Reporter walks A mile in high heels for A good Cause
The blisters are worth it to help raise money for the YWCA’S domestic violence programs
After squeeeeeeeeezing my webbed feet into a pair of (ouch!) Size 13 shoes, I walked in high heels with all the elegance and style of Beyonce.
Gus Beyonce.
The ill-fitting footwear was donned Thursday for the Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event — a fundraiser for the Regina YWCA’S programs that support people affected by domestic violence.
The occasion called for me — along with valued Regina Leaderpost colleagues Jennifer Ackerman, Austin Davis, Chris Harbron and David (D.C.) Fraser — to complete a lap of Victoria Park.
The route was 0.75 kilometres for Jen, Austin, Chris and Dave, whereas I felt like I had detoured through, er, Chibougamou.
I had not felt such pain since watching a Seth Rogen movie.
And that was just the process of getting there.
I woke up Thursday, bright and early at 11:04 a.m., and prepared to make the trek to downtown Regina.
One problem: Flat tire.
The ailing vehicle somehow made it to Canadian Tire, whereupon I asked someone to call me a cab.
“OK,” he responded. “You’re a cab.”
(Old joke. But I had to use it. Onwards …)
Miraculously, I arrived at City Square Plaza just after noon — in time to check in, request an expansive T-shirt, make a donation, and beg for a pair of red, high-heeled shoes that actually fit.
“The biggest we have is Size
13,” I was informed.
I breathed a sigh of relief, considering that I am ordinarily a Size 11.
Minutes later, I emitted an “OWW!” at an octave that could only be heard by Scottish terriers.
Somehow, I was able to join the Leader-post team and, in fact, separate myself from a pack that included 160 other registered participants, representing 23 teams.
Translation: I was last.
I moved only slightly faster than: (a) Erosion; ( b) My crippled car; and, (c) The Saskatchewan Roughriders’ offence.
But at least the reviews were effusive.
“Rob Vanstone looked like he had never used feet before,” Austin said, exuding admiration.
“He was able to kind of do a thing that looked like walking, around the outside of Victoria Park — which is a route that a child could ride a bicycle around for the first time ever ... wearing high heels.”
See also:
“Those white socks were very nice. The orange (Denver Broncos cap) and the red (T-shirt/ tablecloth) clashed quite drastically.”
“If Rob Vanstone has a centre of gravity, he doesn’t know where it is.”
In keeping with the good cause, Jen was considerably more charitable.
“Save for a harsh limp and drops of sweat scaling down his face,” she said, “Rob Vanstone actually handled the task with relative grace.”
“Relative to what — a possum?” Dave wondered, reasonably.
At that point, I was not inclined to protest. After all, the lap was finished. Removing footwear has never felt so good.
It was a small sacrifice, indeed, considering the nature of the event.
As one who wrote last year’s Leader-post Christmas Cheer Fund stories, I marvel at the efforts of people who dedicate their lives to helping women and children escape abusive situations.
It happens more regularly than I could have imagined before I spoke to people involved with women’s shelters. The ugliest kind of abuse is, sadly, routine.
Hopefully, some steps toward progress were taken on Thursday.
Those steps, in my case, were very slow, ponderous and clumsy — and expensive, considering the cab ride necessitated by the untimeliest of flat tires — but every second of the discomfort was worthwhile.
Consider the fact that the event raised $19,425!
Now, if you will kindly excuse me, I have to soak what were once my feet.