HAVEN’s In Their Shoes

By Kathleen Rowe-Glendon

HAVEN is a local non-profit that provides services to domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking victims in Stanislaus County. This past year alone, HAVEN provided services to almost 2,600 individuals all at no charge.

HAVEN is hosting its annual “In Their Shoes” walk on April 1, 2023. In Their Shoes is the current iteration of the Walk a Mile event. HAVEN wishes to highlight ALL survivors of sexual abuse and the name change is inclusive of all the shoes they wear.

Our prior focus leaned into men's use of violence against women. This has been the heart of our movement for decades and was the core of the International Men's March, Walk a Mile in Her Shoes. The importance of that approach to our work is still relevant and needed. But it's not the only facet, and it doesn't reflect the experience of all survivors in our community.

If we truly want to serve all the survivors in our community, we need to be intentional in how we talk about abuse, how we design services towards healing from abuse, and just thinking about abuse from broader perspectives and different facets.

We are not eliminating the red shoes that so many people love. The red shoes are still there, and we invite anyone who wants to come march in red heels because that resonates with them.

But at the same time, we are making space to expand beyond the red shoe so that anyone can come wearing shoes that express who they are and how they want to walk on the path of awareness and healing.

The change in our walk's name and image is just one way of manifesting making space for ALL the stories of survivors in our community.

Our staff is dedicated and devoted to providing crucial assistance to our clients. We need your help to continue providing these essential services. HAVEN aids with emergency shelter, support groups, youth education and support, restraining orders, a 24-hour crisis line for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking. Your help is vital in continuing our mission to support all survivors of sexual violence.

Please consider sponsoring, participating, or donating to this event. You can register, sponsor, or donate online at havenstan.org/intheirshoes. HAVEN has provided vital services to survivors in Stanislaus County for over 45 years, often when they are at their most vulnerable.

To sponsor In Their Shoes, please contact Kathleen Rowe-Glendon at (209) 284-4732 or by email at krowe-glendon@havenstan.org. For event-specific questions, please contact Brandy Van Horn, Event Coordinator at (209) 284-4539 or by email at bvanhorn@havenstan.org.