Difference Makers Rick Hansen Canadian born Rick Hansen is best known for completing an epic journey called the Man In Motion World Tour in 1987. But Rick wasn’t always the “Man in Motion,” and the Tour wasn’t his first difficult journey. Rick grew up in Northern British Columbia, living an active child- hood – fishing, camping and playing ball. His first “big dream” was to represent Canada at the Olympics. But at age 15, hitchhiking home after a weeklong fishing trip, Rick accepted a ride in the bed of a pickup truck. Some time later, the truck skidded off a winding road and he was thrown from the vehicle...Rick would never walk again. But a shattered spine is not a shattered spirit, and for Rick Hansen, it was the beginning of an inspiring story. After seven months in recovery and rehab, and with the support of family, friends, and mentors who inspired him, Rick returned home determined to make his life matter. What he didn’t know then was that he was embarking on a life-long inspirational journey that would spark a sea of change in public attitudes around the world toward people with disabilities, and make a difference in the lives of others. Rick became a world class athlete winning nineteen international wheelchair marathons, nine gold medals at the 1982 Pan Ameri- can Wheelchair Games, and six Paralympics medals between 1980 and 1984. In 1985, inspired by the belief that “anything is possible,” Rick set out to change the world by wheeling around the globe to raise awareness of the potential of people with disabilities. The man In Motion World tour travelled over 40,000 km’s through 34 countries, over the course two years, two months and two days. Since then, Rick has received the Com- panion Order of Canada, the Order of British Columbia, and was inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame, all while leading the Foundation that bears his name, raising over $250M in pursuit of finding a cure for spinal cord injury, and reducing barriers to improve the lives of those suffering from SCI. He has become a shining model of an exemplary citizen creating the Rick Hansen Institute and opening the Blusson Spinal Cord Center, establish- ing a world-class SCI registry connecting researchers, clinicians and people with SCI while funding over 1000 ‘quality of life’ projects across Canada. These accomplishments are remarkable, but they could never have been achieved if Rick didn’t have the people around him that believed in his potential to change lives and make a difference. Every day, we come across people with a vision to make a difference in their schools, their communities, their countries and the world. Champions that have overcome barriers, inspired others or have become advocates for a cause deserve to be recognized, celebrated and supported in their journey. We want to turn the attention of our communities to these young leaders, to hear their stories, to give them support, and help them achieve their goals. In hosting youth forums and symbolic relays, our goal is to create an opportunity for participation and dialogue among youth. Our activities will showcase champions and remind young people around the world that everyday leaders are living among us. Understanding and sharing in their vision will result in a prosperous and inclusive world where barriers are removed and the leaders of today and tomorrow truly believe that it is inside all of us to make a difference.Celebrating and inspiring these youth may very well result in finding the next Rick Hansen. “Together, we can make this moment the beginning of the greatest movement for positive change in our history. If enough of us chose to change one small thing...together, we have the power to change anything.” - Rick Hansen So Wa Wai So Wa Wai (born October 6, 1981) is an athlete from Hong Kong who has competed in the Paralympics Games on four occasions, winning 11 medals. So was born with jaundice which affected both his hearing and the balance of his limbs, and hence competes in the T36 classification for athletes with cerebral palsy. At the age of 10, his enthusiasm in running was noticed by athletics coach Poon Kin-lui, who then began to formally train So. His first Paralympics appearance came at the 1996 games in Atlanta, where he won a gold medal as part of the men's 4×100 m relay team in the T34-37 classification. Over the course of the next two summer Paralympics Games, 2000 in Sydney and 2004 in Athens, So won four gold and two silver medals in a range of individual events, up to a distance of 400 m, as well as two bronze medals in relay events. In 2008, So was chosen to be part of the torch relay as the Olympic flame passed through Hong Kong on its way to Beijing. However, his participation in the games themselves was put into doubt when an injury to his father rendered him unable to work. So was forced to give up his training and take up a full time job to support his family. Help with his situation came from Andy Lau, a Hong Kong entertainer and the singer of the Beijing Paralympics Games official theme song "Flying with the Dream”, who gave him a full-time job with the flexibility to allow him to train for the Games. At the 2008 Summer Paralympics games, So led the Hong Kong team into the Bird's Nest Stadium during the opening ceremony as the flag bearer. During competition, he first won a bronze medal in the 100 m, a performance which he was disappointed, and followed this with a sixth place in the 400 m. In the 200 m T36 final, he broke his own world record with a time of 24.64 seconds on the way to win the gold medal making him the Paralympics champion in that event for the third successive occasion. After the race he said he had been ill before the competition and said that "During the first part of today's competition, I did not run at my normal speed", he attributed his win to both "good luck" and "practice". So is the current world record holder in both the 100 and 200 m men's T36 classification. Christine Leung A car accident in 1989 left Ms Christine Leung paralyzed from the neck down ever since. Yet, her courage and determination enabled her to move on, and she has lived her life to the fullest ever since. In 1994, she founded the Birmingham Chinese Women's Association in the UK, and acquired a Law degree five years later. She then pursued her studies in Hong Kong and graduated with distinction with a Master of Arts in Communications in 2002. She is currently complet- ing her PhD at the Hong Kong Baptist University. Throughout these years, Ms Leung has been active in social services. She is now a Consultant of the Direction Association for the Handi- capped, and a member of the Public Affairs Forum, advising govern- ment on welfare issues for persons with disabilities. She pays frequent visits to schools to share her experiences with young people. Last year, she travelled to main- land China to visit children living in the remote mountainous regions. Ms Leung's personal story has been an inspiration to many. Sang Lan Sang Lan (born June 11, 1981, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China) is a former Chinese Gymnast, Television celebity and Student. Sang achieved excellence in gymnastics at a young age, winning the all-around and every single event final at the 1991 Zhejiang Province Champi- onships. By 1995 she was competing nationally. Sang was one of the China's strongest vaulters, placing second on the event at the 1995 Chinese Nationals and gaining championship in 1997. While she never represented China at the Olympics or World Gymnastics Champion- ships, she did compete at the 1996 and 1997 American Cup and was selected for the 1998 Goodwill Games team. In New York at the Goodwill Games, during warm-ups for the vault event final, Sang fell while she was performing a timer (a simple vault, used by the athlete to familiarize herself with the apparatus and warm up). She could not raise herself from the mat and was taken to the hospital. Tests indicated that she had fractured and dislocated her C6 and C7 vertebrae and injured her spinal cord. The result of the injury was paralysis from the mid-chest down. Sang remained in New York City for almost a year, receiving rehabilitation at Mount Sinai Hospital. Many celebrities, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Celine Dion and Christopher Reeve visited and offered their support; she was also invited to participate in the New Year's Eve festivities in Times Square as an honoured guest. 12 years after her fall, however, Sang revealed that her fall was not just an unfortunate accident, but due to disturbance from a coach of another team, who walked into the vault area to remove a mattress after her push- off. Sang said she mentioned it when she was sent to hospital, but Chinese officials apparently dismissed her accusation, saying she had brain damage. Sang has said that she is preparing to sue the organisers of the event, and now that she is "old enough to stand up for herself." She also accused the Chinese National Gym- nastics team for cruelly abandoning her after she was paralysed. Since returning to China, Sang has become a celebrity and an advocate for the disabled.