Far and Wide Trek for Developmental Disabilities: February 2008

Friday, February 15, 2008

A True Sucess!!!!

The vibe was buzzing around the Casbah on Feb. 13th and it was a really positive one. Everyone was all smiles and everyone was there to learn or support the cause. I can't feel that it could have been anymore sucessful. It was a great crowd and it was composed of family and friends of all ages. On the left you can see the flier that was posted up around the city and it was designed by my brother Michael "Rob" Bursey. He has also made alot of other stellar designs to support the trek.

We actually ended up making a pretty good sum of money of about $2500 dollars. Which for the kick off of the fundraising blitz is a great start. Although I feel a sense of relief that we got that done. There is still so much to do, sometimes the tasks and goals that need to be completed are hard to wrap my head around but it's all so exciting and I can't wait to dive into it.

Before I get ahead of myself, if you were at the event I want to say THANK YOU so much for helping out. This means alot to me and the people helping organizing. But for the man that really took alot of this on his shoulders is my colleague Josh Dion-Broadley it was unbelievable what he did to make it happen. There is hundreds of other people that are helping on other parts of getting things running and I will be sure to mention them soon enough :).

It seems that this is the most accurate route to date. The target is to stay about 12,000km. So things have changed a bit from the beggining of the planning. However, it's still very exciting and always evolving with great new ideas. So stay tuned, and there will be updates regularly on what is happening.

THANKS FOR THE SUPPORT
MATTHEW

A little about Matthew

All my life, a life spent with a younger sister who has Down syndrome, I believed that inclusion was the way of the future, that she would graduate and become a part of the community, that she was someone who could contribute just like anyone else. I have learned that the idea, and the words around it, is still in vogue. It’s the practice that’s wanting. Since her graduation, she takes part in a day program where the only *normal* people are her supervisors. She has become invisible again, part of a protected ghetto for people with disabilities, safe from others and them safe from her.
Much of my early life was trying to educate my peers about my sister’s disability and, being a kid, sometimes landing in the occasional fight. (Certainly true with my sister, who has always been outspoken!)
It saddens me to see that we continue to isolate people with mental disabilities because we don’t understand or are uncomfortable with what we see as unbridgeable differences. I believe that we can make a positive difference in how people view each other if we make an effort to encourage understanding through education.
Having worked with organizations and institutions dedicated to helping individuals with special needs, I have firsthand knowledge of how little society as a whole understands the challenges people with mental disabilities face on a daily basis. From my work with adults and children in Hamilton, I have learned a great deal about special needs. I also learned how a few people work incredibly hard to make a few underfunded programs work as well as they do. This past fifteen months I have spent teaching in South Korea. During this time, I did considerable research into the types of support that individuals with special needs receive and how it can be improved with relatively simple steps.
From my previous experience and from my research, the idea of the Far and Wide Bike Trek was born. It seems a logical next step, a way to raise awareness and funds for people with mental challenges. My hope is that I can connect with associations and individuals along the way in an effort to get some recognition for people in communities across the land. It helps that athletics, especially cycling, is something I love and it’s an honour to do something for others that they may not be able to do for themselves. This also would enable me to meet with community leaders and charity organizations across the continent to discuss the problems people with special needs face, and to share ideas. With only negligible help on the part of the community, many of these individuals’ lives can be made infinitely more manageable.
In addition, by using a bicycle, I’m also achieving other goals. Not only is the bicycle an excellent and neglected form of transportation, it’s environmentally friendly and a great form of exercise. I think the messages that we need to care for our environment and we need to take care of our bodies through exercise are important ones as well.
Finally, outside of monetary concerns and environmental awareness, I am genuinely interested in bringing to the attention of people everywhere how capable, frequently astonishing, and incredibly special people with mental challenges are. Although there are a handful of programs (such as the Special Olympics) with this goal, I feel as if the Far and Wide Bike Trek can truly drive the point home. Please be a part of my dream. Thank you for your time.

Far and Wide Trek for Developmental Disabilities

Friday, February 15, 2008

A True Sucess!!!!

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A little about Matthew

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