14 Red Deer Express
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
SHOWING SUPPORT – The line of red heels was immense as participants made their way back to the starting line.
Strutting their stuff for a cause
PPhotos Ph h and story by Jenna Swan/Red Deer Express
P SUPER SUPPORTER – Sheldon Spackman of the KG Country/ ZED 98.9 team showed his super powers and walked a mile in taped on red pumps.
TERRIFIC TOES Vinnie Taylor from 100.7 The River team dawned a pair of black open-toed sling back shoes during the walk, complete with perfectly painted pink toe nails.
FABULOUS – Former Mayor Morris Flewwelling wore his kilt and having participated in the walk many times before he came prepared with a pair of socks to protect his feet.
MAN DOWN - Jamie Worthington from the BIG 105.5 team struggled to stay on his toes during the walk, despite taping his shoes.
articipants of the third annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event gathered in front of the Women’s Outreach Centre last Thursday to raise funds to support the end of violence against women. More than 150 men brought their shiniest high-heeled shoes tto strut the mile-long trek alongside Taylor Dr. Along with their pumps and wedges the men also brought p pledges stating how much money they had individually acq quired through sponsors and donations. More than $38,000 was raised at the event and will be goiing towards supporting 16 different programs and services offfered through the Women’s Outreach Centre. Darcy Ouellet, fund development officer for the Women’s O Outreach Centre and the man behind the Walk a Mile event ssaid he, “Was astounded to see Central Alberta come together tto support the cause. The support we received was amazing a and we wouldn’t have been able to do it without our sponsors.” The largest donation came from the CWC Well Services tteam totaling more than $13,000. The 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 remediation to men’s violence against women. Among those walking was RCMP Const. Ryan Edwards who described his walk by saying, “Pepper spray wasn’t this bad.” His blistered, bruised and cut up feet were among the many who were certain to need Band-Aids on their wounds the next day. The walk was started in the U.S. in 2001 by Frank Baird and modeled after the saying “You can’t understand another persons experience until you’ve walked a mile their shoes.” The men who took part in the event did just that, as they walked a mile in the shoes millions of women wear worldwide every day. What began as small group of men daring to walk the mile has since grown to become an international movement with tens of thousands of men raising millions of dollars for local rape crisis centres, domestic violence shelters and other sexualized violence education, prevention and remediation programs. jswan@reddeerexpress.com