Ridgefield is SafeWalk STRONG, join the community on September 30 beginning at 3:00 pm on the Jesse Lee Church campus for a walk and some fall fun
Every year, thousands of people across Connecticut gather together in small and large groups to walk, or run a 4k together to further the mission of The Center (formerly The Women’s Center), a Danbury-based nonprofit working to end the violence since 1975.
SafeWalk 2023 is planned for the weekend Friday, September 29 through Sunday, October 1; kicking off Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
From the event’s inception, Ridgefield has been Safe Walk strong with several organizations and businesses gathering teams and joining in solidarity toward the Center’s mission of preventing and reducing interpersonal violence.
We decided to turn this into a real Ridgefield community walk
- Kathy Graham, SafeWalk chair
Kathy Graham, Chair of 2023 Safe Walk and longtime supporter and volunteer of The Center explains, “For the past two years, a group of Ridgefielders have walked together beginning at Jesse Lee Church.”
This year, that group increases tenfold as twelve [see list below] local organizations and businesses will walk the streets of Ridgefield on Saturday, September 30 at 3:00 p.m. - building both awareness for the cause and community camaraderie.
If you are interested in participating, please meet on the front lawn of Jesse Lee Church on September 30 at 3:00 p.m. “We will walk down Main Street to Ballard Park, loop through the park and finish at Jesse Lee,” says Graham.
Graham explains, “The purpose of SafeWalk is twofold: to raise funds for The Center, which offers free counseling to the victims of sexual assault and domestic violence and secondly, but equally important, to raise awareness that help is available to those who might need it.”
The family-friendly event will include opening remarks by First Selectman Rudy Marconi and Pastor Bill Pfohl. “Besides being our First Selectman, Rudy is also a member of [The Center’s] Men's Council Against Domestic Violence and Bill is the Pastor of Jesse Lee Church.”
And, in addition to putting one foot in front of the other to support The Center and community members in need, Jesse Lee Church will be the hub for fall fun. “Jay Steele has volunteered his time to make balloon animals. We will have a firepit where walkers can make s'mores after the walk”. What’s more, Saturday, September 30 is the opening day of the beloved Jesse Lee Pumpkin Patch!
For more information regarding this event, contact Rob Mayette at Jesse Lee Outreach at rpmayette@gmail.com or Kathy Graham, who is chairing SafeWalk for The Center, at kathy.graham@fairfieldcountybank.com.
“We hope that anyone reading this will consider joining us in our walk,” says Graham.
Learn more https://thecenterct.org/
A tremendous THANK YOU to members from the following groups who are participating thus far in Ridgefield community SafeWalk on September 30 beginning at 3:00 pm.
First Congregational Church
Jesse Lee Memorial Methodist Church
Shir Shalom
St. Stephens Episcopal Church
Rotary Club of Ridgefield
Ridgefield Lions Club
Fairfield County Bank
Ridgefield High School Football Team
Girls Softball League
National Charity League
Ridgefield Father's Club
Connecticut Against Gun Violence
If you are interested in joining our community group of walkers, please contact Kathy Graham kathy.graham@fairfieldcountybank.com.