Local men strutted their stuff in red high heels to raise funds and awareness for domestic violence.
The Dr. Margaret Savage Crisis Centre (DMSCC) held their third annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes on Friday, March 1, during the Bonnyville Jr. A Pontiacs game.
This year, the event raised over $5,200 for the DMSCC Bonnyville community outreach program.
Walk a Mile in Her Shoes is a national movement bringing to light the difficult topic of intimate partner violence.
“I think people are really afraid to talk about it,” noted Susan White, executive director for the DMSCC. “If we don’t talk about it, then people end up staying in situations that they shouldn’t be staying in because they don’t know they can reach out, or they don’t know that it’s acceptable to talk about it, or who to talk about it with.”
During the game, men walked through the crowd wearing red heels, or decked out in red, asking for donations.
After the money was tallied, the participant who collected the most was presented the Walk a Mile in Her Shoes top fundraiser award. With over $2,600 raised during and before the event, it was Bonnyville Regional Fire Authority (BRFA) chief Jay Melvin who walked away with the honour.
In total, nine men from the community donned red heels for the cause.
Cindy Yang, resource development coordinator for the DMSCC, noted they appreciate having men in public positions, such as law enforcement and town council members, take part.
“They’re the members of the community that people see out and about every single day... to be able to have that conversation, to show these men in a silly way, will break those barriers and start that conversations about how these men are offering all their support, and it gets the message across,” she explained.
Among the participants was Town of Bonnyville Mayor Gene Sobolewski, who thought a little bit of discomfort was nothing compared to what victims of domestic violence experience.
“It was very uncomfortable, and it was something that my legs and feet aren’t used to. But, it’s a small price to pay considering the topic we’re looking at and the work that the crisis centre does.”
The DMSCC chose a Pontiacs game to reach a demographic they don’t normally see, and White described the organization as “amazingly supportive” since they’ve teamed up.
Head coach Rick Swan jumped at the opportunity.
“I was a policeman for 26 years, and I’ve dealt with a lot of those situations from a criminal side of it. At the time I was going through, it was never really given the importance that it is now and it’s something that we’ve all got to stand up to,” he expressed. “We’ve got to respect the fact that we all have to say no to violence against women, and violence in general.”
To show their support, players sported red skate laces during the game.
White said, “The whole point is ‘walk a mile in my shoes before you make a decision.’ I think the hockey players are natural born leaders. They’re looked up to by others, and talking to men and boys that are true leaders are what’s going to make a difference in intimate partner violence.”
