Vancouver Canucks forward Mason Raymond skated at the Richmond Olympic Oval on Monday to launch this year’s Scotiabank Group Charity Challenge and mark the countdown to the 14th Annual Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon and 5K on June 24.

Raymond was joined by honorary chairman of the challenge and a record 55 local charities for a friendly skate to encourage the public to “run for the sake of others” at the upcoming marathons. He also stuck around for an autograph signing session after the skate.

This year’s 5K portion of the Scotiabank run will include a team from the BC Paraplegic Association, “Walk ‘n’ Rollers”. The team will be the first ever to include people who use wheelchairs.

While Raymond laced up at the oval, fellow Canucks players Alex Burrows and Jannik Hansen took to the ice with some lucky young Richmond Minor Hockey League players at the Richmond Ice Centre on Sunday. A cheque for $1,745, which was half of the proceeds raised from the RMHL’s Volunteer Appreciation Casino Night, was donated to Canuck Place Children’s Hospice.