SUNY Canton Walked 3,700 Miles During Domestic Violence Awareness Month

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A group of 78 members of the extended SUNY Canton community walked 3,700 miles during October to raise awareness about domestic violence.

During the “1 Step Forward” virtual challenge, participants logged their activity for the entire month of October to promote resources available to victims and education on domestic and dating violence. It was orchestrated through the college’s Office of Wellness Promotions and the Personal Counseling Center.

Lillian Mulverhill, Jazmine Guzman, and Cheyanne Bormann take part in 1 Step Forward.
SUNY Canton students and Alpha Chi Omicron, Inc., sorority sisters walk across campus as part of the college’s “1 Step Forward” challenge. Pictured (l to r) are Lillian J. Mulverhill, an Applied Psychology major from Malone, Jazmine M. Guzman, a Veterinary Technology major from Newark, and Cheyanne R. Bormann, an Early Childhood major from Herkimer.

“Participants logged steps equivalent to walking from SUNY Canton to California and then continuing to just outside Austin, Texas,” said Farren C. Lobdell, director of wellness promotions. “The end result is extra significant to us, because Austin is the headquarters of the National Domestic Violence Hotline and Love is Respect organizations.”

Traditionally, SUNY Canton has participated in a walk during October, which has been designated Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Lobdell and Counselor Erin Scoon designed the virtual challenge to engage online students, alumni and community members in addition to traditional on-campus students, faculty and staff members.

Sorority sisters from Alpha Chi Omicron, Inc., assisted with the month-long project.

About SUNY Canton

As Northern New York's premier college for career-driven bachelor's degrees, associate degrees and professional certificate programs, SUNY Canton delivers quality hands-on programs in engineering technology, management, and healthcare fields. It is home to the Center for Criminal Justice, Intelligence and Cybersecurity. Faculty members are noted for their professional real-world experience in addition to outstanding academic credentials. As SUNY's leader in online education, SUNY Canton OnLine offers hundreds of flexible and convenient courses as well as 23 online degree programs. The SUNY Canton Kangaroos 15 traditional athletic teams compete at the NCAA Division III level as part of the North Atlantic Conference. SUNY Canton also features varsity esports and cheerleading.