Walk A Mile In Her Shoes Is Back For It’s 12th Year In Buffalo

Crisis Services has been helping victims of domestic and sexual violence for years now in Buffalo and are working hard every year to prevent it before it occurs.  Once again this year, they are bringing awareness to the cause with a one of a kind awareness walk.

I am proud to once again be a part of Crisis Services "Walk A Mile In Her Shoes" walk to help bring an end to domestic and sexual violence.

This international walk is meant to get people talking about sexual violence.  They are playing on the old phrase that says you can't really understand what a person is going through until you've walked a mile in their shoes.  So the walk actually consists of men symbolically walking a mile in high heel shoes.

I’ve actually emceed this event for the last 4 years and have taken part in the walk  myself.  I have to admit, it felt weird to do at first.  But as we walked I realized that it wasn’t about me.  We were walking for women who were abused and beaten.  We were walking for the dads out there who had to hear the words, “your daughter was raped”.  And as strange as it felt to be walking in front of other people wearing women’s shoes, it felt great  to be doing something that might help make the world a safer place.  It’s very humbling to walk even a mile in women’s shoes and very empowering for women at the same time.

If you’d like to join the walk here in Buffalo, you can register at Crisis Services.org .  It starts next Sunday April 30th at noon in front of Crisis Services at 2969 Main Street Buffalo.  All money raised will go directly to Crisis Services Advocate Program which is the State designated local rape crisis program.

It’s time for men to start realizing that rape and sexual violence isn’t just a problem for women.  If it’s going to end, we all have to take part in ending it.

Rape hurts all of us.

If you are a guy and you just read that and said that it doesn’t, take a second and think about how you would feel if the person raped was a good female friend of yours, your sister, your mother, or even your daughter.  It hurts to think about doesn’t it?  That’s what this walk is all about.

Join me.  I'd love to have you along.