Men and women alike will strap on high-heeled stiletto shoes for a 50-yard dash this weekend, as the ACCESS women’s shelter will host the Kick Up Your Heels 5K and Stiletto Sprint May 7.

The inaugural event for the shelter also is the first of its kind in Akron, said Joy Trachsel, volunteer and public relations coordinator for ACCESS.

Registration begins at 6:45 a.m. this Saturday at Summit Mall, and the event helps the homeless shelter continue its crucial mission of providing food and lodging for women in need. Last year, ACCESS served more then 42,000 meals and provided 14,000 safe nights of shelter for women, she added.

The Women’s Endowment Fund honored Women’s History Month in March by welcoming northeast Ohio’s own history-maker to its annual dinner. Connie Schultz, a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for the Cleveland Plain Dealer, entertained and inspired more than 300 guests at the dinner with stories about her life as a columnist, senator’s wife, mother and activist.

As a columnist known for seeking out social injustices – particularly those affecting women – Schultz emphasized the importance of speaking up and creating change. In one instance, she recalled attending a charity event in Cleveland and talking to a weary clerk at the coat-check desk. The woman had been simultaneously waiting tables and was visibly exhausted.