She Walks Canada raises awareness and funds for Alcohol Use Disorder
SHE WALKS CANADA will kick off Jan. 24 to engage sober and sober curious communities. The 7,315 km cross Canada virtual walk is a national movement to help elevate and normalize sober living and provide resources to women in recovery.
SHE WALKS CANADA, a virtual cross-Canada walk to accumulate kilometers and raise awareness and funds for Alcohol Use Disorder, kicks off on January 24, 2022. The virtual cross-Canada walk, founded by Canadian opera singer, television personality and actress Lindsay Sutherland Boal, is a national movement to engage communities of both the “sober” and “sober curious” to support women seeking, and in recovery from Alcohol Use Disorder.
More than a half million* women across Canada live with Alcohol Use Disorder or are in alcohol recovery through various private, personal, and government-sponsored programs that assist them in recovery.
“The purpose of SHE WALKS CANADA is to engage and empower women in and seeking recovery from Alcohol Use Disorder,” Boal says. “We want to celebrate women who are thriving in sober living and raise awareness for the variety of recovery and support options that are available to women across the country. I’m living proof that not every program is fit for those who want to seek and maintain sobriety. For me, I could not find a program that fit my needs. So I walked – my first walk was two kilometers. The longer I stayed sober, the longer I could walk. I also found comfort in new relationships with sober women. Kilometer after kilometer, walking and my new found sober community gradually gave me the confidence and healthy outlook that I needed to break the cycle of Alcohol Use Disorder, and to begin to share my story. My journey, like everyone else seeking recovery, is unique. But one thing many women seeking recovery have in common is the desire to be healthy physically, mentally and spiritually.”
The She Walks Canada movement is not limited to those who are sober curious and those in recovery. Anyone, from anywhere can join in Lindsay’s journey by logging their kilometers and if they choose, participating in online support gatherings, or contributing to the campaign through the She Walks Canada Go Fund Me campaign.
Kicking off on January 24, 2022, Lindsay’s sober date, participants will be able to log the kilometers they walk, run, cycle, swim or move their bodies each day or week on the She Walks Canada website. Then, on a rotating basis, certified life and recovery coaches will provide online group support, inspiration, and resources for participants.
“We are here. Join us. Even if you have already chosen to drink again, it’s ok. Join us. Even if you never want to stop altogether. It’s OK. Join us. If you just can’t give it up now, it’s ok. Join us. If you just need to vent, to cry, know you’re not alone. It’s ok. Join us.”
— Lindsay Sutherland Boal
‘I’m thrilled to be involved with Lindsay’s SWC initiative” said Certified Life Coach, Lisa Kelly “I feel Lindsay’s platform is important because one thing about sobriety is that suddenly the newly sober start caring more about their health. We still have so much farther to go when it comes to educating people around addiction. Lindsay’s initiative aims to raise awareness and that is something we cannot have too much of. It’s time to smash the stigma and have more people know that it’s okay to ask for help and the more healthy and therapeutic options out there, the better!”
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- The She Walks Canada website launched on December 1, 2021 seeks to:
- Engage and empower women in and seeking recovery from Alcohol Use Disorder
- Provide online support gatherings for women in active recovery and those who are sober curious
- Provide engaging content with the intent to reduce the stigma associated with Alcohol Use Disorder
- Raise awareness for the variety of recovery and support options available
- Celebrate women who are thriving in the freedom and joy of sober living
- Build a strong support community within She Walks Canada
- Raise money to further develop She Walks Canada resources
- Enable supporters to register: shewalkscanada.com
- Provide postings, photos and updates from participants and supporters.
Originally trained as an actress and opera singer, equally at home in theatre, opera, musical theatre in both the English and German repertoire, Boal brings to her diverse work and play history a breadth of national and international experience.
As an opera singer and actor, Lindsay has been a guest artist with the Winnipeg Symphony, Symphony Nova Scotia, has sung with the Vancouver and Manitoba operas, Toronto’s Against the Grain Theatre and Loose Tea Music Theatre companies; she was part of the recurring cast of YTV’s television program Extreme Babysitting, and has given numerous cameo performances in Canadian unscripted television.
In her international work, Lindsay performed as a guest artist (opera) in several cities. Additionally, Lindsay has held a Brand Ambassador position in China.
Building on that experience, she joined the Urban Outline Building Group team in Toronto where she led the rebranding of the organization. Within this role she has expanded the company’s exposure, cultivated new partner relationships, developed the organization’s community outreach initiatives, enhanced its growth through social media platforms, and assisted the president and team in fulfilling the company’s goal to build outstanding workspaces.
Lindsay is a certified life coach specializing in strategic one-on-one empowerment and legacy coaching, a podcast host and producer (The COVID Chronicles Canada), an amateur long-distance athlete, and a passionate advocate for women’s physical and mental health.
Lindsay earned a Diploma in Music Performance from Kwantlen Polytechnic University (formerly Kwantlen University), a Bachelor of Music in Performance from Brandon University, an Artist Diploma from The Vancouver Academy of Music, completed post-graduate studies at the University of Manitoba, completed summer opera programs at the Banff Centre for the Arts and Creativity, the Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts (Czech Republic), Weimar Opern Studio (Germany), Casalmaggiore International Festival of Opera and Song (Italy) and at the Cabaret Conference at Yale University.
SHE WALKS CANADA is a personal mission to give back to the community that helped Lindsay as she moved through the early stages of her sobriety. During this journey Lindsay learned new things about herself, one of which is, she loves to walk.
“I can’t express enough thanks to my team who is working hard behind the scenes and to those who have financially supported SHE WALKS CANADA through our Go Fund Me campaign,” Boal said. “But most of all, thank you to the women with whom we have walked, do walk, and will walk in the future. We can, do, and will recover. Together,” Boal believes.
*Alcohol Use Disorder is a chronic disease characterized by uncontrolled dependence on alcohol. It can include periods of alcohol intoxication and symptoms of withdrawal. (Very common, more than 500,000 cases per year in Canada). Source: Focus Medica.
