In celebration of the Olympic spirit, and the athletes who will compete
at the 2010 Olympic/Paralympic Games, one year from now...
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Spirit at Work presents

Thursday, February 19th, 2009               12:00 - 1:30pm   With Glowing Hearts: The Power of Purpose with Andrea Holmes, Summer & Winter Paralympic Athlete and Para-Pan Am Games medal winner Have you ever taken time to consider what you really want? In a world that is so busy and so full of instant gratification, we sometimes forget that it is okay to slow things down, look into the future, figure out what we really want, and set out to achieve it. That's what Andrea Holmes did. Born without her lower left leg, she was inspired by a one-legged athlete at the Salt Lake City Paralympic Games in 2002 – and set her sights on competing at the Athens Summer Games of 2004. Join us as Andrea shares her story and leads us in an exploration of purpose, focus, inner balance and outer performance. Balancing my heart and my mind, I believe, is one of my strengths and keys to success as an athlete, and a member of society. Being an athlete has also given me some great skills that I am able to translate into life outside of sport.                                       - Andrea Holmes                                           - - - - - - - - -              click here to RSVP  or  phone: 604.685-6560 Date:            Thursday, February 19, 2009 -- 12:00 - 1:30 pm Location:      Main Floor, Conference Rooms, Terasen Building,                      1111 W. Georgia St. (at Thurlow), Vancouver Cost:             Without lunch: $10                      With lunch:  non-members - $20;  members - $15 Lunch:          Catered sandwiches, salad, tea and coffee                               __________________________ About Our Speaker: West Vancouver resident Andrea Holmes was born without her lower left leg. Despite that, she became active in sports as a youth. But as she grew up, she found fewer and fewer opportunities to participate and lost the confidence that came from playing in sports. Inspired by a one-legged skier at the Salt Lake City Paralympic Games, Andrea set herself a goal of competing at the Athens Summer Games in 2004. To do that, she had to overcome many hurdles – including finding a coach, changing sports in mid-training (from High Jump to Long Jump) and qualifying to compete at the world's highest level. In 2004, she achieved her dream of competing at the Athens Games, and since then she has achieved international success and a medal at the Para-Pan American Games in 2007. Switching sports again, she is now training to qualify for the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games in Alpine Skiing. "Best Advice I've Ever Received" Driving with her father to the airport one day, Andrea said, "Dad, you better hug me because the next time you see me my life could be totally different." And he said to her, "Awesome. Go and change your life. You only get one chance at it, and you should make it how you want it to be." Career Highlights:     Competitor (Long Jump):  2004 Paralympic Summer Games, Athens     Bronze Medal (Long Jump): 2007 Para-Pan American Games, Rio de Janeiro     Long Jump (2007): Ranked 2nd nationally and 6th internationally     100m (2007): Ranked 2nd nationally and 2nd internationally For more info on Andrea, see the RBC Olympians Web site: http://www.rbc.com/sponsorship/olympics/bio/andrea_holmes.html and the Canadian Paralympic Committee Web site: http://www.feeltherush.ca/page?a=2010&lang=en-CA                  click here to RSVP  or  phone: 604-685-6560 back to top