In Focus | Samantha Baxter and Chelsea McEvoy

In Focus is our gift to the community. A way for us to help show our recognition for the people, businesses, and organizations that help make our city great. The team at KelownaNow.com is passionate about this community and the people that make it amazing. We want to show our friends, neighbours, family and colleagues that we notice them and the fabulous things that they do.

What is your name?
Samantha Baxter and Chelsea McEvoy.

Where are you from and how long have you lived in Kelowna?
We are both locally-grown Kelowna girls and have been here our whole lives.

Who is your favourite person to spend time with and why?
Sam: You marry your best friend, so my husband, Shawn is my favourite person in the world. He's a dreamer while I'm the realistic one so he keeps me thinking outside of the box and pushes me to dream big.
Chelsea: My partner in crime James, not only do I love him, but he keeps me on my toes... or more like watching them. He's adventurous and my life has changed for the better by being with him.

If you could go anywhere in the world right at this moment where would you go and why?
Chelsea: Iceland because I'm a filmmaker and would love to be inspired by the beautiful landscapes and unique culture.
Sam: Iceland... because Chelsea and James are going. Honestly though, other than vacations, I'm a real homebody, so I'm perfectly fine here at home.

What is your favourite local store in Kelowna and why?
Bean Scene. Great coffee, fun atmosphere and amazing people. It's a great place for us to meet up, chat and come up with our blog posts all while getting our much needed caffeine fix.

What is your favourite activity?
We both love to travel and we do quite a bit of it together. We like to see new places and experience different things, pushing the limits with our men on wheels and when we need a break from them, we find a set of stairs, LOL.

If you had to choose: pizza, tacos, or burgers?
Sam: tacos, all day, every day
Chelsea: pizza, duh!

What is the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you?
We tend not to get embarrassed easily, we've been through it all and find that the most embarrassing moments make for the best stories.

What is the most inspiring thing that has happened to you?
Sam: I don't want to sound cliché, because it really bothers me when people see my husband and say he's an 'inspiration' just because he's in a wheelchair, but Shawn's car accident was probably the most inspiring things that has happened to me, and it didn't even really happen to me. That day not only changed his entire life by leaving him paralyzed from mid-chest down, but mine as well, and changed it for the better. It was his time spent in hospital that lead me to my career as a nurse and it was his determination to learn new things and adapt to his new way of life that lead us to James and Accessible Okanagan. Since then we have had the opportunity to do things we never would have dreamed of and meet the most amazing people, many of which are now our closest and best friends.
Chelsea: Because of the life we live, inspiring things happen to us everyday. It's not one big event that stands out ,its a million little things. Witnessing the first time someone dances in a wheelchair, James bungee jumping in his chair, someone traveling for the fist time since an accident. It's in the little things every single day. These people are not inspiring because they are in wheelchairs, they are inspiring because they have the courage to try new things and look past their injury.

Tell us your favourite childhood memory.
Sam: My family did a lot of camping when I was a kid and every year we used to spend a week at Kettle River Provincial Park by Rock Creek. We would explore the old mine shafts, float down the river current and jump off the train trestle bridge into the river. To this day, that campground is still my favourite place on earth and I hope to take my kids there too.
Chelsea: We used to live in a log home in Joe Rich. My dad and I would go gather firewood for the winter in his old Ford Truck. I can still remember the smells of taking the back roads and chopping wood. We would sing the Eagles at the top of our lungs, laugh and just be kids. I can only hope to be half the parents mine were to me.

Where do you volunteer or give back to in the community?
We both are big supporters of Accessible Okanagan, a local non-profit group. It's a community based on peer-support for people with mobility challenges that creates opportunities for people to find their independence and hosts events that allow people to try things they might not otherwise have the opportunity to do. Plus, with close to 300 members in the Okanagan, there is always someone to talk to who is in a similar situation. Look us up on Facebook if you're interested!

If you could change one thing in the world what would it be?
Accessibility. There are so many places in this world that just aren't accessible to people with mobility impairments. Curbs without ramp access, buildings with steps into them, provincial or national parks and monuments that only have trail access and don't allow motorized vehicles; the list goes on. People don't realize that a lack of accessibility doesn't just affect the person in a wheelchair, it also affects their spouse or partner, their friends, their coworkers and their families.

What is your favourite activity in Kelowna?
Sam: Camping. You can pack up and within an hour be at a fishing lake in the woods with nothing but the quiet, your campfire and the stars.
Chelsea: The local music scene. There is so much talent in this city. If you can catch a show with local musicians, you will not be disappointed. I am constantly inspired and amazed by the albums and singles that come out of Kelowna.

Where would you sneak away to in Kelowna to spend some time alone?
Seeing as how we are both addicted to caffeine and reading, when we have an opportunity to be alone, we love to grab a seat in a local cafe or coffee shop with a good cup of coffee and lose ourselves in a book.

Where would you like to see positive change in Kelowna and why?
Again, accessibility. Downtown Kelowna for instance, a lot of the older heritage buildings have steps or beautiful rooftop patios with no elevator. We also have a lack of accessible parking. Wheelchair users need wider parking spaces to allow for ramps, or lifts or even just opening their door wide enough to transfer into their chair.

What do you think makes Kelowna great?
Besides the naturally beautiful landscape? Kelowna has a million different opportunities for anyone, wheelchair or not. You can do almost anything here. Plus wine... we love wine.

What are 3 things on your bucket list?
Sam: To travel through Europe, to publish the children's book I've written and to host the first ever Wheel Love Retreat.
Chelsea: To write a feature film, complete a full slalom waterski course and host a Wheel Love Retreat!

Tell us something that not everyone may know about you.
That we really, really did not like each other when we first met. It took quite a few years for us to even become friends, let alone as close as we are now.

What is the name of your business/organization?
Wheel Love – Lessons in Life, Love and Wheelies.

Why did you get into/start this business?
After being in relationships with wheelchair users, we found that there is a real lack of support and information out there for spouses, loved ones and friends of people in chairs.

What is the goal of your business?
We want to create and build a community of people in similar situations as ours that can help answer questions or give suggestions or just let people know 'hey, we've been there too.'

What has been your biggest struggle either in work or life?
Sam: Balance. I've always struggled with having a good work-life balance and it took me a long time to learn to not bring my work home with me and let it affect my home life.
Chelsea: Hormones, can I put that? But seriously, I'm a people pleaser and I've found that learning to say no has helped me build integrity and has lead to balance in all other areas of my life.

If you could start all over again would you do things the same or would things be different?
The same. We are both strong believers in that everything happens for a reason and that you are meant to be exactly where you are in life, even if that reason isn't apparent right now. So even with all the ups and downs, we would do it all exactly the same.

What do you always find yourself saying?
'Ow, my toes!' and 'Pushing on...' because it's our blog sign-off.

If you could spend one whole day with anyone in the world who is currently alive, who would you select?
Sam: Ellen DeGeneres. She's smart, she's hilarious and she does so much good for a variety of different charities and causes.
Chelsea: The Dalai Lama, are you kidding!? I would be in stitches all the while learning about life, love and happiness!

Why do you think it is important to shop locally?
Because we are big on building community (Wheel Love and Accessible Okanagan), shopping locally gives us the opportunity to support people outside of our immediate focus group and take advantage of some unique local talent and products. The community as a whole benefits and becomes stronger when we stick together.

What has been your proudest accomplishment?
Sam: Getting pregnant. We both wanted a child so badly, but there can be complications with conceiving when it comes to spinal cord injuries and we tried for a long time with no success. We had pretty much given up and we had done our first interview with a fertility clinic when that little pink line appeared. We could not be more excited for Baby Baxter to arrive in September!
Chelsea: I am constantly growing and creating new goals so it's hard to say what my proudest accomplishments have been. Sometimes, small success equals greater results. I did, however, idolize Sir Anthony Hopkins since I was a child. I had always wanted to meet him and two years ago I was granted the opportunity to work with him for a month. It reminded me that no dream is too big!!

Give someone you think that deserves it a shout out and explain why!
Scott James with SCI-BC. He is a peer-support coordinator for the Okanagan and has done nothing short of an amazing job organizing events, hosting a weekly coffee group and supporting people with spinal cord injuries in our community.

My choice for the KelownaNow In Focus spotlight is:
James Hektner, he is the founder and executive director of Accessible Okanagan, which started with only four members and has now grown to almost 300, none of which would have been possible without James. He has created endless opportunities for many people and has lead by example that a spinal cord injury should not stop you from living your best life.

Some general comments I would like to share are
If your loved one or someone you know is dealing with a spinal cord injury, we highly recommend seeking out a peer-support group. Look us up!

We encourage you to leave your comments and words of support below and submit your own nomination by clicking HERE. You are also welcome to submit a form of your own by clicking HERE. Thank you, Kelowna.