Georgia Highlands students joined the fourth annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event held in Rome on Oct. 14 to raise awareness of domestic abuse of women, men and children. Walk a Mile is hosted by Hospitality House for Women, during Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Charlotte Pierzchola, who works with Hospitality House for Women to organize the Walk a Mile event, said, “Abuse is a taboo subject. It happens more than you think, so raising awareness is very important.”

The event opened with a performance of the “Star Spangled Banner” by the Just As I Am choir, which is associated with the DIGS organization (http://www.orgsites.com/ga/digs/) of Rome.

Mayor Evie McNiece lauded the efforts of Hospitality House for Women in providing services to those affected by domestic abuse. McNiece listed a 24-hour crisis line, financial assistance and group and individual counseling among other services.

McNiece stated that Georgia has the sixth highest rate of domestic abuse in the nation.

Amy Weaver, director of Hospitality House for Women, pointed out free-standing silhouettes amongst the crowd. Weaver explained that these silhouettes represented some of the 299 victims of domestic violence in the state of Georgia since 2008.

Weaver related sobering stories of the realities of domestic violence to a hushed crowd and thanked those participating in the Walk a Mile event.

According to Weaver, more than 300 walkers participated in this year’s Walk a Mile event, including men sporting high heels and other varieties of women’s footwear.

Hospitality House for Women is hosting several other events in October to raise awareness of domestic violence.

The Hospitality House for Women’s annual meeting will be held at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church on Oct. 25 at 6 p.m. On Oct. 29, the Hospitality House for Women will host a two-hour yoga session at Springstone Yoga on Broad St. in Rome, starting at 10 a.m. All proceeds from the yoga session will benefit the Hospitality House.

Anyone interested in more information about Hospitality House for Women may contact Amy Weaver by phone at 706-235-4608, by email at [email protected] or by visiting http://www.hospitality-house.org/.