A longtime Port Coquitlam resident who helped to organize the first Terry Fox Hometown Run and was on the Rick Hansen Man In Motion World Tour now has a royal honour.
Derrick Hill was nominated for the King Charles III Coronation Medal by the Rick Hansen Foundation for championing accessibility and inclusion in Canada.
The award for Hill and 39 others comes as the Rick Hansen Foundation marks its 40th anniversary of the start of Man In Motion, which included stops in the Tri-Cities as well as the most gruelling hill on his global journey: Thermal Drive in Coquitlam.
“It is incredibly meaningful to be able to honour these inspiring individuals for their dedication to social change,” said Hansen in a news release. “I’m incredibly grateful and congratulate each of these leaders for their contributions. Whether through research, advocacy, or community leadership, they have shaped a more inclusive Canada and continue to push the boundaries of what is possible.”
Hill told the Tri-City News that he attended Port Coquitlam Secondary with Fox and helped him raise money for cancer research before, during and after his Marathon of Hope in 1980.
As a Port Coquitlam Kinsmen member, Hill chaired or co-chaired 17 of the first 20 annual community runs in Port Coquitlam.
It was at Fox’s funeral in 1981 where he met Hansen.
Hill was part of Hansen’s road crew for the Canadian leg of his world tour and, after it ended, Hill organized two Wheels in Motion events and promoted legacy drives like Access Awareness Week.
Meanwhile, on March 28, Canadian Senator Yonah Martin, a former teacher in School District 43, will award 10 King Charles medals in Coquitlam, of which seven are for Korean War veterans — including Coquitlam resident Tae Young King — and one served in Afghanistan. The hardware is being presented in advance of the 75th anniversary of the start of the Korean War.
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