Westminster College Business Students to Walk Mile in Her Shoes
NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. – Westminster College Sports Management students will host a virtual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event from April 11 to May 8 to support the Crisis Shelter of Lawrence County (CSLC) and call for an end to sexual assault and violence.
Students in the Sports and Event Planning and Management capstone course have teamed up with Walk a Mile in Her Shoes, an international campaign encouraging men to walk one mile in women’s high-heeled shoes as a symbol of standing up against sexual assault violence.
“They say you can’t really understand another person’s experience until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes,” said Ben Romah, a junior sports management major from Coraopolis, Pa., who added that the timing of the event coincides with April’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month. “We want to educate the community about domestic violence, sexual assault and other forms of gender violence. These issues will not subside until they are brought to attention.”
This is the second Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event hosted by Westminster students. An in-person walk was held in 2018 and last year’s was canceled due to COVID-19. This year, the prevention, awareness and fundraising event is being held virtually.
This year, participants can register online and walk their mile whenever and wherever they prefer: their treadmills, their yards, their neighborhoods or their towns. The walk is open to people of all ages.
Proceeds from the registration fee will benefit the CSLC, a local organization committed to providing leadership initiatives to help ending physical, sexual and emotional violence.
In an effort to raise additional funds for the CSLC, students are also selling 12-month calendars showcasing photos of Westminster’s male faculty, staff and students—including representatives of various sports teams and student organizations — wearing the iconic red high heels associated with the international Walk a Mile in Her Shoes.
Registration for the walk is $15 and includes a race T-shirt and a digital race bib. The calendars are available for $5. All proceeds benefit the CSLC.
To register for the walk, visit RunSignUp.com, click on the “Find a Race” icon and search for Westminster College. Once registered and after receiving a confirmation email, return to the race registration page to download a race bib. Participants are asked to take pictures of their walks and post to the official Twitter account @WCwalkamile using #WCwalkamile2021.
For more information about the event, contact Dr. Robert Zullo, associate professor and coordinator of the sports management program, at zullorh@westminster.edu.
Pictured at top: Westminster College baseball players prepare to participate in the spring 2020 Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event before it was canceled due to COVID-19.
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