The need is great: the walk was worth the pain

I learned a few things by wearing a pair of four-inch pink stilettos at Walk a Mile in Her Shoes this
past weekend at the Pen Centre. 
First, any man teetering so precariously on such footwear will garner a ton of attention. Quizzical
looks from surprised shoppers and hoots and hollers from retail employees were the order of the
day, as more than 150 of us paraded all around the shopping mall to raise awareness about gender-
based violence.  
Second, the tiles on the floor at the Pen Centre provide very little grip. Either I never noticed it
before, or it was not usually a factor in my standard, everyday footwear choice, a pair of New
Balance sneakers. In particular, navigating down the ramp beside the food court felt vastly more
dangerous than speeding on the Garden City Skyway.
Third, it’s fun to be a little taller than normal. At about 5’8” I’m actually quite tall for a man of Italian
heritage. As long as I’m not standing next to my 6’0” brother or my 6’3” son, I can sell that line to just
about anyone. The extra four inches of heels made me see things in a different way. I almost
wanted to bring the shoes home so I could toss out the kitchen step stool and instead don the
stilettos to reach the bowls on the top shelf. Purely to save space, of course.
And finally, stiletto shoes must have been invented first as torture devices. I would rank them
right up there with such medieval inventions as the thumbscrew or the rack. Or the rat cage
attached to a person’s abdomen, the most gruesome and horrifying form of torture that I once saw
in a Ripley’s Believe it or Not column, scarring me for life. 
Four days later, my shins and calves are still aching from the effort I expended trying to keep
from falling off those heels, but it was worth it. 
As an ambassador for Gillian’s Place, I, along with four other men, were tasked with generating
support for and awareness of the event. Judging by Saturday’s turnout of more than 150 walkers
and more than 35 teams, we must have collectively done a successful job. 
The excitement at the old Sears Court area of the mall was palpable, beginning at 9 a.m. just
before registration started. Local politicians, including regional chair Jim Bradley, St. Catharines
mayor Walter Sendzik, MPP Jennie Stevens and MPs Chris Bittle and Vance Badawey showed up to join the walk, although Bradley’s choice of fuzzy pink slippers was hardly as brave as my horrifyingly high heels. 
“Everybody worked so hard, and really came together to make this event a big success,” said
Gillian’s Place executive director Nicole Regehr while scoping out the large crowd. “We couldn’t be
happier to be back here at the Pen Centre after two years.”
Fellow ambassador Chris O’Connor set the bar high by collecting almost $6,000 to support
Gillian’s Place, the shelter for women and female-identifying people who are victims of violence and
abuse. Like myself, O’Connor said it wasn’t easy to walk in high heels, but agreed that completing
the uncomfortable trek was a very small sacrifice for such a great cause. 
That cause only became greater during the peak periods of the pandemic. Since March, 2020,
Gillian’s Place saw a 150 per cent increase in crisis calls, a 91 per cent rise in need across all of its
programs and services, and a 98 per cent increase in community outreach services. 
In the year ending March 31, 2022, 255 people stayed at the shelter, almost 10,000 calls were
answered by Gillian’s Place counsellors, 630 obtained legal advice and 400 attended counselling
appointments. 
This year’s goal for Walk a Mile in Her Shoes was set at $120,000, much-needed funds to help
support Gillian’s Place’s safe shelter and myriad of support services, including counselling, legal
advice, transitional housing support and child and youth programs. By the time the walk was over,
shortly after 12 noon, that goal had been reached. 
Nationally, half of all women in Canada have experienced at least one incident of physical or
sexual violence by the age of 16. And two-thirds of all Canadians know a woman who has
experienced physical, sexual or emotional abuse. 
These statistics are unfathomable and inexcusable. 
As an ambassador, I was able to use this platform, as well as my daily YourTV program The
Source, to draw attention to the cause. I wore the pink stilettos for a month on set, giving me a
chance to discuss Gillian’s Place and the walk with each of my guests. 
And as an ambassador, I signed the Men’s Pledge, promising to work actively to end men’s
gender-based violence and to work harder to reveal, know and overcome gender biases. Just like
walking a mile in those stilettos, it’s not easy work, but it is worthwhile and vital work. 
To anyone reading this who is a male or male-identifying individual, as the month of October
continues, I hope more of you will visit gilliansplace.com and sign the pledge yourself. And while you
are there, consider making a donation to the campaign to end gender based violence, which wraps
up on Oct. 31. 
Mike won’t ask for
donations, but The Local will on his behalf. He’s done so much for this community, and this is an
important cause he is supporting: https://bit.ly/3qIVR6u