Donald Clozza has always been a Rick Hansen fan. On Monday in Chilliwack, he'll have the honour of participating in Hansen's nationwide relay.
Clozza, a 75-year-old Prince George resident, was invited by Hansen to run a segment of the relay, which started in Newfoundland last August and will wrap up in Vancouver on May 22. The cross-country odyssey is being held 25 years after Hansen's Man in Motion Word Tour, which raised money for research into spinal cord injuries and created awareness of the potential of people who had suffered those injuries.
Clozza, who has two artificial hips, is a former Vancouver police officer and businessman. In the late 1960s, he started working with underprivileged kids on the city's East End, getting them involved in sports programs. He not only donated his time, he donated money for uniforms and equipment. In 1972, he purchased two new hospital beds for Vancouver's Saint Vincent's Hospital.
Recently, Clozza gave a motorized wheelchair to the Rick Hansen Foundation. Mike Reid, spokesman for the foundation, said the donation brought new awareness to the needs of people with disabilities in general.
In an e-mail to Clozza, Hansen hailed him for "making positive change in the lives of others."
Clozza, who will carry a special Rick Hansen Medal as his baton, will be running in memory of his common-law wife Leslie Buck, who recently lost a battle with colon cancer. Clozza wants to bring awareness to the disease and encourage everyone to get a colonoscopy after the age of 50, or sooner.
The Rick Hansen Foundation has raised more than $245 million worldwide.
The relay passed through Prince George in March.
