Longtime walkers think of the Walk for Rape Relief as the day of our first sunburn of the year. Since 1980, voluntary fundraisers spend the spring asking their friends, relatives, colleagues, classmates and neighbours to donate. On the day of the Walk, we meet at Stanley Park to walk the seawall together, then celebrate with a gourmet picnic that’s free and garbage-free!
Over the last 40+ years, we would count on about 200 supporters walking nearly 10km to raise funds to sustain the work of the rape crisis centre and transition house. Between us, we speak to about 600 individual donors, each conversation educating the public about the vital services provided by Vancouver Rape Relief and offering a chance for everyone to practically support our work.
The Walk for Rape Relief began as a project of the Vancouver Rape Relief Funding Alliance, a group organized in 1978 — working for almost 40 years with Vancouver Rape Relief to keep the transition house and crisis line open. To this day It remains an extraordinary ally. The funding alliance is made up of mostly men (and some women) who pledge to support our feminist collective in its work to end violence against women.
