17°c Partly cloudy
12°c Cloudy with showers
Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Actor follows steps of great-grandma
Raises money to combat domestic abuse
Trevor Hagan / Winnipeg Free Press archives Steve Braun (centre) walks in 2010.
A Hollywood actor with Manitoba roots is walking from Winkler to Winnipeg to raise awareness about domestic abuse.
Steve Braun, whose biggest movie credit came in 2004's Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, says his family history inspired him to walk the 157 kilometres, raising money and speaking to school groups along the way.
In the early 1930s, Braun's great-grandmother was forced to flee her southern Manitoba home. Her husband, an alcoholic, threatened her with a gun. Mary Braun escaped the house, walked 15 kilometres in the snow to a neighbour's house and spent the night.
She was forced to return home the next day.
"It's a story I've heard from time to time from my grandmother, my mother and my aunts," says Braun, 36. "These things ripple through the generations. I think that's why it's so important to talk about it. This lives on in families."
The Sept. 24-29 walk is Braun's third. This year, he's raising money for Genesis House, a Winkler shelter for abused women and their children. He raised several thousand dollars on each of his previous walks.
His walk retraces the steps his great-grandmother took in 1933.
"The point is to do something ridiculous that people will pay attention to. They're wondering why this guy is doing this; maybe they're thinking about the issue. It's more a matter of getting the word out."
He says when he has spoken at schools and gatherings on his previous walks, people have come up and shared their own stories.
"It's 'Hey, you know, my cousin, my aunt, my sister.' Everyone's got a story."
Braun says he wants to engage men in the issue.
"We need to get men to the table. That means having a discussion that doesn't say 'You're awful,' but 'We men have a problem and we need to talk about it.' "
This year, Braun has his Hollywood and Canadian acting friends helping out. His website (walkfortheshelters.com) has a variety of young actors holding signs that read "Abuse Is Not Welcome In My Home."
"I think actors at their best have a level of compassion," he says. "When you're an actor, your whole life is about you. This is good for their art."
He laughs.
Braun spent his early years in Southdale. He moved to Toronto in 1997 to finish university and was bit by the acting bug. Moves to New York and Los Angeles followed.
While he's raising funds for Genesis House, he encourages people to donate to any domestic-abuse shelter.
Speaking at schools is the best part of the journey, he says.
"I think we need to start this discussion young," Braun says. "If you're a woman and you've seen this in your house, you might think this is what love is. If you're a boy, you might think this is what men do. It's so obvious the cycle is continuing."
The walking is tedious, Braun says, but engaging with students is terrific.
"That's satisfying. This walk is really about the conversation."
-- -- --
While we're on the subject of walking, scores of you responded to the story of Kris Doubledee, the Winnipeg Transit driver who gave his shoes to a homeless man. If you want to follow his example, go to the More Than Shoes website (morethanshoes.ca). It's a Winnipeg Harvest initiative that matches schools attended by kids who need shoes and boots with donors. Call Wendy Erlanger at 204-982-3663 if you want to help. Corydon Community Centre is now running a More Than Shoes drive, hoping to get more than 100 pairs of new boots and shoes.
Canadian Footwear, in conjunction with the Free Press, runs the Fit Feet on the Street program. It gets proper footwear on the feet of Manitoba families who can't afford to buy their own. They're looking for new or very gently used winter boots and shoes. You can drop off your donations at any Canadian Footwear location.
Mount Carmel Clinic (886 Main St.) also takes donations of new or used shoes for clients in need.
lindor.reynolds@freepress.mb.ca
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition September 21, 2012 A6
History
Updated on Friday, September 21, 2012 at 12:04 PM CDT: Corrects date of move to Toronto.
More Local
- Back to Top
- Return to Local
About Lindor Reynolds
National Newspaper Award winner Lindor Reynolds began work at the Free Press as a 17-year-old proofreader. It was a rough introduction to the news business.
Many years later, armed with a university education and a portfolio of published work, she was hired as a Free Press columnist. During her 20-plus years on the job she has written for every section in the paper, with the exception of Business. She’ll get around to them some day.
Lindor has received considerable recognition for her writing. Her awards include the Will Rogers Humanitarian Award, the National Society of Newspaper Columnists’ general interest award and the North American Travel Journalists Association top prize.
Her work on Internet luring led to an amendment to the Criminal Code of Canada and her coverage of the child welfare system prompted a change to Manitoba Child and Family Services Act to make the safety of children paramount.
She has earned three citations of merit for the Michener Award for Meritorious Public Service in Journalism and has been awarded a Distinguished Alumni commendation from the University of Winnipeg. Lindor was also named a YMCA/YWCA Woman of Distinction.
She is married with four daughters. If her house was on fire and the kids and dog were safe, she’d grab her passport.
lindor.reynolds@freepress.mb.ca
Poll
Most Popular Local
- City's first urban reserve born
- Woman drove into river on purpose
- City set to seize derelict hotel
- Crash victims were good friends, free spirits
- Accused fraudster fights extradition to U.S.
- Flood money paid for CEO's romantic trip
- Evidence ignored in dangerous driving acquital, appeal court told
- Witness changes story of killing
- Jockey club launches $350-M civil suit against province
- Police searching for suspect who woke sleeping teen
- Man charged, victims identified in double homicide
- Man dies after being pulled from vehicle submerged in Winnipeg retention pond
- Flood money paid for CEO's romantic trip
- Crash claims two young women, RCMP say
- Developers to unveil plans for bold downtown tower
- Police identify slaying victims
- Apple trick on Ellen falls short for city woman
- 2 dead in crash near Portage la Prairie
- The end of the credit card?
- City's first urban reserve born
- Hundreds pitch in to dig out houses damaged, destroyed by Ochre Beach ice floe
- A child-custody catastrophe
- Charleswood deaths being investigated as domestic incident
- Man charged, victims identified in double homicide
- Co-worker 'sick' today? Maybe it's the $17M flu
- Man dies after being pulled from vehicle submerged in Winnipeg retention pond
- '2 minutes after I read the winning numbers, I retired': Winnipeg lotto winner
- Flood money paid for CEO's romantic trip
- Parents, community relieved and elated as missing boy found safe
- No threat from bag found at Winnipeg Square
- City's first urban reserve born
- First Nation celebrates groundbreaking on city's first urban reserve
- Better PTSD treatment for RCMP urged
- Developers to unveil plans for bold downtown tower
- Armed forces buys buses from Motor Coach
- Flood money paid for CEO's romantic trip
- Accused fraudster fights extradition to U.S.
- Crash victims were good friends, free spirits
- Athletes could sit under new school rules
- City set to seize derelict hotel
- Developers to unveil plans for bold downtown tower
- Fishing for fashion
- Famous city grocer loved job, customers
- Core grocer a challenge: expert
- Flood money paid for CEO's romantic trip
- City's first urban reserve born
- Grocer Joe Cantor dies at 88
- North End proud
- Power restored to Linden Woods after goose collides with lines
- First Nation celebrates groundbreaking on city's first urban reserve
- Hundreds pitch in to dig out houses damaged, destroyed by Ochre Beach ice floe
- Mental-health patients get own ER
- A child-custody catastrophe
- An uncommon phenomenon
- Developers to unveil plans for bold downtown tower
- Steen invests $1M in family entertainment centre
- Earls on Main going, but new one coming
- Province introduces changes to rules governing landlords, renters
- Crushing blow for amateur sport
- Boost same-sex curricula: union
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.