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GIVEN THAT SHE'S A first-
year medical student training
for a half-marathon, it's hard to
imagine where Stephanie Quon
finds the time to also run her
300-person volunteer organi-
zation, The Sprouts Initiative.
Founded in 2017, The Sprouts
Initiative initially tackled food
waste in Metro Vancouver,
STEPHANIE QUON F O U N D E R A N D E X E C U T I V E D I R E C T O R , T H E S P R O U T S I N I T I AT I V E
RISING STARS
where Quon and volunteers
donated end-of-day leftovers
from bakeries and stores
to shelters. Over 15,000
donated meals later, the
grassroots organization has
grown not only in size, it has
also expanded into collabora-
tive projects with the Canadian
Accessibility Network.
"We're trying to work on
community-based projects and
create resources, especially for
people with disabilities, both
working in health care and
accessing health care," Quon
says. These projects could be as
simple as installing automatic
doors and ramps, or creating
braille signage or accessible
washrooms with more space
and automatic faucets.
"A lot of times, organiza-
tions have needs that they've
identified," Quon says, noting
that these upgrades are some-
times put on the back burner.
So, Quon reaches out directly
to organizations like BC Centre
for Ability, the Adaptive Sailing
Association of BC or the Dis-
abled Independent Gardeners
Association to collaborate. "It's
nice that I can come in and just
volunteer and help in a mean-
ingful way," she says. And it's
been easy to see the results of
these projects, because they are
changing physical infrastruc-
ture around Metro Vancouver.
It's also handy that Quon has
a degree in mechanical engi-
neering, something she put to
good use for creating projects
like a sensory room at UBC for
neurodiverse students. "I think
back to myself when I started
that project and I think, wow,
I really just went for it," she
recalls. "I'd be kind of afraid to
send out those emails and push
so hard for these things that I
don't really know that much
about," she adds. "I feel proud
of my past self for just being
willing to try."
As for her future self, Quon
hopes to work on as many
health-care accessibility proj-
ects as she can, expanding
beyond Metro Vancouver and
into systemic change via advo-
cacy in the next few years.
"Given that so many people
in their lifetime would have
some experience of a disability,
whether that's permanent or
temporary, I think it's just really
meaningful to try to create a
more equitable and inclusive
space," she says.–S.J.
"We're trying
to work on
community-based
projects and
create resources,
especially for
people with
disabilities."
