Walk a Mile in Her Shoes

Each fall the YWCA hosts the "Walk a Mile in Her Shoes" fundraiser to raise awareness for domestic violence. Men who've registered to participate strap on their enormous heels and walk a mile in a show of solidarity and support. As part of my student council I brought our school's first teams to the event two years in a row, managing everything from registration to transportation.

Each year my hometown's YWCA hosts an event called "Walk a Mile in Her Shoes" to raise awareness of and funds to end domestic violence. Men enter as individuals or as teams to raise money for the YWCA and then strap on some manly sized high heels and walk a mile around one of the downtown parks.

I brought the event to our school's student council and orchestrated all of the behind the scenes to get a team to the event. Our high school was the first in the city to send a team. In order to get the lads there my job included:

  • Coordinating our school's participation with the event lead at the YWCA
  • Organizing transportation and permission forms with school administration
  • Announcing and raising awareness of our participation in the event at school assemblies
  • Recruiting gents to take on the challenge and walk at the event
  • Raising money to support our team's entry

Our first year we had 4 brave guys come and walk the walk. The next year our team size doubled. In our second year I also extended a challenge to any ladies who wanted to raise money for the cause and attend the event as supporters.

The day of the event was always exciting. From fitting the guys in their comically large heels to meeting them at the finish, I was beaming with pride at the boys' bravery and sportsmanship.

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Learning Significance

  1. Pitching, planning, and being accountable for this event was an exercise in my organization, communication, and management skills. The number of people I coordinated with and the amount of administrative work needed to get the guys to the event during school hours was exhausting, not to mention getting guys excited about walking around in public wearing women's heels. Getting this event off the ground took a lot of convincing and leg work, but to participate in an event this unique for such an important cause it was well worth the effort.