Produced by Amy Simpson
Bankers Hall was filled with laughter on Sept. 20 as men stumbled about in bright coloured heels. They were getting ready to take part in the YWCA’s annual event, Walk a Mile in Her Shoes, and it was exactly what it sounds like.
To raise support for ending domestic violence, men squeezed on heels and walked all the way down Stephen Avenue to Olympic Plaza.
“The walk I find is actually easy, but it’s the standing around that really hurts cause all of your weight is on your toes,” Dave Passingham, a participant in the walk explained. “It hurts.” This was Passingman’s second year participating in the walk, and he ended up raising the second highest amount – $5,555.
Walk a Mile in Her Shoes is a fun event that does produce a lot of silliness, however, it is for a serious cause. Domestic violence affects many families and is quite prevalent in our city.
“In Calgary, unfortunately there are high levels of family violence and that’s really exacerbated this year because of the economy. It brings out some real strains on families that manifest themselves in family violence,” Sue Tomney, chief executive officer of the YWCA of Calgary said.
Fortunately, all the money fundraised from the event will be put towards services at the YWCA that offer help to those experiencing domestic violence. Each participant was expected to raise a minimum of $1,000. In the end, the YWCA of Calgary surpassed their goal of $200,000 and raised a total of $205,450.
The editor responsible for this article is Max Foley, mfoley@cjournal.ca.