On Sept. 7 there was no ordinary crowd at the downtown farmers’ market. Over 100 men were not just running a typical race, but a race in heels. Men from a variety of professions, including doctors, lawyers, bankers, T.V. stations, construction workers and so on came in heels to run and support a cause.
This year was the eighth annual race. It began purely to raise awareness to domestic violence. The race is to benefit Hilltop’s Latimer House, which is an organization dedicated to providing shelter and assistance to those who have experienced domestic violence.
“There are two components of the race, both a fundraiser and to raise awareness about the topic,” Dylan Hardy, Hilltop marketing and communications specialist said. “It’s not an easy topic to discuss and we wanted to do something to raise awareness and also that is uplifting.”
Hilltop has a total of 28 different programs. They help anyone regardless of age, sex, ethnicity, religion, etc.
“Anyone can be affected be in an abusive relationship,” Hardy said.
The Latimer House used to be located on Main Street. This house would host anyone who needed help.
“For those in bad relationships and need to get away so we offer a secure place for them to be,” Hardy said. “Nobody knows their location and once we have them at a safe place, we can provide assistance with food, money, education and counseling. And how they can turn their life around.” Hardy said.
The house used to be on Main Street in a historic building. That didn’t work out for the program and they are looking for a new property. The Hilltop Resource Center is where the program is currently housed.
“When people need assistance right now we have different places to offer them,” Hardy said.
The program works with the county. When the police or the county deal with domestic violence cases they point to the Latimer House for more help.
“There isn’t really any programs out there,” Hardy said.
The Men in Heels race helps the program fund their goals to help those that have been involved in domestic violence. The men build teams of five and then begin a fundraiser for their team.
“You get some guys who are very competitive who come out,” Hardy said. “It’s hilarious, but they take it very seriously.”
Hardy explained that the farmers market is a great place for the benefit race because it has a built-in audience. There are people who come from around that have heard of it over the past years and seen past race videos on television.
“It’s a huge crowd that takes up the whole block,” Hardy said.
They also have a partnership with Channel Four News that broadcasts the event. In past years, the T.V. station had a team compete in the race. There are people who have contacted Hardy talking about the event from watching over the screen.
This year they had an honorary speaker. She was an abuse survivor who went through the Hilltop Latimer program. She now works at the Department of Human Services to help other women.
“Over 23,000 dollars have been raised,” Hardy said. “It’s a good fundraiser evolved into both components.”
The money goes to fund the Latimer house and provide the assistance that domestic abuse victims need.
Hilltop, in general, deals with other issues in addition to domestic violence, but for the past eight years, they have especially impacted the local community in regard to this issue.This year 20 teams signed up.
Hardy said the race is, “something that gets the message out, but in a positive way.”
