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Center for Family Justice Walk a Mile in Her Shoes

Center for Family Justice Walk a Mile in Her Shoes

CFJ’s Walk A Mile In Her Shoes® Event Will be Held May 31st!

Walk is Major Fundraiser for CFJ’s Camp HOPE for area youth

The public is encouraged to join The Center for Family Justice in bringing awareness and helping put an end to gender-based violence during its 12th Annual Walk A Mile In Her Shoes®, scheduled for Saturday, May 31st at the downtown Fairfield train station.

Presented by the Aquarion Water Company, Walk A Mile will begin with registration at 8 a.m. with the walk starting promptly at 9 a.m.

The walk will feature appearances from state and local dignitaries. The Connecticut Hurricanes Drum and Bugle Corps will perform and lead the walk as it proceeds the mile-long route to the Old Town Hall on Old Post Road.

CFJ will also honor the following with its Take a Stand Leadership Award:

· The Connecticut Hurricanes, for their participation every year.

· Toby Ugwu, for his work as a HOPE Counselor for Camp HOPE.

· Matt Devino, Sacred Heart University’s Delta Tau Delta’s Advisor for his support of the White Ribbon Campaign and the Walk a Mile event.

The walk is organized by the Center’s White Ribbon Campaign Committee – a group of male volunteers and community leaders who want to take a stand against gender-based violence. April is also Sexual Violence Awareness Month and Child Abuse Prevention Awareness Month.

“The national theme of Sexual Assault Awareness Month this year is Building Connected Communities, and we can’t think of a better way to describe this walk,” CFJ President/CEO Debra Greenwood said. “We have high school and college students, families, community groups, businesses and individual supporters. It is a simple, yet powerful, way to take a stand against sexual assault.”

Statistics show that 81% of women and 43% of men nationwide reported experiencing some form of sexual harassment and/or assault in their lifetime.

“Community members of all ages are doing great work in the prevention of sexual assault and supporting victims. Most of this work is done behind the scenes. This is the 12th year we all come together to publicly show that support by walking a mile together,” said Gary MacNamara, chair of the White Ribbon Campaign Committee and CFJ Board member. “Whether this is going to be your 1st mile, your 12th mile, or somewhere in between, each step we take together shows support to victims, and support of the efforts we are doing to prevent these assaults from occurring in the first place.”

CFJ Board Secretary Scott Redfern, and member of the White Ribbon Campaign Committee, said the walk is a call to action for the “upstanders” out there.

“The difference between being a bystander and an upstander, is like a sporting event. If you’re up in the stands watching, you’re a bystander; but being on the field is where you are actually making a difference in the outcome of the game. With gender-based violence it’s time for us all to get out of the stands and onto the field to make a difference,” Redfern said.

Funds raised at the walk will go toward the Elizabeth M. Pfriem Camp HOPE America-Bridgeport, CFJ’s therapeutic summer camp and year-long mentoring program for local youth who have been impacted by the trauma associated with domestic and/or sexual abuse.

Hundreds of youths have attended Camp HOPE-Bridgeport since 2017, with many attending multiple years. Some former campers have become HOPE counselors.

This summer, around 70 kids, between ages 7-17, will get the camp experience, which includes a week of traditional overnight summer camp including swimming to campfires and hiking. The staff follows a Camp HOPE curriculum that takes a trauma-informed approach to building hope, resiliency, and empowerment.

For more information about the Walk A Mile event, call Lauren Cicchetti at CFJ’s main office number at (203) 334-6154.

About The Center for Family Justice, Inc. The Center for Family Justice breaks the cycle of abuse and violence – domestic, sexual and child – by providing services that create hope, restore lives and drive social change through education and community collaboration.

Our vision is to end domestic and sexual abuse and violence in our communities.

We believe that:

· Everyone should be treated with dignity and respect.

· Collaboration with our clients, partners and communities is vital to achieve individualized choice, success, and empowerment.

· Trust is essential for our work in building self-sufficient survivors.

· Compassion and hope allow people to thrive and feel safe.

· Community education, awareness and outreach are essential to drive and maintain social change and justice. For more information, please visit: https://centerforfamilyjustice.org/about-us/what-we-do/mission-vision-values/

If you are in a crisis situation and need help, please call our 24/7 hotlines:

· Domestic Violence: 203-384-9559

· Sexual assault: 203-333-2233

· Spanish: 888-568-8332

· Text: (888) 999-5545

Join Melissa at the Brand New Great Wolf Lodge

Join Melissa at the Brand New Great Wolf Lodge

Join Melissa and WEBE 108 to see whats in store for you at the brand-new Great Wolf Lodge in Mashantucket Wednesday May 7th from 12-2pm!

From brand-new attractions to extraordinary entertainment, and water park excitement to elevated accommodations, come experience a getaway that transports you into a world of adventure—all under one roof.

WATER PARK – Get ready for 91,000 square feet of excitement. Great Geyser Water Park is a celebration of play, where rushing waters slide you into the world of The Great Wolf Pack. Splash into their massive wave pool, lazy river, play areas, and 13 waterslides—including a new one only found at the Mashantucket lodge.

ADVENTURE PARK – Your pack has more ways to play when you step through the twinkling gateway into thier 60,000-square-foot Adventure Park, featuring the all-new Howlers Peak Adventure Trail and Ropes Course—where a zip line sends you flying through new heights of discovery. Add to that The Virtual Frontier VR experience, Northern Lights Arcade, and the newest MagiQuest game. There’s non-stop fun for everyone, from parents to the littlest guests. 

Every single element of Great Wolf’s latest lodge has been designed to enhance your pack’s experience. Giant portals to and from the water and adventure parks usher guests into the fun. Lighting in the Grand Lobby changes to mirror the time of day, sunrise to sunset. To improve your experience, they’ve added practical upgrades like more self-check-in kiosks to get you splashing quicker. The next generation of Great Wolf Lodge is here.

WEBE Wellness: Getting Organized For Better Health

WEBE Wellness: Getting Organized For Better Health

Did you know tomorrow is Get Organized Day! If that’s not motivation enough to do spring cleaning, the fact that getting organized can improve your health might!

First, you’ll sleep better – if your bedroom is messy, studies have found your quality of sleep goes down.

Plus, you’ll also breathe easier – a messy home usually means you’re not dusting regularly, and some who think they’re allergic to pollen might just need to clean more.

When you have stuff lying around cluttered, your brain is visually overstimulated and it’s hard to focus on anything. And beyond that, clutter affects our mental health – holding or hoarding possessions beyond their intended use can affect us emotionally, physically, socially, and financially.

So, it may be a late start, but you can still get some spring cleaning done this weekend!

Image Credit: Kostikova / iStock / Getty Images Plus

WEBE Wellness: Tricking Yourself Into A Good Night’s Sleep

WEBE Wellness: Tricking Yourself Into A Good Night’s Sleep

Did you get a poor night’s sleep last night? The best way to recover – tell yourself you didn’t!

A new study found how much our mood can be affected. And after a bad night’s sleep, just thinking you had a good one might benefit you more than if you did!

Researchers looked at sleep patterns to compare how restful sleep was compared to the mood of the participants. And if they simply thought they had a good night’s sleep, they were more likely to be in a good mood. If they thought they didn’t, then they’d be more likely to be in a bad mood.

But since you know whether you did, you can still use this trick. Especially if you wear a sleep tracker and it tells you that you had a better sleep than you initially thought.

Image Credit: gorodenkoff / iStock / Getty Images Plus

WEBE Wellness: How Much Time Should You Be Sitting Each Day?

WEBE Wellness: How Much Time Should You Be Sitting Each Day?

You know you’re not supposed to just sit around all day – but being on your feet is impractical. What’s the right balance?

Experts now have the answer! A new study found the exact time we should sit, stand, sleep, and exercise each day. And there’s plenty of time to relax, but we probably are doing too much of that already.

Here’s the perfect balance:

When it comes to sleeping, 8 hours and 20 minutes is what you want to strive for.

Sitting – 6 to 7 hours total. And for many who sit behind a desk and have a long commute to work, you’re probably doing way more than that.

Standing should be about 5 hours – and that also applies to walking around, not exercising.

When it comes to exercise, it’s 4 hours – that’s physical activity, and half can be light activity like household chores, the other half actual exercise.

Image Credit: dusanpetkovic / iStock / Getty Images Plus

WEBE Wellness: Take The Stairs

WEBE Wellness: Take The Stairs

If you work in an office building, you probably take the elevator to get to your floor – and chances are good you already know that it’s healthier to take the stairs.

Well now we know just how much.

Researchers have found that those who take the stairs rather than the elevator are far less likely to die young. And not by a small difference. Stair takers are nearly 40% less likely to die from cardiovascular disease – and almost 25% less likely to die from any cause.

The more stairs you climb, the better the benefit – whether that’s at home or work or even the mall – take the stairs whenever, and wherever, you can!

Image Credit: Bastian Weltjen / iStock / Getty Images Plus

WEBE Wellness: Avoid Bad Habits And Look Younger!

WEBE Wellness: Avoid Bad Habits And Look Younger!

We all want to do what we can to feel younger as we age, but there are things we can easily do so we continue to look younger as well. There are some bad habits to avoid that make us age faster.

First, quit smoking – all kinds, including vaping, are bad for your skin.

As the days get longer, avoid hanging out in the sun – and make sure you apply sunscreen when you do go out.

Change your diet so you’re not loaded down with lots of sugar and saturated fats that make skin age faster. Plus, make sure you exercise, you help keep muscle and bone density.

Too much alcohol will also damage cells that accelerates aging. And reduce stress in your life and try to get a good night’s sleep – both will help you look younger as you’re more relaxed and rested.

Finally – brush your teeth – gingivitis has been linked to heart disease, and nicer teeth certainly help with your appearance!

Image Credit: PeopleImages / iStock / Getty Images Plus

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