14th annual Walk a Mile fundraiser this Saturday in honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO)- April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and a local nonprofit is kicking it off with their 14th annual Walk a Mile Fundraiser in honor of survivors.

“Every 68 seconds an American is assaulted, and we think that it is much much higher than that because of course that’s such an under-reported crime, because it’s so personal. So this event really is about raising awareness, of course it’s a fundraiser too, but really the whole theme of the event is to get out there and walk a mile in our shoes, in survivors’ shoes, to honor them and let them know we hear them and are here to help them on their pathway to healing,” says Rebecca Lorick, the Executive Director with nonprofit Pathways to Healing.

The private, nonprofit Pathways to Healing is a rape crisis center serving 5 counties here in the Midlands, including Richland, Lexington, Newberry, Sumter, and Clarendon. Working in partnership with medical, law enforcement, judicial, and educational communities, Pathways provides free services to survivors of sexual assault and their families, including a 24-hour crisis hotline, hospital accompaniment, legal and personal advocacy, individual and group counseling, and violence prevention education.

Walk a Mile is the nonprofit’s largest fundraiser of the year. Last year, they raised $75,000 with more than 500 people participating in the event. This year, their goal is even bigger at $90,000, and they’re already close to beating it! Lorick says so far they’ve raised $89,000 and are asking for everyone to come out to the walk to help them finish their goal!

The event is Saturday, April 1st at 9:30am. Event officials are monitoring the weather this weekend and if needed, the walk will go virtual.

You can register to walk here with a $25 donation. T-shirts are also included with your registration.

If you can’t make it out to the walk, you can still donate to the cause!