Mayor James Bouley and the Crisis Center of Central New Hampshire proudly announce the first Merrimack County march against domestic and sexual violence, WAM/Walk a Mile In Her Shoes, to take place Oct. 1 on Main Street in Concord. Early bird registration is now at firstgiving.com/crisiscenterofcentralnh/WAM for only $25 per person with a T-shirt. (For youth under 13 year of age it is $10 per person.) After Sept. 24 the registration will be $35 per person. It is a great opportunity to raise awareness of this devastating issue and funds for preventive programs for Merrimack County youth. The event will be hosted by 105.5 WJYY’s Nazzy and AJ Dukette. Mayor Bouley, and a victim will speak. Food and prizes (for the best shoes, fastest walker and more) will add fun to the event.
WAM/Walk A Mile In Her Shoes invites the community (and most especially men, whose support is critical) to join this urgent conversation and to have some fun. Men are our greatest allies – most men do not commit these crimes, but these crimes are overwhelmingly committed by men. We need men to voice loudly and clearly that this behavior is not the norm. Besides . . . who doesn’t want to see men tottering about in high heels?
Walk A Mile began in 2001 with a small group of men and has become a world-wide movement with tens of thousands of men, women and youth raising needed support for local crisis centers.
In Merrimack County, one out of two women will experience domestic and or sexual violence in her lifetime. This crime is often kept under wraps because victims fear they will not be supported, they fear they will not hear the words “I believe you.” Additionally this crime comes at great cost to our schools, businesses and more.
“There are no more excuses, no need to sweep things under the rug. It might be hard to talk about, but this problem exists and we must come together to put a stop to these crimes,” Bouley said.
Nationally, the cost of intimate partner violence annually exceeds $5.8 billion, including $4.1 billion in direct health care expenses.
How do we begin to address this epidemic of violence? The answer is summed up in three words. First, we need to talk about it.
“If you came home one day and found out that half your neighbors had been robbed, you would be very aware there was a problem. You would take action. You wouldn’t just let it slide by,” said Jason Speltz, New Hampshire National Guard.
Walk A Mile In Her Shoes allows us to have some fun and create community conversations about a big problem that is too often ignored. It is a community opportunity to shine a light on a problem that is hard to talk about, and educate as many community members as is possible to the fact that violence is a choice, a choice that is never appropriate and that it is never the victim’s fault.
Don’t be a bystander – join Bouley and community members and teams on Oct. 1.
