Canadian Paralympian featured on Cheerios box

From The Sun-Times in Owen Sound, Canada:

Port Elgin wheelchair racer Josh Cassidy (pictured) is one of a select few athletes who can say they've got their face on a cereal box.

The 24-year-old St. Mary's High School grad, who competed at the 2008 Paralympic Summer Games in Beijing, will appear on the back of family-sized boxes of Cheerios.

"It's huge for me. You grow up as a kid looking at your favourite athletes on a cereal box. Sure you dream about it, but to actually see it is really cool," Cassidy said in a recent interview.

Sixteen Olympic and Paralympic athletes have been selected to appear on Cheerios boxes as part of a support-our-athletes campaign. The winning candidates receive $5,000 from General Mills, plus $1 each time someone registers a barcode online in the athlete's name. The donation is capped at $25,000.

Cassidy said each donation he receives will help him cover the cost to compete on the world circuit, which is about $40,000 each year.

Travel is the most expensive component, but there are also equipment and repair costs.

"It's pretty tough at this stage to get all the costs covered," he said.

Cassidy said some grocery stores do not have the Olympic boxes yet, but people can hold onto the barcodes to support his competition efforts.

Cassidy competed at the Beijing Paralympics in the distance wheelchair races of 800, 1,500 and 5,000 metres. He has also had top results in Canadian and international races.