Now in its twelfth year, the Waterloo Region Walk A Mile In Her Shoes campaign is remaining virtual, but expanding its reach.
YWCA Cambridge, the host of the annual advocacy and fundraising campaign, has partnered with YW Kitchener-Waterloo to launch the event this year in order to help its sister organization raise awareness of the impact of gender-based violence on their service users with people connected to their organization.
“We have the infrastructure and the tools to run this campaign,” said Kim Decker, YWCA Cambridge CEO. “It’s well-documented that gender-based violence rates are sky rocketing and at the same time, nonprofit agencies like us have been stretched beyond their capacity as we try to meet all the needs of our communities.
“For this reason, we’ve decided to partner with YW Kitchener-Waterloo, so we can broaden the reach of this urgent problem and also help our sister agency raise funds that they need as much as we do.”
This year’s walk will take place over the weekend of October 16-17. In order to ensure the health and well-being of all participants, and ensure Public Health guidelines are met, participants are asked to gather in smaller groups with family, friends and colleagues, rather than at a larger in-person event as in previous years. Folks interested in participating can register to walk, run or roll as individuals or as teams and raise funds for their chosen YWCA agency while exploring the beautiful trail systems and streets that connect the Tri-Cities.
On Walk Weekend, trail markers will be added to multiple trail systems throughout the Region and walkers are encouraged to share a photo of themselves alongside these markers on social media, tagging YWCA Cambridge and YWKW and using the hashtag #WAM2021. All publically shared posts will count as an entry to win event prizing.
The trails and city sites included in the walk route will include The Grand Trunk Trail and Mill Race Park in Cambridge, and The Walter Bean Trail in Kitchener/Waterloo. The funds raised from the walk will support the YWCAs in responding to the increased needs of women, girls and gender diverse individuals through youth and women’s programming and shelter services, as well as support their violence prevention programming.
Walk a Mile In Her Shoes is generously supported by Presenting Partner Meridian Credit Union.
To learn more about the event and register to walk, visit walkamile.crowdchange.ca
For more information: Caroline Barker, Director of Philanthropy, c.barker@ywcacambridge.ca
