Tanelle Bolt thrives in the Great Outdoors

Growing up, Tanelle was the quintessential "outdoors" kid.

Her love for nature and adventure knew no bounds. From fishing by serene lakes to conquering snow-capped mountains, her outdoor adventures were not hindered by constraints. However, life's unpredictability threw her a curveball in the form of a recreation accident, reshaping the course of her life with a spinal cord injury. It might have been assumed that becoming a wheelchair user would diminish her enthusiasm for outdoor activities, but that assumption proved to be untrue. "The only interruption was the hospital. Within 3 days after the injury, I was back in the gym," she said. "I was also a fitness competitor prior to my injury, in between two body building shows so my brain was reminding me that I can't just sit here and do nothing. I left the hospital at the end of October and by Christmas time I was on the ski hill."

Tanelle soon recognized that there was little support available for those who required help to enjoy recreational activities outdoors. She said, "there wasn't any program or opportunity for me to rent or borrow adaptive equipment so I can go with my friends to the places I had become familiar with when I was able-bodied." Determined to avoid a sedentary lifestyle and realizing that other active wheelchair users were faced with the same predicament, she founded RAD Recreation Adapted Society (RAD Society) whose mission is to create opportunities and remove barriers for individuals living with mobility issues to maintain healthy, active, independent lifestyles through access to the outdoors regardless of financial circumstance. From June 2024, RAD's GearBox initiative and community partnerships will make that happen.