be in Pitt Meadows next week.

The Rick Hansen 25th Anniversary Relay will be in Maple Ridge on the evening of May 16 – but Hansen will not be able to attend that event. But he will attend the one at Spirit Square in Pitt Meadows the next day.

A quarter century ago, for two years Hansen wheeled in a wheelchair through 34 countries.

The anniversary relay recreates Hansen’s original route as a global invitation to join in his journey towards a cure for spinal cord injuries and create a more inclusive society, as well as to inspire a new generation to dream, to take action, and to continue changing the world.

The celebration in Maple Ridge will be held on May 16 in Memorial Peace Park from 5 to 7 p.m.

The medal arrives at 6 p.m., carried by 18-year-old Maple Ridge Secondary student Nathan Bragg, the BC Wheelchair Basketball Society’s 2010 junior athlete of the year.

The event will include live music, displays, and a brief ceremony as the medal arrives on the bandstand.

The next day, Thursday, May 17, the medal will travel from Maple Ridge to Pitt Meadows and be part of a special celebration at Spirit Square in Pitt Meadows from 11:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.

Live music, a barbecue, and other events will serve as a backdrop for the medal ceremony, featuring medal-bearer and Pitt Meadows resident Gordon Kirkland, a successful humour writer and novelist and advocate for accessibility for persons with disabilities.

Bragg and Kirkland were selected as part of a community survey with the input of the Maple Ridge/Pitt Meadows Municipal Advisory Committee on Accessibility Issues (MACAI) serving as the final jury.

“I am very proud that we have been selected as the sites for two community celebrations,” said Greg Turnbull, past chair of MACAI and one of the organizers of the community celebration events for the 25th anniversary relay. “Nathan and Gordon are great citizens, great volunteers, and amazing examples of how we all need to focus on how many people in our communities, working together, are making a difference.”

“This event is an incredible opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments of our communities and the people who have been strong advocates for Rick’s vision on how they live their lives,” Turnball added. “MACAI is an example of how accessibility and inclusion is now part of the way we do business in our communities, and what has happened to make them more inclusive and accessible since the Man in Motion World Tour ended in 1987.”