Calgarians displayed their support in the effort to combat domestic violence on Sunday.
Hundreds of people put their best foot forward for the 14th annual YW Walk A Mile in Her Shoes fundraising event, including members of the Calgary Police Service.
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The lighthearted event has participants walk in high heels in an effort to bring attention to the serious issue of domestic violence.
The YW said domestic violence has been steadily rising in Calgary, with police responding to more than 3,000 domestic violence calls in 2017.
“We know that domestic violence lives in the shadows,” YW Calgary CEO Sue Tomney said. “It’s an issue that most people don’t know about, and so this is one way to shed light on violence and put a stop to it in Calgary.”
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Dwayne Dubois was the top individual fundraiser with $7,220, while Heels for the Hub was the top fundraising team, bringing in $14,150.
The event was held at the Southcentre Mall for the first time in hopes of getting more people involved.
“We know that this is a family issue. It affects not just women, it affects their children, it affects the entire family unit so we thought what better way than to be at Southcentre Mall, where there are families?” Tomeny said.
As of Monday morning, the event had raised $89,055 towards its goal of $250,000. The money goes towards providing women and families with access to programs and other resources.