About 200 people came out to show their support for peace in the community at the annual Peace Walk.
A Better Way, a non-profit organization in Muncie that focuses on empowering individuals, bringing peace to homes and influencing the community in a positive way through prevention and crisis intervention, hosted the Peace Walk in Westside Park the morning of April 16.
The Peace Walk was a fundraising event for the nonprofit, and the money from the walk will go to A Better Way’s shelter and outreach programs. Participants had raised $8,000 online before the event had started.
Kate Murray,
“We, as a whole, just stand for peace,” Murray said. “Violence is never the answer.”
A Better Way has a history of helping out people in potentially violent situations.
“They gave me shelter, to begin with," Tzarfati said. "They gave me and my kids all of our necessities and then some. They helped me get my son after I couldn’t get him for four days.”
Members of A Better Way have encouraged her and comforted her in her times of need, Tzarfati said.
Betsy Varner, a victim advocate at A Better Way, works with fifth grade through high school students and teaches them about healthy relationships. She also teaches them what to do if they have an unhealthy or violent relationship.
“We definitely have moments where we know we’re reaching,” Barner said. “I’ve had some kids email and say, ‘Thank you for saying this. It was a really great learning experience for me. I kind of realized I wasn’t in a good relationship.’”
Ball State’s Greek Life is also involved with A Better Way. Six women from Alpha Chi Omega and 14 men from Sigma Nu attended the Peace Walk. A Better Way is the philanthropy for both organizations.
Sophomore marketing and entrepreneurship major and Alpha Chi Omega member Kaelen Ackerson recounted working at the shelter owned by A Better Way for the first time.
“When we actually did the work in the shelter, we saw what our money and what our time and efforts were going toward,” Ackerson said. “I know that a lot of sisters have found a deeper meaning in their work.”
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