BOSTON- Ernst Van Dyk, Six Time Boston Marathon Mens Wheelchair Division Champion will be honored by the Governors Office and will speak at the State House Great Hall, Friday April 18 from 3:30-5:00pm, with a ceremony sponsored by Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, The Massachusetts Office on Disability, The Executive Office of Health and Human Services and the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. Representatives from those agencies and the Governors Office will be present for a short speaking program, following by an inspirational presentation by Ernst Van Dyk. Van Dyk is going for a record tying Seventh Boston Marathon title, Men?s Division. Several area youth groups such as Partners for Youth with Disabilities and The Chelsea Boys and Girls Club will be present to learn about overcoming disabilities to become a world-class athlete and learn about the many opportunities for disability recreation in Massachusetts.

About the Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Network A member of Partners HealthCare, The Spaulding Network includes its main campus, a 196-bed facility, located in Boston, MA, and eight outpatient sites throughout the Greater Boston area. Spaulding is a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School as well as the official rehabilitation hospital of the New England Patriots. Spaulding is the only rehabilitation hospital in New England continually ranked since 1995 by U.S. News and World Report in its Best Hospitals survey. For more information, please visit www.spauldingrehab.org.

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