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Richmond's Rick Hansen awarded honorary degree

Richmond icon Rick Hansen has been awarded an honorary degree at Mount Saint Vincent University in Nova Scotia.
Rick Hansen
Rick Hansen

Richmond icon Rick Hansen has been awarded an honorary degree at Mount Saint Vincent University in Nova Scotia.

Hansen will be one of three people recognized for their achievements and contributions at the university’s spring convocation ceremonies on May 16 and 17.

Hansen, CC, OBC, is a Canadian icon, who has dedicated his life to awakening the world to the potential of people with disabilities.

He is best known as the “Man In Motion” for undertaking an epic 26 month, 40,000 km journey around the world in his wheelchair.

For those new to Richmond, Hansen is also a three-time world champion, nine-time Pan Am gold medalist, and six-time Paralympic medalist and is the founder of the Rick Hansen Foundation, an organization committed to creating an inclusive world.

Other recipients of the honorary degree were Mandy Rennehan, the founder of Freshco, who’s an award-winning entrepreneur, philanthropist and trade industry ambassador.

Also receiving the award was Gloria Ann Wesley, BA, BEd, an educator, author and public speaker.

Founded in 1873, the university, known as “The Mount,” has been nationally recognized for having one of the lowest student-to-professor ratios.