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Paralympian Kelly Smith to climb down Vancouver building to help children with disabilities

12 September 2007

VANCOUVER (September 12) – Paralympian Kelly Smith will be repelling down a 20-storey Vancouver building on September 17 to raise money for children with disabilities.

It’s an especially difficult test for Kelly, 42, as he was injured in an October 1991 rock climbing accident in Kelowna, BC that left him partially paralyzed.



“Mentally, this will not be a cake walk for me. I can’t look down anymore when I’m climbing, whereas before [the accident] I used to get a big thrill out of it,” said Smith.

But for Smith the cause – raising money for Easters Seals – is worth facing “the mental fear.”

Since his accident, Smith has done climbs of no more than 20 feet in the gym that almost made him pass out. The Vancouver building climb will be more than 10 times the height of those gym climbs, but he’s willing to take on the challenge to raise money to provide opportunities for children with disabilities and help set them on a fulfilling life path.

“I’m connected to the cause and I’m glad I’ve been able to give back to this community since retiring from competition,” said Smith, who won silver in the wheelchair marathon at the 2004 Athens Summer Paralympic Games.

Smith will be participating with others in the Easter Seals Drop Zone fundraiser taking place at 999 West Hastings Street in Vancouver. Money raised at the Vancouver event will benefit Easter Seal houses in Vancouver, Prince George and Victoria as well as summer camps for children with a physical or mental disability in Shawnigan, Winfield and Squamish.

Repels down tall buildings are also happening in Victoria, Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal and Halifax on September 17 as part of a larger Canada-wide Easter Seals Drop Zone fundraising event.

The Easter Seals Drop Zone in Vancouver is produced by the BC Lions Society for Children with Disabilities. If you would like to sponsor Smith, go to www.thedropzone.ca.  

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