Graig MantleThe Sexual Assault Recovery and Prevention Center (SARP) held its fifth annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event on Saturday, drawing the largest crowd in its history.
The event, which began at noon in Mitchell Park, challenged men to walk a mile in high heeled shoes to help inform the public about sexual assault.
“It’s a really fun way to raise awareness about a serious issue,” said Amber Kennedy, the fund development coordinator for SARP.
Over 150 people turned out to walk around downtown streets wearing heels and carrying signs with slogans like “put yourself in her shoes,” and “men against rape.” Men wore everything from black stiletto heels to brightly colored flip-flops and walked beside their families to show their support for SARP’s cause.
Participants were encouraged to bring their family and friends to join them on the walk.
“The public needs to know that rape still happens,” said walk participant Ron Waltman, who is also a sexual assault detective for the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Department.
Waltman said that he served on the SARP board of directors last year and has been walking in this event for three years now.
“We want to get the word out about this and encourage people to focus their time on preventing it,” Waltman said.
This year SARP added a new aspect to their event by incorporating an awareness fair that featured booths from many related organizations in the community.
“There are 10 agencies from the community: social service groups, health care and violence prevention agencies are all here,” Kennedy said.
At the heart of the event are the shoes the men wear, and SARP provides a wide selection for men to use if they do not bring their own. In addition, SARP members offered to paint participants’ toe nails to enhance the overall experience.
Participants had the option of walking as an individual or in a group, and several San Luis Obispo agencies put together large teams for the event. Among them were the University Police Department, San Luis Obispo Police Department and Victim Witness, which is a group sponsored by the District Attorney’s office.
All of the money raised through the event goes to SARP’s 24-hour rape crisis line, counseling sessions and sending members into the community to run prevention programs.
Although Walk a Mile in Her Shoes has only been held in San Luis Obispo for five years, it is a nationwide effort that has been going on for much longer.