BY: Roderick Benns
DATE: Tuesday, June 29, 2004
When Chris Grayson looked down the Trent River bank last week, he saw signs of Community Living everywhere. There were about 2,500 people there that day to celebrate the unveiling of Canada’s second-longest suspension bridge for walkers or bike riders, an engineering feat he says was a good thing for Community Living to be a part of.
The official opening of the Ranney Gorge Suspension Bridge, connecting the Rotary Trail on the west side of the Trent River to a provincial park on the east, was “amazing,” says Chris, who is the executive director of Community Living Campbellford/Brighton.
“It was cool to see our presence everywhere on this,” says Chris, as many people connected with the association came out to show support.
The Rotary Club of Campbellford had envisioned this bridge for about 10 years, says Chris, which became a reality when the engineers of the Eighth Wing C.F.B. Trenton constructed the bridge with the help of many other partners. Community Living Campbellford/Brighton’s Jason Rae, the first self-advocate in Ontario to be elected president, also sits on the Rotary Club.
In addition to being executive director of the association, Chris also sits on the economic development committee for Campbellford. He says it was a project the association as a whole wanted to support because it was for the entire community.
“A lot of the work I do is to facilitate a healthier community, and we’re a part of that,” he says.
