Last year, I may have lied to you. In my efforts to raise money to end rape, sexual assault, and gender violence, I fibbed. I participated in the Walk a Mile in Her Shoes to help raise money for the Monadnock Center for Violence Prevention and to provide awareness to end sexual violence. I told you that I was going to walk a mile in high-heeled shoes because, "You can't really understand another person's experience until you've walked a mile in their shoes." I ended up wearing a pair of Patagonia Boaris, size 9.5…men’s!
I also lied about my story. I tried to guilt you into donating by telling you that I had suffered a femur fracture, and two surgeries and that I would be putting down my crutches to “Walk a Mile.” I tried to make it look like I was some kind of survivor and that I was a hero. My friend wrote, “A nice thing… finding that you have the strength to walk for another after a boulder nearly crushes your dreams.”
When compared to the stories of those survivors of rape, sexual assault, and gender violence, mine is meager. Heroes are the volunteers and professionals involved with organizations like MCVP. Heroic survivors are those overcoming such violences! I battled a 1500 pound boulder. They have battled something much worse.
Sexualized violence is epidemic. Some of the statistics: Every two minutes someone in America is raped. One in six American women is a victim of sexual assault. That means someone you know, someone you care about, has been or may become the victim of sexual violence. It may be your mother, your sister, your friend, your girlfriend, your wife, your coworker, or your daughter.
I am not going to promise you that I will be wearing a pair of stilettos on April 21st, but I will promise you I will do my best to help raise money for MCVP and to raise awareness to end sexual violence. Please join us or sponsor me at the following link:
http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/matthew-lavigne/walk-a-mile-in-her-shoes-2012
Thank you,
Matt Lavigne