Growing up in the inner city of Bain Town in Nassau Bahamas, Mario Rolle saw things no child should see. Having witnessed many murders, assaults, and robberies, Mario knew he wanted no part in that life and set his sights on being a force for good. After graduating from college in 2009, Mario moved to Halifax to further his education in Criminology. While living in Nova Scotia, he married into the East Preston community and immediately began working to address challenges facing his community.
“When it comes to marginalized groups and mental health, I like working in the background,” says Mario. “To be receiving this award speaks volumes of the work the Nova Scotia Brotherhood is doing and continuing to do in Nova Scotia. I didn’t choose to work in the mental health field, it choose me. Once I started to work with clients, there was no turning back, I became a champion for black men in the field of mental health.”
Mario Rolle, 2021 Let’s Keep Talking Award Recipient for Outstanding Healthcare Provider
Dedicated to being an influential voice for Black men, Mario has volunteered with organizations including the Association of Black Social Workers, Ceasefire, 7th Step Society of Nova Scotia, Health Association of African Canadians, and New Start Counselling. Mario holds a double major in Criminology and Sociology, and Masters in Social Work.
“Mario has been helping his community for many years, working with marginalized individuals who live with mental health and addiction challenges as well as conflict with the law,” says Steven Deveau of 7th Step Society. “He sits on several boards in the nonprofit sector and is always finding ways to contribute. He helps organizations find money to keep them going. He is a great mentor and leads by example.”
“Mario is a champion for health equity and actively works to dismantle systemic racism by reducing barriers to mental health care for men of African descent, and their families,” says Starr Cunningham, President & CEO of the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia. “ We are delighted to present our friend and partner, Mario Rolle, with the Let’s Keep Talking Award for Outstanding Healthcare Provider.”
Presently the Health Services Manager for the Nova Scotia Brotherhood Initiative, Mario helps provide culturally appropriate health care services for African Nova Scotian men to ensure access to care and improve their overall health and wellbeing. Last year, he teamed up with the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia to create the Brotherhood Fund, a grant that enhances the mental health programming of the Brotherhood Initiative.
Congratulations to Mario Rolle, our 2021 Let’s Keep Talking Award Recipient for Outstanding Healthcare Provider. (Sponsored by Dalhousie University Department of Psychiatry)