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These heels were made for walking

Third annual Walk A Mile in Her Shoes event raises more than $7,000

For the third consecutive year, the red high heels took over downtown Squamish.

Men of all shapes and sizes marched through the downtown core, even making a detour at the Farmers' Market, to show their support for efforts to prevent violence toward women.

Event organizer Shannon Cooley-Herdman of the Howe Sound Women's Centre (HSWC) said she was pleased with the show of support, both from the men taking part and from the community.

"There's something really powerful about a group of men standing up to say they care," she said. "We applaud the guys in the community of Ó£ÌÒÊÓƵwho took part. They're fabulous."

She said 41 men took to the streets and helped raise more than $7,000 for the cause. But she admitted that some of the men did lack a little bit of grace in their stride.

"Some of them were laughing -they weren't exactly embarrassed but they did it anyways," she said. "Who knows if it was the shoes themselves or just doing it publicly that was the toughest part, but they all had guts and did the right thing for women in our community."

Last year's event drew 31 men and Cooley-Herdman said moving the date from August to September may account for the upswing in participation.

"Attendance grew a bit this year and I think every year it's becoming a little more well known," she said. "The first year, I think, exceeded our expectations and last year was a little more quiet. But this year we rebounded and it was everything we hoped for and more.

"We thought we'd try September this year to see if that was a better time for people to participate and I think we'll probably stick to September for next year."

The initiative will move up the Sea to Sky Highway on Saturday (Sept. 24), when Walk A Mile in Her Shoes makes its second appearance in Whistler. For more information on the event and the HSWC, visit www.hswc.ca.

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