Clients of the Nechako Valley Community Services Society have been proudly wearing their ribbons ever since their recent trip to Victoria for Operation Trackshoes.
The team of 15 clients made their return to the annual sports festival for adults with developmental disabilities after a five-year absence and were the only squad from the region to make the trek to the provincial capital.
"It's a wonderful experience," society executive director Tyrell Arnold said. "It really boosts their self-esteem and allows them to shine forth and show their skills and the things they're very proud of."
Events range from running and jumping competitions to croquet. All the participants are paired up with mentors, many of whom are university students in programs like kinesiology, nursing or medial school.
It costs about $20,000 to send the group to Victoria to the event and the society was able to make it happen by holding bottle drives, a raffle, a bake sale and support from the corporate community.
"It's quite an endeavor to get there and get funding for it," Arnold said. "We were very fortunate this year to pull it all together to get corporate donations and things to make it happen. We were excited to send the clients this year and we're hoping to do it annually."
