The second now-annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes fundraiser is set to take place on Aug. 31, leaving just a few days for participants to collect pledges and get involved.
The event is an international men's march, dedicated to "standing up against violence against women and girls," according to executive director of the local women's shelter, Noreen Cotton. Men have already been collecting pledges and they will put on high heel shoes on Friday, walking together in a fun, yet meaningful way.
Proceeds from this year's Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event will go toward new playground equipment for the St. Paul shelter.
This year's event will being at the Clancy Richard Arena. Registration is set for 5 p.m. and the walk will begin at 6:50 p.m. Participants are asked to arrive early in order to be fitted for their high heel shoes.
Last year's inaugural event 22 men took part in the event, walking from the UFO landing pad to the RCMP detachment and back - many wearing red high heel shoes.
"The awareness was great because it is such a fun event and the men are such good sports," says Cotton, adding, it is an event that people remember.
According to the Walk a Mile in Her Shoes website, the event is an "international men's march to stop rape, sexual assault and gender violence. A Walk a Mile in Her Shoes Event is a playful opportunity for men to raise awareness in their community about the serious causes, effects and remediations to men's sexualized violence against women."
Seeing men walk in women's shoes gets people talking and offers a fun way to get the community involved and talking about something that is often hard to talk about - gender relations and men's sexualized violence against women.
"It's critical to open communication about sexualized violence," reads the website. "While hidden away, sexualized violence is immune to cure. Unfortunately, it's difficult to get people talking. People unfamiliar with men's sexualized violence against women don't want to know it exists. It's ugly. People that have experienced sexualized violence themselves want to forget about it."
Anyone interested in registering for the event can contact Sylvia or Lorea at (780) 645-5132.