Community members, advocates and staff with YWCA Peterborough Haliburton raised more than $38,000 during the organization’s annual Walk a Mile in Their Shoes fundraiser in downtown Peterborough.
The May 22 event brought together supporters at Confederation Park to raise awareness about gender-based violence and support women, children and gender-diverse individuals escaping abusive situations.
Organizers say this year’s fundraiser generated $38,341.71 for the organization’s programs and services, including its HER Journey of Care model, which provides emergency shelter, counselling, court support and recovery services for survivors of violence.
Participants gathered from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. under the event theme “Stepping Up. Speaking Out. And Standing Together.”
The event opened with remarks from several community leaders, including Emma Harrison, Otonabee-South Monaghan Deputy Mayor and Warden Bonnie Clark, Stuart Betts and YWCA executive director Kim Dolan.
Walkers then marched through the downtown core wearing everything from running shoes and high heels to inflatable costumes, while chanting messages supporting survivors and calling for an end to violence against women.
Tina Thornton, director of philanthropy with the YWCA, said the event serves both as a public education campaign and a celebration of survivors rebuilding their lives.
She said escaping an abusive situation often requires enormous courage and support, adding that the fundraiser helps demonstrate the community’s role in helping survivors access safety, healing and independence.
Thornton added that continued public support remains essential as demand for gender-based violence services continues to grow across the region.
