Heels not required to Walk a Mile
To Walk a Mile in Her Shoes this year, you can wear any shoes you want.
They don’t have to be heels and they don’t have to be red either.
Organizers of the YWCA’s Trent Valley Honda Walk a Mile in Her Shoes don’t care what you have on your feet, because that’s not what it’s really about.
“It’s about what you’re making possible for women and children,” said Jen Cureton, YWCA director of philanthropy and communications, during the event launch at Trent Valley Honda Wednesday.
Walk a Mile is a fundraiser for the YWCA Crossroads Shelter, which provides safe nights’ sleep for women and children fleeing abuse.
In previous years, the event was a way for men to show their support, by donning red pumps and walking a mile in the downtown core.
Two years ago, the YWCA opened the walk to women – and this year, organizers gave the green light to ditch the high heels.
“We’ve had lots of people participate who’ve done it once and never come back. Walking in downtown Peterborough on the road is a hard job in the heels,” said Cureton.
Initially, the heels were symbolic. The short period of pain men felt during their brief jaunt downtown was a snippet of the pain and fear women and children in the community experience every day at home.
But the world has evolved since the first walk in Peterborough in 2009.
“Our issue is no longer in the shadows, so we want everybody to feel like they have a way to participate and make a difference right here in our local community about something that’s going on all around the world,” said Cureton.
The 10th annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes is happening May 25. Participants will meet at Confederation Park at 11 a.m. and the walk starts at noon.
Heels will still be available through the YWCA and participants can sport them if they chose, but the focus this year is on “safe nights.”
Every safe nights’ sleep for a woman or child at Crossroads costs $45.96 – that’s above and beyond the government’s support.
For a woman and child fleeing abuse, one night in a safe place can make a huge difference in their lives, Cureton said.
“You can imagine the difference that one night when you’re not afraid can make in your ability to even imagine what a new life might look like for you.”
The minimum pledge to participate is the cost of one safe night ($45.96). That gets the walker a reusable water bottle, a free lunch and the option to wear the YWCA’s red pumps.
In honour of the walk’s 10th anniversary, every participant who raises funding to cover 10 safe nights ($456.96) will be entered into a draw for one of two prizes. Leon’s has donated two outdoor chaise lounge chairs valued at $1,200 and Primal Cuts is offering a $1,000 gift certificate.
To register, go to www. walkamilepeterborough.com