YWCA Hawaii Island is hosting the seventh annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes fundraiser at 7:30 a.m. Saturday at the YWCA Ululani Street campus in Hilo.
YWCA Hawaii Island is hosting the seventh annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes fundraiser at 7:30 a.m. Saturday at the YWCA Ululani Street campus in Hilo.
The 1-mile march, which features men in heels, will be led by Hawaii County Prosecutor Mitch Roth, Hawaii Police Chief Paul Ferreira, Deputy Police Chief Kenneth Bugado and radio personality Darrin “DC” Carlson.
The walk aims to shed light on the prevalence of sex assault and raise $25,000 for the YWCA’s Sexual Assault Support Services program.
SASS provides a 24/7 sex assault crisis hotline, a medical forensic exam program and counseling support for survivors and their families. Services are free and offered islandwide.
“This year, with such heightened national attention on sexual assault, and people finally coming out of the shadows to report it, we hope our walk will galvanize support for survivors and awareness of the serious issues,” said Kathleen McGilvray, CEO of YWCA Hawaii Island.
In 2016, money raised through Walk a Mile helped SASS respond to 2,440 crisis calls from or on behalf of victims of sexual violence. The program opened 329 cases, provided 1,929 hours of therapy to 167 people and performed 47 forensic medical exams.
March participants should report to the kick-off site (145 Ululani St.) by 7:30 a.m. to register, select shoes and warm up for the walk. The walk begins at 8:30 a.m. followed by an awards ceremony at 9:30 a.m. Walkers can wear decorated shoes for the judges’ choice contest.
All participants must complete an entry form and submit a $25 registration fee. Participants with a minimum of $100 in pledges can register for free and all those with $150 in pledges receive a Walk a Mile T-shirt and registration.
Those interested in participating in the walk — individually or as a team — or being an event sponsor can call 935-7141, ext. 162, email Events@YWCAHawaiiIsland.org or visit YWCAHawaiiIsland.org.