(Submitted Photo/Shane Hartje, First Steps Wellness Centre)

By Derek Craddock

ENCOURAGE RECOVERY

Winnipeg team travels thousands of kilometres in northern Sask. on snowmobiles

Feb 18, 2022 | 4:00 PM

Imagine riding thousands of kilometres through two provinces on a snowmobile to raise awareness for your cause.

That is the focus of the Encourage Recovery tour, which made its way through parts of northern Saskatchewan recently.

The tour was created by the First Steps Wellness Centre (FSWC). The centre provides activity-based therapy to those with spinal cord injuries as well as those with Cerebral Palsy, Spina Bifida, Multiple Sclerosis, stroke, and traumatic brain injuries.

Founder of the FSWC in Winnipeg, Shane Hartje, started the tour last year as he and a group of others trekked through Manitoba.

“I rode my snowmobile 5,000 kilometres in 13 days. We had a raffle and deal with a snowmobile. So, it was to raise funds and do some fundraising as well as raising some awareness of our location in Winnipeg, because we were relatively new only two and a half years.”

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This year, the FSWC wanted to take it a step further and include Saskatchewan in their journey.

“We thought we’d work with Saskatchewan and do a fundraiser that included both provinces. We started by picking the most northwestern point of the trail system in Saskatchewan and were riding across northern Saskatchewan into Manitoba, and then across Manitoba, down to the southeast corner at Falcon Lake.”

Hartje and his team were in Prince Albert and Candle Lake recently and were in Hudson Bay Friday morning.

Unfortunately, one of their snowmobiles broke down while in the Candle Lake area. Thankfully, some Good Samaritans stopped to lend a hand and drove them to nearby Caribou Creek Lodge.

While in Prince Albert, Hartje spent some time with former national motocross racer Blair Morgan.

“He was a five-time gold medalist for X games and multiple motocross and supercar and a snowcross championship,” Hartje said.

In 2008, Morgan suffered a spinal injury while on a practice run, leaving him paralyzed from the neck down.

“We had an opportunity to meet with him. A bunch of us are big fans, so that was awesome for us,” Hartje said. “Then we went for a ride and hung out. We had a really great day there with him.”

The team has left Saskatchewan as the final part of their journey takes them through Swan River and Russell.

The fundraising drive includes a raffle draw for two 2022 Polaris 650 XC snowmobiles along with several gift cards.

As of Friday, Hartje said they have only sold just over 300 tickets in Saskatchewan so far. Tickets are available until February 28 with the draws taking place on March 1.

You can find more information or to purchase your raffle tickets at EncourageRecovery.ca.

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derek.craddock@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @pa_craddock