This post discusses matters of violence and abuse.
This post is part of a new spotlight series on the Bolt Safety platform called 'Spotlight: Perspectives', where members of our community can use the platform to discuss issues that matter to them, related to personal safety, violence, discrimination, abuse, access to basic resources, and mental health. You can filter the Hub content to read posts specifically in this series.
This post has been written by Peter Celler, and is a call-to-action to rally our efforts to help survivors and their children as they transition from situations of domestic abuse into new lives.
Image credits: runthroughnight.org
To the Bolt Safety community,
On the shortest night of 2020 (June 20) I am planning on running through the night from sunset to sunrise, raising as much money as I can for Shelter Movers Vancouver — a charitable organization that provides free moving services to survivors and their children who are fleeing domestic abuse.
Originally I had conceived of creating Run Through Night as a group fundraising event with relay teams, but in light of COVID-19 and the need for social distancing I made the decision to tackle this solo. As an avid endurance athlete I thrive on a physical challenge, and this event is something where I hoped I could put that to good use. I felt there was a certain symbolism to running through the night towards the dawn of a new day that represented those running from abuse and towards the hope of a new, safer, living situation.
I’ll be departing Sunset Beach at sunset on June 20th (Approximately 9:22pm), running East
until sunrise the following morning. If all goes to plan I will run through Burnaby, Coquitlam, Pitt Meadows, Langley and after covering a bit over 80km in around 8 hours and reach Rotary Stadium in Abbotsford at dawn.
I originally set a goal to raise $1600, enough to support 8 families in crisis through a move, but we exceeded that target in just 4 days and doubled it in two weeks. I revised the goal to $8000 and thanks to some local media coverage, we reached that target with over two weeks remaining before the event. I have now set a real real challenging goal of $16000. This would mean running through the night for 8 hours, covering 80 kilometers, and raising enough money to help 80 vulnerable women and families move to safety. I am writing this letter hoping to get support from you for this initiative, as we share similar goals for creating safer communities for all.
Domestic violence is an alarmingly and unfortunately prevalent part of too many Canadian lives. Unfortunately COVID-19 has exacerbated this issue. Many families are forced to self-isolate in the very place they feel the least safe, with increased tension in the home as parents lose jobs, money becomes scarce, and children do not have school as an escape.
Often this can make a tense situation violent, and an abusive situation even worse.
This connects to Bolt Safety's mission to provide safer communities for all, and I hope that your community will support this endeavor to raise money for an organization doing fantastic work to help deal with this problem.
Best,
Peter Celler
Run Through Night event details:
Departs Sunset Beach, Vancouver, Saturday June 20th at 9:22pm (sunset)
Running East as far as I can get before Sunday June 21st at 5:06am (sunrise)
Will cover approximately 89kms, finishing at Rotary Stadium in Abbotsford (planned route)
Aiming to raise $16000 in support of Shelter Movers Vancouver, the local branch of an organization helping to break the cycle of domestic violence across Canada
The event was conceived and is being organized and run by North Vancouver resident
Peter Celler, an avid endurance athlete (5X ironman finisher), and father of 3 elementary school aged children.
Website: https://www.runthroughnight.org/
Instagram: @runthroughnightforshelter
Please note that this post is written by a member of our community, and does not necessarily reflect our organization’s views. If you would like to write an open letter to the Bolt Safety community to start a conversation on a topic or initiative that is close to your heart, please email us at boltsafety@gmail.com or alternatively, message us through this app itself.