Third annual Walk and Roll fundraiser brings crowd to downtown Halifax

On Saturday afternoon, roughly 40 people participated in a five-kilometre walk for charity from the north end to downtown Halifax.

In its third year, Walk and Roll raises money for Movember, an annual event during November that brings awareness to men’s health, including prostate cancer, testicular cancer and suicide.

Local disability rights advocate Brian George created Walk and Roll, and this year’s event was co-hosted by George’s friend, Rick Mayme, who survived his own bout of cancer.

George and Mayme became friends back in high school and rekindled their friendship when George returned to Halifax seven years ago.

“I have some family members who have unfortunately passed away due to prostate cancer throughout my lifetime … that's one of the things that I'll have to keep an eye on as I get older,” George said.

The event began around 1 p.m. at the Hydrostone's Fort Needham Memorial Park.

Participants then headed down Barrington Street, walking along the ocean to the city’s downtown core and finishing up at the Garrison Brewing Co. near the Halifax Seaport Farmers' Market.

Before Walk and Roll, George embarked on a “Halifax Odyssey Tour” in an effort to shed light on the challenges people with disabilities face.

That tour took George through 15 streets around the Halifax Regional Municipality from one end of Robie Street to the other — a seven-kilometre walk. After two years, George developed shoulder pain and ended the Odyssey Tour. 

Now, George — who recently became an actor starring in the Canadian sitcom Vollies earlier this year — is continuing his advocacy through the Walk and Roll fundraiser.

“It was just sort of something I thought of off the top of my head,” George said. “My partner that I was seeing at the time, whenever we would go for walks together, that's what she called it: a 'walk and roll.'”

According to George, the inaugural Walk and Roll saw 21 people participate in the stroll.

The first event raised money for the Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre in Halifax, but things changed when the pandemic hit Nova Scotia in March 2020. 

When the lockdown began, George was in the middle of a move — and it created a great deal of uncertainty and stress. 

“I've been noticing there's been a lot of people admitting that they go to therapy,” George said, particularly of men. “Even for myself, it's only been in the last two years when I've really started to talk about my own mental health.”

That year, George completed the trek with a colleague in his social bubble. While the turnout wasn’t strong, George said he received plenty of donations which encouraged him to continue the event this year.

“So this year, especially for me,” George said, “Walk and Roll is about getting people together, getting people talking, getting people active, and just [having] those conversations about mental health and about getting checked.”

As of Saturday afternoon, George has raised $220 for his Movember fundraiser. 

“If you're struggling in any way, just talk to people, get it out there,” George said. “Don't keep that inside.”