They walked. They biked. They rolled, scootted and rode.
They did it for Auntie Rita, for Grandma Pat and for Uncle Jeff. They did it for family, for good friends, and for strangers alike.
They did it to help find a cure for a debilitating disease.
About 100 people took part in Humboldt's eighth annual MS Walk on May 15, raising money for multiple sclerosis (MS) research. That number was down a bit from 2010, when 147 people took part. Certainly the weather couldn't be blamed, as conditions that day were more than ideal.
Participants covered a five kilometre circuit starting from St. Augustine School and winding its way through the city over to Westminster United Church and back to St. Augustine. The entire route was wheelchair accessible, and participants were allowed to use bikes, scooters, roller blades and other alternative modes of self-propulsion.
Of course, they could walk too.
Each participant was required to raise a minimum of $20 in pledges, although virtually all involved brought in quite a bit more than that. The total raised this year isn't finalized, as participants have two weeks after the walk to hand in all their pledges. However, walk organizer Janice Tremblay said it looks as though about $16,000 will be the total for this year.
More than $23,000 in pledges was raised in Humboldt in 2010, and more than $104,000 has been raised here in the past seven years. All proceeds go to the MS Society of Canada.
Tremblay speculated that the numbers this year may have been down somewhat as many people may simply be worn out from all the extra MS fundraising that has gone on recently. Some locals with MS sought to raise funds in order to get the experimental Liberation Treatment overseas, and Humboldt residents generously rallied to their cause. The Liberation Treatment is not offered in North America, and is not covered by Medicare.
As a result of that earlier fundraising, it's possible some teams chose not to participate in the walk this time, Tremblay said.
"Last year really was an exceptional year," she stressed. "But if that's the final number, $16,000 is still a really good amount."
