I grew up in southern Ontario and met Corby (Director) at Lakefield College School. Lakefield was a very outdoor activity oriented educational setting that encourages kids to be outside, canoeing, sailing, rockclimbing, you name it. I think I was always a very outdoorsy person, attending summer camp and growing up on a farm but it was at Lakefield where I found my passion for the outdoors. At Lakefield there was no gymnasium and it wasn’t rare to sign up for a dogsledding expedition or whitewater canoeing in the Northwest Territories. I felt at home under the canopies of evergreens and slept better in a tent than any bed.
After highschool I went to Australia for 9 months to work as an outdoor education assistant at a Grammar school in Ballarat. I then came back to North America and completed my Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy at D’Youville College in Buffalo, NY.
I moved out to British Columbia in 2002 to practice OT and be surrounded by the most beautiful landscapes I can imagine. I try to ski every weekend, play tennis when the rain holds off and generally stay balanced.
Standing Spirit Project:
To me, the SSP is maintaining the balance of life. Not letting go those experiences that define as active, outdoor enthusiasts be erased because of a disability. The first half of the SSP last summer felt like any other amazing trip I’ve been on. We were friends, hanging around the fire, having the greatest time under the stars, on the beach, in the forest. To me I didn’t see the disability, I saw the ability to adapt.
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