If enough men click their ruby heels together, can Chatham-Kent put an end to domestic violence?
The 10th Annual Walk a Mile In Her Shoes event is taking place this Sunday starting at 11:30am in front of the Downtown Chatham Centre.
100% of the money raised from the event goes to the Chatham-Kent Women’s Centre to raise awareness about domestic violence.
Karen Hunter, executive director of the Chatham-Kent Women’s Centre, says close to $20,000 was raised last year. She hopes to surpass that goal on Sunday.
"It's going to be a fabulous event. We have a lot of great prizes," she says. "We're expecting a lot of great gentlemen coming out and donning those red heels."
Hunter expects around 100 men at the event.
She says men who haven't registered yet, but still want to participate can show up Sunday morning to register. People can also register online.
If you want to be eligible for the prize draws, just bring $25 and put on a pair of heels.
Chatham-Kent Police Service Chief Gary Conn says domestic violence is a very serious issue in Chatham-Kent.
"I would like to believe that we are making a difference, although the stats may suggest otherwise. Just last year alone, we responded to close to 1,900 domestic violence-related incidents," he explains."Clearly more needs to be done."
Conn says 314 charges were laid as a result of those incidents.
He says the Chatham-Kent Women’s Centre does so much for the community.
"We truly believe in the services that they provide. All police officers, right from their initial training at the Ontario police college, they receive training in regards to domestic violence investigations," he says.