For the first time ever, dogs can take monetary pledges in the Women in Distress DogWalk!

MIAMI LAKES, Fla. - Sept. 20, 2013 - PRLog -- Women In Distress, an organization that aids domestic violence victims, is hosting its 15^th annual Women in Distress SAFEWALK-RUN  5K Presented by Pollo Tropical  and its 3^rd annual Dog Walk! The event will take place at Tradewinds Park in Coconut Creek, Florida at 7 a.m. on Saturday, October 26, 2013. Walkers can bring along their beloved four-legged friends for an extra $10, to walk along side them. The proceeds of the $10 dog sign-up fee go towards building an animal shelter on the grounds of the family shelter for the domestic violence victims.

“Because of the enormous success of last year’s SAFEWALK  and DogWalk we decided to allow pets to take pledges to help raise money for the shelter,” said  Mary Riedel, the president and CEO of Women in Distress.

Seventy-five percent of Americans know someone who was a victim of domestic violence. Often times, domestic violence victims won’t leave their abusive partners because they fear leaving their pets behind. This walk allows victims to bring their pets along with them, she said.

Morgan Marquez, the teen chairperson for the DogWalk said, “I’m so excited that pets can take pledges this year! I think it’s really going to push the pet shelter fundraiser forward and enable us to start construction in the near future!”

Women In Distress is the only nationally accredited, state-certified, full service domestic violence center serving Broward County, Florida. The organization has a 24-hour crisis line, emergency shelter program, individual counseling, support groups and professional trainings which are aimed at educating the community on domestic violence. Its confidential services are offered free of charge to victims of domestic violence. Women In Distress currently operates a 132 bed shelter, an outreach center (Jim & Jan Moran Family Center), and a thrift store.

To register online for the walk or to support a walker go to http://safewalk2013.kintera.org/ (http://safewalk2013.kintera.org/%20) .

For more information, check out http://www.womenindistress.org/safewalk-run5k/ or send an email to WIDvolunteer@gmail.com.

For more information on this press release and the event, please contact Maria via maria@inklinkmarketing.com.