A Winnipeg man is pledging to snowmobile 5,000 kilometres around southern Manitoba this February to raise funds and awareness for First Steps Wellness Centre.
Shane Hartje, the executive director of First Steps Wellness Centre Winnipeg, says the goal is to complete the ride in 14 days.
“Everybody thinks 5,000 km is crazy,” Hartje laughed. “But I didn’t want it to be something that would be simple. If we we’re going to do it, it had to be a challenge, and I wanted it to be a real challenge.”
Hartje says the goal is to sell 5,000 raffle tickets, with proceeds going to support First Steps Wellness Centre, a non-profit organization that provides rehabilitation for those living with spinal cord injuries and other neurological conditions.
Hartje says since First Steps isn’t considered an essential service, they had to close down for two months in the spring and two months in the fall. He says it’s put a financial burden on the centre, but it mainly impacts the clients who have lost four months of necessary rehabilitation work.
“When we were closed for the two months in the spring, the clients came back and we saw a big regression in a lot of our clients that we had cause they were off for two months,” he said.
Kristy Young has been taking her six-year-old son Luc, who has cerebral palsy, to First Steps for the almost a year.
“It’s really crucial that these places stay open and we can get all the therapy and the exercise that we need to keep him progressing forward,” she said.
First Steps Wellness Centre is the only facility of its kind in Manitoba.
“Resources for children with mobility strengthening is very minimal in the city,” Young said. “So it was great to have this place open up.”
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