Walking for a Cause: Canterbury Raises Awareness for Domestic Violence

In an effort to raise both awareness and charitable funds to combat domestic violence, more than 75 Saints came together this past Friday in a heartening display of community and solidarity. Safe Walk, an annual event hosted by Women of Canterbury (WoC), serves to shine light on a dark issue, and this year, students did so with compassion, determination, and a really great playlist, because serious work can still be fun!

WoC—co-led by Marygrace Hussey, Allegra Linero, and Peyton Schlosstein— partnered with One Love Foundation, which was founded by the family of Yeardley Love. Yeardley was a University of Virginia lacrosse player who was tragically killed by her boyfriend in 2010 after experiencing relationship abuse. One Love’s mission is to empower young people to understand love as safe and unconditional, raising awareness and building skills to end relationship violence.

WoC has been preparing for the event for several weeks. They worked together to make posters, raised money, and handed out One Love bracelets and stickers in the Dining Hall, and even gave a presentation about identifying healthy and unhealthy relationships during School Meeting.

On the evening of Friday, September 26, the Canterbury community gathered at Hamilton Stadium Track to walk 8 to 12 laps. But this was no trudge! Each leg brought with it a new activity or challenge, from conga lines to piggyback rides to a glow-in-the-dark lap with glow sticks. 

“I think it was a great event. I was honestly surprised by how many people were there!” says Marygrace, who believes both the club’s presentation and Instagram takeover of Canterbury’s account played an important role in engaging students. “It was exciting to see everyone there.”

All funds raised for Safe Walk benefit the Center for Empowerment and Education(CEE), a Danbury-based non-profit dedicated to breaking the cycle of interpersonal violence through empowerment, education, and no-cost services. CEE serves northern Fairfield and southern Litchfield counties and works with more than 30,000 individuals a year. In the United States, approximately 41% of women and 26% of men will experience domestic violence in their lifetime. 

In addition to promoting awareness for an important cause, Marygrace says that putting on the event was an important bonding experience not only for the Canterbury community in general but for WoC. The lead-up of making posters, organizing, setting up, and making presentations brought the group closer together, and clearly, that was contagious. 

“People came out and showed up,” she says. “It was fun to be there and host it and fun to be a part of it.”

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