Crystal’s Call Walk of Honor, a walk fundraising for domestic violence, will be held on the streets of Macon Oct. 5.
According to a report gathered by Lt. Mike Kinirey at the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office, there were over 1,600 offenses of domestic violence in 2018. The walk hopes to decrease that number, and is hosted in memory of Crystal Harris, a nursing student who was killed by her ex-boyfriend in an act of domestic violence Oct. 3, 2005.
“By having this walk in Crystal’s memory, hopefully it will prevent other victims from a tragic end and give them courage to leave a bad relationship,” Police Col. Aubrey Evins wrote to The Cluster in an email.
Teresa Harris, Crystal’s mother, founded the event to raise awareness about the realities of domestic violence in the Macon area. This is the fourth consecutive year of the walk.
This year, Lekeshia Henderson with A.I.D.E. Solutions L.L.C. is organizing the event due to Teresa being ill. This is her first year with the event.
“It does affect my family,” she said. ”I’ve had a few family members that have been victims of domestic violence and one who lost his life to it, so it’s dear to my heart.”
Each year, a different organization is chosen for the event to support, with this year’s being Street to Success, a Macon non-profit that helps youth with “connecting to God and knowing that there are other options outside of crime and violence,” Henderson said.
In previous years, nonprofits such as the Crisis Line & Safe House of Central Georgia and the Family Counseling Center of Central Georgia were supported by the walk.
Registration begins on-site at 7 a.m., and the event will take place from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.. The $25 registration fee includes admittance to the event, as well as a t-shirt, tote bag and towel. Donations are also accepted.
Preceding the walk from Macon City Hall to Rosa Parks Square, the event will feature a short program with different organizations and community leaders speaking about domestic violence in Macon and beyond.
Henderson said there has been a decent turnout in the past, but she has higher hopes for this year and that Mercer students will get involved.
“My hope for this year is that I would like to see the community come out in big numbers,” she said. “We never know the actions and the words we say could possibly save someone’s life, if not today, then tomorrow, or next year.”
Mary Helene Hall ‘23 is a journalism and women’s and gender studies student who has worked for The Cluster throughout her time at Mercer. She has held internships at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and AL.com, where she covered a variety of topics including politics, crime and culture.
