GMercyU Walks a Mile in Her Shoes to Raise Awareness of Sexual Violence

On Saturday, October 5, the GMercyU community turned out to support the Walk a Mile in Her Shoes® event held on campus. Created in 2001, Walk a Mile in Her Shoes® has since become an international movement to raise awareness about rape, sexual assault, and gender violence. This was GMercyU's second year hosting the walk, with nearly twice the number of participants as last year, including dozens of student-athletes, coaches, staff members, and friends.

Walkers were able to read victims' personal stories, and view posters and T-shirts created by victims. Representatives from the Laurel House, Victims Services of Montgomery County, and NOVA were on hand to educate the community about their services.

"Victims of sexual violence often feel a sense of hopelessness, and your being here and supporting them gives them hope," Robert Wood, GMercyU's Title IX Coordinator, said to the crowd before the walk began. "It shows that you care, that they're not alone." Wood walked the entire mile in high-heeled women's shoes, a symbolic gesture of victim support encouraged by the Walk a Mile in Her Shoes® organization.

The event raised more than $650 - 100% of which will go to the local rape crisis centers listed above.

GMercyU would like to thank our partners, Green Turtle and Grub Burger, and the Lower Gwynedd Township Police Department.