After a four-year absence, YWCA Peterborough Haliburton is bringing back its popular spring “Walk A Mile” fundraising event with a more inclusive name but the same focus.
YWCA Peterborough Haliburton is asking community members to help support women and children recovering from gender-based violence and, ultimately, to “Walk A Mile In Their Shoes.”
Originally called “Walk A Mile In Her Shoes,” the popular community event ran for 11 years and raised almost $1 million for YWCA programs and services for women and children before the organization announced in 2020 that it was ending the event, in part due to the pandemic.
On Tuesday (April 9), YWCA Peterborough Haliburton announced the event would return to downtown Peterborough on Friday, May 24 with a slightly different name, and that registration was now open.
“Walk A Mile In Their Shoes is an opportunity for the community to not only come together to support an amazing cause, but also to come together as neighbours and citizens to enjoy time together in our downtown core,” Tina Thornton, director of philanthropy for YWCA Peterborough Haliburton, told kawarthaNOW.
“This has been a staple event in this community since 2009 — people know it, they love it, and they come to it just because it’s Walk A Mile.”
To take part, walkers typically don red shoes, team up with family, friends or colleagues, and join the YWCA at Confederation Square for a walk around downtown Peterborough. On May 24, check-in for participants starts at 11 a.m. and the walk begins at noon.
People can sign up as a solo walker or with a team, and the YWCA is encouraging groups and businesses to challenge others to a fundraising contest.
Thornton said the event also provides an important opportunity for men to get involved in advocating for women and children who have experienced violence.
“We know that in order to bring an end to gender-based violence, which is part of the vision of the future held by the entire YWCA movement, we will need men and boys to walk along with us and raise their voices,” she said.
Registration for the event is $40 for a limited time “early bird” rate. The fee includes lunch at the event, a custom water bottle, and a T-shirt in the preferred size for each participant.
Thornton said that, in addition to raising much-needed funds, the best possible outcome for this year’s event would be increased awareness of gender-based violence in the community and the programs and services YWCA provides to women and children.
“We are really seeing the Walk A Mile In Their Shoes event as an opportunity for advocacy about the issue of gender-based violence, opening people’s eyes to the fact that it’s happening right here in our community, and encouraging them to literally walk in someone else’s shoes for a short time,” Thornton explained.
“It’s also a chance for the YWCA to build awareness about our programs and services within a broader population than those who may already know about us. So for us, the best possible outcome would be that more people in our community are familiar with the YWCA, what we do, and the fact that we are much more than a women’s shelter. And of course, we hope to raise as much as possible, with the help of our amazing participants, in much-needed funding to support the women and children we serve every day.”
All ages, genders, and abilities are welcome to participate in the event, and the walking route will accommodate accessibility and mobility devices.
To register or sponsor a participant by making a donation, visit the website at walkamilepeterborough.com.
Proceeds from Walk A Mile In Their Shoes will support what the YWCA calls its “journey of care,” which encompasses each of the signature programs and services offered to the women, children, and gender-diverse people it serves.
“From our Crossroads Shelter to our START Program and everything in between, your support ensures that a woman who is fleeing gender-based violence not only has a safe place to recover, but also the wrap-around healing programming she needs as she stands on her own, walking her path to the life of her choosing, free from fear and violence,” reads a media release.
YWCA Peterborough Haliburton provides safety, resources, and support to help women safely escape violent situations, build upon their existing strength, and move forward in their lives free from fear and violence. As a member of YWCA Canada, the organization is part of a global movement dedicated to ending gender-based violence in all its forms.
