QUEEN’S STUDENT GROUP MAKING A DIFFERENCE FOR COMMUNITY MEMBERS EXPERIENCING DISABILITY

 For a passionate group of Queen’s students, their involvement in coursework alone is not enough to fulfill their desire to give back in a big way, enrich their undergraduate experience at Queen’s and make a lasting difference for persons experiencing disability in the Kingston community. This group of 20 passionate students have started an initiative called the Let’s Get Revved Up Club. The initiative is built around four pillars: fundraising, community connections and relations, advocacy, and awareness and promotion of physical activity opportunities for persons experiencing disabilities. The students have pitched together to build this initiative from the ground up and there’s no stopping them now! 

The passion of and the mission behind the Let’s Get Revved Up Club has been fueled by the students’ involvement in the Revved Up exercise program, which runs in partnership with the School of Kinesiology and Health Studies and is supported by the Queen’s recognized Disability and Physical Activity (DIPA) Certificate. Revved Up is an exercise program for adults with disabilities from the Kingston Community. Adults with physical disability (such as mobility impairment caused by a stroke, spinal cord injury, Parkinson’s Disease, multiple sclerosis and other conditions) can attend this exercise program for accessible, individualized exercise prescription and support from student interns and volunteers. Persons with developmental and intellectual disability are also eligible for Revved Up. Revved Up currently serves 175 members of the Kingston community. 

Many students come to Revved Up as part of the practicum portion of the DIPA Certificate. Through participation in the certificate, students complete disability studies, physical activity and health coursework and embark on meaningful application of their learning through hands-on experience working directly with participants. “The students are truly the heart of Revved Up and the program could not run without them. It is evident that the involvement in the certificate and the interactions with Revved Up participants have given so much more to these students who have built the Let’s Get Revved Up club. It has given them confidence in their knowledge and skill along with passion to make a difference.” - Amanda Cunningham, Revved Up Coordinator. 

“After both completing the DIPA certificate and working at Revved Up last summer, we were very passionate about Revved Up. The opportunity to be a part of this community is like nothing else we had experienced, and it has given us both so many incredible experiences over the last 2 years. We hope that this club is the first stepping stone to ensuring the longevity of Revved up and gaining the support and recognition it deserves. “ Hannah and Helen, Let’s Get Revved Up Club Co-Chairs. “As soon as we put out applications to join the club through social media, we had an overwhelming response from the students. I think this alone attests to how strongly everyone feels about this program as over 20 individuals were willing to join a brand-new club”. 

The Let’s Get Revved Up Club has been hard at work organizing a community Walk and Roll-a-thon that they hope will be the first of many more annual events. The event is for community members to enjoy a walk and roll together to promote accessible physical activity in the Kingston community. 

You can experience the hard work behind the group’s effort at the 1st Annual Walk n’ Roll-a-thon taking place at the Queen’s Athletic and Recreation Centre, 284 Earl Street, on Saturday, March 23rd from 1 – 3 pm. The Let’s Get Revved Up group is also actively fundraising to raise money to purchase more equipment to meet the growing needs of the Revved Up gym. 

More information about the Walk and Roll event and about Revved Up can be found on the program website: https://revvedupgroup.ca/exercise/