Olympian Sarah Wells launches the Believe Initiative

TORONTO, Jan. 16, 2017 /CNW/ - Today, Canadian Olympic 400m hurdler Sarah Wells launched the Believe Initiative powered by RBC (www.believeinitiative.com). The movement is focused on inspiring young people to be resilient, relentlessly pursue their goals and foster an unwavering belief in themselves. Travelling to 20 schools in the GTA over the upcoming months, Sarah will share her story of how she learned to believe in herself and overcome obstacles on her path to the Olympic Games.

Sarah kick-started the Believe Initiative at William Berczy Elementary School in her hometown of Unionville, Ontario. It was especially meaningful, as it was Sarah's elementary school and where she first discovered her passion for running. Berczy students were invited to be part of the Believe Community and hallenged to start making steps toward their goals.

"My journey has been quite the roller coaster ride, but after seeing the difference in my success and my ability to be resilient once I began to foster a belief in myself, I want to encourage others to do the same," noted Sarah. "Our society is constantly changing and requiring young people to adapt, so providing them with the skills to cope early on is essential. Hard work won't always lead to success but being resilient, getting back up and believing you can do it, will always lead to another opportunity. The sooner we can help young people learn that, the more successful they will be, no matter what their goal is."

In addition to keynote presentations, the Believe Initiative will also launch a 10 week social media campaign of Monday Motivation videos, running from January 16 to March 20, 2017. Follow along on Twitter and Instagram: @sarahwells400mh. 

Having seen both success and heartbreak during her athletic career, Sarah feels especially passionate about overcoming obstacles as a hurdler. Despite a devastating stress fracture in her femur the year before the London 2012 Olympic Games, Sarah overcame her injury and went on to compete for Canada, finishing as an Olympic semi-finalist. She continued her success at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto taking the silver medal in the 400m hurdles, only to be faced with heartbreak at the 2016 Olympic trials when she just missed qualifying for her second Canadian Olympic team after rushing back from a hamstring tear earlier in the year.

SOURCE Sarah Wells Believe Initiative

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