On Friday, May 24th, downtown Peterborough will turn into a sea of red as dozens of people “Walk a Mile” in support of YWCA Peterborough Haliburton.
Nestled within that crowd will be Team Scotia, a crew that in the past decade has walked more than a few miles — while wearing high heels — for the non-profit organization.
“We’ve seen such a great need in our community for the support they provide and jumped on it right away,” says John D’Altoe, the branch manager for Scotiabank Kawartha Centre and captain of Team Scotia. “We are in a position that we can make a difference in people’s lives, so it is important to do so.”
A popular community event, “Walk A Mile In Their Shoes” takes participants from Confederation Park on a walk around downtown Peterborough with the goal of raising $20,000 in support of women, children, and gender-diverse people experiencing gender-based violence.
With the option to sign up individually or in a team, registered participants are given T-shirts and many often strut the mile in red high heels to literally embody the event’s title.
Before taking a four-year hiatus in 2020, the walk raised almost $1 million over its 11 years. D’Altoe guesses that Team Scotia has been participating since the year it was first held.
“It’s definitely something we’ve missed as a community,” says D’Altoe. “Unfortunately, COVID-19 took a lot of those community events away from us for a period of time and organizations had to shift gears and find different ways to fundraise.”
“However I think there’s so much excitement around this event, and the number of people who participate is fantastic. It’s just nice to be out and visible for the people that we’re trying to support and whose lives we’re trying to make a difference in.”
Between the two Peterborough Scotiabank branches and the teams at ScotiaMcLeod wealth management, the goal is to raise $2,500, with the financial institution promising to match all donations up to a maximum of $15,000. Team Scotia is already one-fifth of the way to their goal, with several weeks left to fundraise before the event.
“Having many people as part of our team in the community raises that awareness because they’re trying to get more donations and they’re talking to more people about it,” says D’Altoe, noting Team Scotia might consider sending a challenge to another financial institution.
“Hopefully other businesses in the community will raise that awareness to their teams about how they can make a difference at home,” he adds. “We’re hoping to make a good impact in the community and support the YWCA with that.”
This year, the event’s name has been changed from “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes” to “Walk A Mile In Their Shoes” with the intent of being more inclusive, while also hoping to encourage more men to participate in the walk.
“Through COVID-19, it’s even more prevalent the abuse that individuals are taking, whether it’s women, children, or gender-diverse individuals,” D’Altoe says. “And by standing up and showing support for these individuals, we’re showing that people care and that’s the important thing.”
As active community members, Scotiabank staff swap their heels for an exercise bike every year when participating in the SunLife Ride to Defeat Diabetes event in support of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) — another event they have been participating in for more than a decade.
“Allyship is a key priority for us and so is welcoming different perspectives, ideas, listening and engaging thoughtfully,” D’Altoe says. “It’s just part of our everyday lives at Scotiabank. We make a commitment to take meaningful action, so anytime we can take an active role in making a difference in other people’s lives, that’s part of it.”
While donors can sponsor individual participants or a team, all funds raised for “Walk A Mile” will go towards YWCA’s Journey of Care, a term encompassing all the signature programs and services offered by the organization for those fleeing gender-based violence, from the Crossroads Shelter to the START program and everything in between.
“The way the community has embraced this event speaks volumes to the city that we work and live in,” D’Altoe adds.
On event day, D’Altoe will take to the streets of Peterborough — hopefully with a realized goal of $2,500 — to walk alongside other members of his team and the community in support of the YWCA, while at the same time doing his best to walk in red high heels.
“The only time I wear them is during the walk,” says D’Altoe, pointing out it’s been a few years since he’s walked in high heels. “I haven’t mastered them and I’m probably out of shape when it comes to that, so my feet will hurt immensely once we’re done.”
While many participants choose to walk in red high heels as a symbol of their support for women experiencing gender-based violence, the footwear is entirely optional, although wearing red shoes is encouraged. That said, high-heeled red shoes will be available to participants on a first-come, first-served basis and can be picked up the week before the event along with T-shirts.
D’Altoe still has a few weeks to master the art of high-heel walking, and donors have a few weeks to make their donations to Team Scotia or to register their own team at walkamilepeterborough.com.
kawarthaNOW is proud to be a media sponsor of Walk A Mile In Their Shoes.
