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Harcourts Group Australia has been recognised for its successful Walk A Mile in Their Shoes nationwide campaign, which gathered hundreds of people to “walk a mile” in heels to show solidarity and bring attention to the national tragedy that is violence against women.
In partnership with White Ribbon Australia, Harcourts took home the Contribution to Community award at the 2017 Annual REA Excellence Awards.
Walk A Mile in Their Shoes founder and Harcourts Victoria CEO Sadhana Smiles said that the walk represents how the group supports the communities in which each Harcourts agency lives and works in.
She said that caring is bigger than one person.
“To really grow communities with a positive impact, we must come together,” Ms Smiles said.
“It was simple for us, real estate agents walking in heels; we knew it would generate talkability and, more importantly, help us raise funds.”
The 2016 walk raised almost $120,000, with 100 percent of the funds used to help deliver the White Ribbon Breaking the Silence program in more than 100 schools nationwide.
Ms Smiles said that it was an honour to be recognised for the group’s commitment to the cause.
Managing director of Harcourts International Mike Green said that violence against women is an issue that affects one in five Australian women.
“Through our work with White Ribbon, we know that engaging men to make women’s safety a man’s issue too is imperative,” Mr Green said.
“I commend White Ribbon for the incredibly important work they do every day, and I would like to thank the entire Harcourts family for supporting this each year and proving that when we come together, we can generate lasting impact.”
Walk A Mile in Their Shoes is in its fifth year and has collectively raised over $395,000 for White Ribbon.
Since 2013, funds have helped Breaking the Silence expand into a national program across regions in more than 150 schools, impacting 2,800 teachers and 39,300 students.
The initiative went global earlier this year, with the first international Harcourts event taking place in South Africa in March 2017.
The Harcourts Foundation is volunteer-run, with 100 per cent of all money raised given directly to recipients.
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