High heels help YWCA
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 25/05/2012 (5006 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Smiling through the pain, more than 100 men walked through The Town Centre in red high heels Thursday during the YWCA’s Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event.
The walk raised funds and awareness to help eliminate family violence in Westman through several YWCA programs.
“The men walking had a great time,” said Karen Peto, executive director of YWCA Brandon. “It is a fun, light-hearted event even though they are there to give support to people going through hard times.”
The YWCA had not finished counting the money raised, but Peto said the organization is confident that it will total more than $15,000.
Thursday’s walk was the second annual event and it included individual walkers as well as teams.
“It was a lot of fun,” said Jock Moes, from the Assiniboine Community College team. “I have a renewed appreciation for what women do every day.”
The ACC team had 10 participants put on heels and parade through The Town Centre.
At the event there were 104 pairs of shoes donated by Canadian women. The shoes represent the average number of women who die because of family violence in Canada each year.
Some shoes of note included a pair of runners from Olympic hockey player Hayley Wickenheiser, heels from designer Debbie Travis and even a pair from Brandon singer Amanda Stott.
Peto said that many of the facts related to violence in families are shocking, but “we do our best to help women and children in Westman understand they are not alone.”
According to the YWCA, domestic violence is the single largest women’s health issues in Canada, with more reported cases than heart attacks and strokes.
It is a worthwhile cause and the pain is just minor, Moes said after taking part for his first time. It is something that he plans to do again.
Although there were many first-time walkers some teams were back for take two, including Rob Lussier with the Brandon Real Estate Board.
“It is such a worthy cause, we had to come back,” Lussier said. “I will absolutely be walking again next year.”
After the walk, participants received a barbecue lunch put on by Remington’s while the awards for the top fundraising individual and team were announced.
Westoba received the red heel trophy with a gold bow for being the team to raise the most pledge money, followed closely by Nickel Electric to receive the heel with a silver bow. Team member Len Nickel was also awarded for raising the highest amount individually.
“It was an awesome experience,” Nickel said. “Definitely something I can see our team doing again.”
All the money raised from the walk goes to YWCA Brandon to support its programs, including the women’s shelter, counselling and the 24-hour crisis line.
“Believing in these women and giving our support is the most important,” Peto said. “The shoes are symbolic, but the message is powerful.”
» mlane@brandonsun.com