In upcoming weeks it probably won’t be unusual to see men or boys checking out women’s high-heels, pumps and slippers on store racks in search of the perfect shoe to wear in the fifth-annual Walk A Mile in Her Shoes event in Bradford.
The event will begin with entertainment at 5:30 p.m. April 12 in Veterans Square followed by the march of participants at 6 p.m. on Main Street.
The goal of the international event is to stop rape, sexual assault and gender violence through participants marching in women’s shoes. The march not only increases awareness and starts conversations about sexual assault, but also raises funds through donations and pledges collected by participants. The funds are then given to the YWCA’s Victims’ Resource Center (VRC.)
Vanessa Castano, executive director of the YWCA, said participants will notice a few changes with this year’s event.
“In past years, they received T-shirts if they received $20 in pledges,” Castano said of participants. “This year, for every $20 in pledges they receive, their names will be entered into a drawing to win a $50 Chamber of Commerce gift certificate.”
She said this will fall in line with a change in the T-shirt attire.
“Instead of (handing out) T-shirts at the event, we’re asking people to decorate T-shirts” to wear during the walk, Castano said. “If it’s an individual or a team and they want to have a theme, we absolutely encourage that. We’re also encouraging (participants) to express themselves through the T-shirt design” as a trophy will be awarded for the best T-shirt designs.
She said the event will also provide a trophy for the best shoes worn in the march.
“Any additional accessories will distract from those T-shirts and shoes, so we’re hoping people will express themselves through their T-shirts and shoes,” she advised.
Trophies will also be awarded to the largest team and for the YW role model canister that collects the largest amount of money. She said role models in the community, such as Bradford City Police Chief Chris Lucco and Bradford City Fire Chief Eric Taylor, will set out canisters in the community to collect donations for the event.
Heather Schultz-Piche, program director for the VRC, said other role models who will place canisters in town include Nathan Lawyer, a University of Pittsburgh at Bradford student and YW intern; Peyton Manion, a student at Bradford Area High School; Danny Marasco, a student at St. Bernard School; Doug Bay, a safety field representative in the oil and gas industry; Ryan Race, a bank manager at Northwest Bank; and Rev. Leo Gallina, a retired priest from St. Bernard Church.
“Last year, it was kind of an off-the-cuff idea,” Schultz-Piche said of the role model canisters. She said Lucco, who obtained the most canister money last year, won the 2017 contest. Schultz-Piche said all methods of collecting money are welcome, as the funds will benefit the VRC and enhance the Sexual Assault program services.
“Sometimes there are things that come up that the participants need,” she said of how the money is used for the Sexual Assault program. “This is unrestricted money that we can use in anyway to support victims of sexual violence. But the grant dollars we receive can only be used for certain things.”
On a final note, Castano said concessions will not be sold or provided at the event, and therefore participants are encouraged to patronize downtown businesses before or after the event.
For more information on the march, or to request registration forms, contact Shelly at the YW at 368-4235. Updates on the event can also be found on Facebook for the YWCA or at www.ywcabradford.org.
