The results from Hope in High Heels are giving a lot of hope.
Like a lot of local events, the annual Halton Women’s Place fundraiser had to be held virtually this year, due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The Manager of Development and Communications, Carm Bozzo, says that didn’t stop people from raising funds.
She adds that about 126 registered participants helped raise the hundreds of thousands of dollars for the women’s shelter. The virtual aspect allowed for people from outside of Halton to take part. Bozzo says they had residents in Toronto and across the GTA raising funds and walking to show their support in ending violence against women.
She also says the response on social media hasn’t stopped just yet.
Some of the feedback that she received from participants was how happy they were being able to start the conversation with their friends, family, and even coworkers as they went for their walks. She says the virtual ‘DIY’ aspect allowed for people to do longer distances, and therefore open up about why they were taking part. She says sparking that conversation is a key aspect for Halton Women’s Place.
There were several local and vocal participants that took part this year, including Regional Councillor for Ward 3, Mike Cluett, dying his beard pink in support of the cause:
Day one of #HopeInHighHeels this week … and yes the beard is pink! You can join me in supporting @HaltonWomensPl this week. Register at https://t.co/m9mGTbM35T & donate. C'mon men let's be part of the solution and #EndVAW #MiltonON pic.twitter.com/MMlWQSspFa
— Mike Cluett (@Mike_Cluett) September 21, 2020
Nine-year old Milton resident Raheem Chaudhry also took part in his third year of the event.
Bozzo says that kind of support shows that the energy to fight women abuse is still there, even during a pandemic.
The goal right now is to have an in-person event next year, pandemic pending. Bozzo says it’s possible that there may be a virtual component moving forward because they saw the value in getting people outside of the community helping out.
November is Women Abuse Prevention month. There will be a flag raising and events, but the main focus will be ‘purple’ items that are being sold to raise funds for the shelter. Bozzo says they will have purple masks, socks, dog bandanas, whistles, and more. More will be known about that soon as we get closer to November, but until then, you can go to their website to see how else you can show your support.
