There’s more to life and Clara Hughes than training and competing! Goodwill Ambassador, motivational speaker, television commentator, writer, mentor, painter, woodworker, traveler … Clara truly is more than an athlete.
With her current involvement with Right to Play, Clara continues to raise funds and awareness for the children that will benefit from their programs. Clara is working with their new Canadian School program that provides Canadian youth with the opportunity to learn through sport and discover the merits of physical activity.
After winning gold at the 2006 Olympics, Clara donated $10,000 of personal funds to Right to Play in order to raise awareness. She challenged Canadian business and individuals to match her donation or give what they can. To date, over $400,000 has been raised. After traveling to Ethiopia in May of 2006 to work with the Right to Play programs, Clara will retutn to Africa in April of 2008, this time leading a group of 2010 Winter Olympians to the West African country of Ghana.
After the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver/Whistler, Clara’s vision is to continue her humanitarian work at a more focused level. After being fully inspired by the volunteers and coaches she met during her trips to Africa, she knew it was only a matter of time that she, too, give this time and energy to the programs in more of a hands on way. Her travels have left her with an urge to return and share the joy of sport, teamwork, sharing – all valuable lessons to be learned through sport and play.
Clara’s has a wealth of experience in the field of motivational and public speaking, television hosting, and speaking engagements that range from kindergarten to high school, children’s groups, corporate business seminars, athletic teams, coaching luncheons. She is in high demand and thoroughly enjoys the opportunity to share her wealth of experiences and insights.
Clara acts as a mentor to many young athletes, in the effort of trying to share her path with the future of Canadian sport. Her philosophy, “Sport is an excellent vehicle for teaching valuable lessons of discipline, responsibility and giving young people a sense of accomplishment and self-esteem that will lead to the development of well-rounded human beings”, is something that not only translates into sport; but more importantly into life.
A voracious traveler, Clara has experienced arctic travel, bike toured thousands of miles in North and Central America as well as self-contained mountain traverses by foot in her spare time. In the Spring of 2007, she decided to climb a series of mountain passes in the Eastern Sierra Nevada (California, USA) ‘just for fun’. After ten days of riding she ammassed nearly 56,000 feet of elevation gain by bicycle. These and other epic journeys have been the subject of Clara’s writing and she has published articles sharing her insights and experiences. With endless destinations, Clara plans to continue traveling, writing and sharing these incredible moments with others.
