2010 Paralympic athletes to receive keepsake from Grand Forks residents

By Contributor

Letter to the Editor:

Each of the 652 Paralympic Athletes from around the world will receive a HandyHeart from Grand Forks, B. C., before the 2010 winter Paralympic Games March 12 - 21.

Each of these HandyHearts is a hand-crafted, unique, wearable piece of art, made of recycled glass, fused at over 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Like snowflakes, no two HandyHearts are the same.

In 2008, B.C.’s 150th anniversary, 150 HandyHearts were presented to the Canadian Paralympic Athletes at the Athletes Village in Beijing, China. Additionally over 300 HandyHearts were presented to the American Paralympic team, also at the Athletes Village in Beijing for the 2008 Olympics.

HandyHearts were created in 2008, in honour of my first Guide (Seeing Eye) dog, Handy, and inspired by the story of a young man who overcame tragic disability to become a Canadian Paralympic basketball player.

HandyHearts are being presented, again, to Paralympic Athletes as thanks for the inspiration that our world’s Paralympic Athletes offer us all.

Submitted by:

Karin Bagn