May 2011 – Bloomington, Minn. – What do red, high-heel shoes, the Mall of America, architects and engineers have in common? More than you might think.
Recently, Krech, O’Brien, Mueller & Associates structural engineers Matt Van Hoof and Mike Lisowski, along with architect Steve Iaria, took part in the 10th annual Walk a Mile In Her Shoes event to help end violence against women and children. The event was sponsored by Cornerstone and asked men to walk a mile in women’s high-heeled shoes to raise awareness in a unique and entertaining way. The event was held at Mall of America and began in Macy’s court.
Cornerstone was founded in 1983 and is a non-profit organization committed to creating a society in which violence in families no longer exists. It asserts that the use of violence is a choice, and that all community members have a responsibility to confront the roots of violence and eliminate oppression. In recent years, Cornerstone has impacted the lives of more than 27,000 individuals.
KOMA structural engineer Mike Lisowski, PE, said, “This event was a great chance for us to show our support for an outstanding cause and have fun all at the same time. Cornerstone is a fantastic organization and Walk a Mile is a great way to generate awareness of the issue of domestic violence.”
Walk a Mile in Her Shoes was created by Frank Baird in 2001. It began as a small group of men daring to totter around a park and has grown to become a world-wide movement with tens of thousands of men raising millions of dollars for local rape crisis centers, domestic violence shelters and other sexualized violence education, prevention and remediation programs.
For more information about Walk a Mile, visit www.walkamileinhershoes.org. For more information about Mall of America, visit www.mallofamerica.com.
