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| Photo by Graham Cullen
Mount St. Mary's students walk across campus in heels during the Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event on Wednesday. |
Geery Grant thought it would be easy. But as he and teammate Brendan Flanagan discovered, walking in high heels is no simple task. The two Mount St. Mary's lacrosse players were among about 50 people who donned women's shoes Tuesday for the Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event to raise awareness of violence against women. The Mount's entire men's lacrosse team showed up for the event. Many wore sneakers, but others sported high heels of all colors and sizes, including stilettos. This year's walk was the second held on the campus. All participants were asked to raise or donate at least $20, and all proceeds will benefit Survivors Inc. in Gettysburg, Pa. The center provides assistance to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. "Violence against women does not just affect the women involved, but men, children and the entire community," said Katherine Chronister, the Mount's assistant director of residence life and Women's Empowerment Program advisor. "This symbolic opportunity allows men to experience just a fraction of what it is like to be a woman and bring a new perspective on violence against women in our communities." Student organizer Amanda Blaugher and others in the Women's Empowerment Program spent the past year planning the walk and collecting shoes for walkers to use. Such walks are held in locations around the world every year and are typically open only to men, but the Mount event was open to everyone. "Without the entire community's support, this is not something we are going to get corrected in society," Chronister said. The walk was held in conjunction with National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. | 
