A group of bundled up Grade 2 students, teachers, athletes, and other community members and ambassadors made their way through St. Paul last week, carrying neon signs and garnering a bit of extra awareness for a worthy cause.
The Walk of Hope, organized by the Columbus House of Hope women’s shelter, along with the Town of St. Paul FCSS and other representatives, took place on Nov. 6 as a way to help kick off Family Violence Prevention month in St. Paul.
The walk offers the community “a perfect event” to proclaim the awareness campaign and bring light to the ongoing issue of family violence, said Shelley Dyck, a representative from MLA Shayne Saskiw’s office.
“This really is a community issue,” she said, adding a special thanks to everyone involved for taking a step toward becoming more aware of the issue.
Town of St. Paul Coun. Dwight Wiebe also spoke to those gathered before signing a proclamation to declare November as Family Violence Prevention month.
“Family violence is something that affects a lot of people,” he said. He encouraged organizers to keep making the effort to organize the walk annually, as it helps keep the issue on people’s minds.
The proclamation signed by Dyck, Wiebe, and County of St. Paul Reeve Steve Upham, encouraged residents to “speak out against family violence” and challenged Albertans to make the province “violence-free.”
Upham also offered some brief words to the crowd, saying he believed the topic of family violence is something that people need to talk about more in public, rather than allowing people to suffer in silence.
Executive Director of the Columbus House of Hope Noreen Cotton reiterated that the walk is meant to raise awareness on the issue of family violence. She was happy to see the Grade 2 students involved in the walk since family violence can have a deep effect on children.
She added that through creating awareness, Cotton hopes to change the conversation around family violence, since much of the time people blame the victim.
“Don’t blame the victim,” said Cotton, adding, 75 per cent of victims aren’t connected to any services that could help them leave a dangerous situation. Leaving an abusive relationship isn’t simple, she said, adding, “We want to change the attitudes.”
The Walk of Hope began at the St. Paul Elementary School at 10 a.m. Participants, which included representatives from local governments, schools, and the Bonnyville Jr. A Pontiacs, made their way toward main street and concluded the event at the Centennial Senior Citizen Club.
