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Melfort walks a mile in her shoes

May 4, 2018 | 5:00 PM

More than 70 people walked a mile down Melfort’s main street Thursday in red, shiny heels to raise awareness for an important cause and pay tribute to a man they all respected.

The Walk-A-Mile In Her Shoes event, now in its sixth year, helps raise funds for the North East Women’s Domestic Violence Shelter and North East Outreach & Support Services programs. This year, the walkers also paid tribute to former Melfort Mayor and MLA Kevin Phillips, who passed away last fall. Northeast Outreach Centre Executive Director Louis Schweitzer said Phillips was a strong champion for their cause.

“Kevin was always a very big part of us and lobbying for the domestic violence shelter, and for awareness against domestic violence. Kevin started that way back in 2010,” he said.

Schweitzer said this year’s event raised approximately $10,000.

The domestic violence shelter was officially opened in October of 2016. In addition to the many local residents who registered for Thursday’s event, a number of MLAs from across the region also showed up to show their support, including Prince Albert Carlton MLA Joe Hargrave, who posted some pictures from the event on his Facebook page.

“It was an honor for me to walk with my colleagues and many others in the Walk a Mile in Her Shoes in support of the NEOSS women’s shelter in Melfort and in honor of our late colleague Kevin Phillips who was a major push to get the shelter built and was one of its strongest supporter,” Hargrave wrote.

 

 

–with files from Karen Cay

nigel.maxwell@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell