The Saskatchewan Roughriders are on the heels of a first-place finish.
They were recognized on Thursday for assembling the largest team — 25 business-office employees, plus two players — for the YWCA Regina’s Walk a Mile in Their Shoes, a fund-raiser that combats gender-based violence in Saskatchewan.
“It’s the second year we’ve had that (distinction),” Roughriders President-CEO Craig Reynolds said. “It just shows the commitment from the Club and I’m really proud of the team.”
Reynolds was among more than 275 people who helped to generate $60,000-plus for the YWCA’s Isabel Johnson Shelter.
“We know the power of a collective voice in igniting change,” YWCA Regina CEO Melissa Coomber-Bendtsen said, “and this is what it looks like.”
Coomber-Bentsden also referenced the landscape in Saskatchewan, where the frequency of intimate-partner violence is twice the national average. Saskatchewan has the highest rate of domestic violence in Canada.
In a demonstration of support for the victims and the programs that support them, participants donned red shoes on Thursday.
Reynolds sported a pair of high heels for his noon-hour walk around the perimeter of Victoria Park.
“The shoes were kind of pinching the toes at the top,” he said. “I think I have really fat feet. I was actually worried about the calves a little bit.
“Most importantly, I was worried about falling down — especially when we went up to accept the award for the biggest team. I was thinking, ‘Everybody’s kind of watching so, if you bite it here, it’s going to be quite embarrassing for the organization and myself.’
“Thankfully, I was able to get up there with no lower-body injuries.”
He nimbly ascended the steps to the stage at Pat Fiacco Plaza while representing the high priority the organization attached to the event, which has just been held for the seventh time.
“Jacqueline Hurlbert, our Director of Marketing, started organizing this and she really does a great job,” Reynolds said. “The YWCA has always been a cause that we’ve been passionate about. I think it just resonates with everybody in the organization.
“Like anything, it’s around rallying people around it, and I give a lot of credit to Jacqui for doing that.”
Earlier this year, Roughriders employees took part in an Upstander Training session as part of the team’s alliance with the YWCA.
A robust turnout for Walk a Mile was another reflection of the Roughriders’ support of the YWCA, its initiatives, and the people it assists.
“This really showcases how much the staff buy into us being a community-owned team and how every staff member, at every level of the organization, feels like they’re part of the community and representing our team,” Hurlbert said.
“It resonates, with the individual stories that all our staff members have concerning gender-based violence, and it’s why they’re walking today.
“I think that’s the sad part. We all have our own experience or know someone, but that is the purpose — adding a voice to it and recognizing that everyone has a different story behind why they walk. It hits all of us.”
A similar sentiment was expressed by Roughriders defensive lineman Anthony Lanier II, who was joined at the event by running back Jamal Morrow.
“Being a child who saw domestic violence in the area growing up and seeing what other people were going through, you never really think how much support they really need,” said Lanier II, who is from Savannah, Ga.
“It was wonderful to see everybody here today come out to support the cause, walking a mile, and putting themselves in somebody else’s shoes.”
