When Dany walked into the room, the first thing that he did was to thank our team even though we were there because he chose to support YW. You see, this year’s YW WALK A MILE IN HER SHOES® event marks Dany’s fifth year of throwing on a pair of high heels, rallying support from his community and marching along Stephen Avenue in support of women and children fleeing domestic abuse. Dany has shown up for the most vulnerable in our community year-after-year because he truly believes in the work that happens at YW. Really, it was us that should have been thanking him.
Dany enlisted our support to help him encourage more women and men from his workplace to participate in this year’s event. He wanted to do something fun and engaging that would inspire his co-workers into throwing on a pair of heels to support women and children in Calgary.
Dany was first inspired to participate by some advertising he saw in Calgary. He thought the event was a fun and engaging way to raise money for an issue that impacts too many Calgary families. Dany immediately went to work on fundraising and encouraging others to participate. Despite stumbling a little through the first walk (and maybe needing a shoulder or two to learn on) Dany was hooked and more committed than ever to show up for his community.
Domestic violence incidents continue to rise in Calgary with Calgary Police responding to more than 18,500 domestic conflict calls last year. Domestic abuse can happen to anyone. It has nothing to do with economics, race, culture or education. When asked why he comes back year after year, Dany talks about the statistics and how serious of an issue domestic abuse continues to be in our city. He walks each year because he wants to do his part in helping women and children escape domestic abuse and it’s a fun way to support a local organization.
One of Dany’s favorite memories from his years of walking is when he was instructed to do a pre-walk stretch in his high heels. Picture it now, more than a hundred women and men donning high heels, feeling a little wobbly in a space that packs them shoulder-to-shoulder doing calf raises and quad stretches, sounds exciting right? Well, it was for Dany and it was that same energy and excitement that motivates him to recruit more and more people to participate each year which is why we created a recruitment video to support his hard work!
It’s people like Dany that enable YW to provide the critical support to vulnerable women and their children. The belief of our donors, volunteers and supports in the work that we do helps create a safer community. Their desire to see women thrive empowers us.
It’s not to late to join YW WALK A MILE IN HER SHOES®, click here to donate or click here to register.
