The old saying “You can’t really understand another person’s experience until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes”, nicely sums up the now international fundraising and awareness movement which started in 2001 in California.
“Violence against women does not just affect women,” says Walk founder Frank Baird. “Men are hurt and angered when women they care about are raped. Men are hurt and angered when they try to develop relationships with women in an atmosphere of fear and mistrust and blame. And the same violence that targets women also targets men because rape isn’t about sex, its about power, control and violence.”
What started out as a small group of men daring to totter around a park has grown to become a world-wide 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.
Local fellas can get involved by participating as individuals or putting together a team. The goal is to get pledges, and stand up together to send the message that men stand up against violence against women. But it all starts with the shoes. And so, there will be a shoe collection table set up at the Cape Breton Farmer’s Market, 340 Keltic Drive on Saturday, May 10 from 8:30am-12:30pm.
Walk A Mile in Her Shoes is scheduled for Saturday, June 21 at Victoria Park in Sydney.
Transition House Foundation was formed in February 1986. The Foundation has a volunteer board and a part-time office manager. The mandate of the Foundation is to raise money to support projects and programs of Cape Breton Transition House (a safe haven for abused women and their children), to acquire money or furnishings and goods for use in Cape Breton Transition House and to conduct public education projects.
