A charity event on Saturday will mark a grim anniversary in Burlington.
Ten years ago, 31-year-old Laura Winterbottom was abducted, sexually assaulted and murdered in Burlington. Winterbottom, an bright young artist and teacher, was approached walking from a Church Street bar to her car on College street.
The senseless crime rattled the community. For some, it was an eye-opening reminder of the widespread cultural problem of sexual violence.
JoaAnn Winterbottom, Laura's mother, says sexual assault can happen even in a city as safe as Burlington.
"One of the reasons that she moved to Burlington was that she felt it was a very safe community. What we're trying to do is raise awareness that these kinds of things can happen anywhere," she says.
A few months after the tragedy, Winterbottom's family launched the Laura Kate Winterbottom Memorial Fund in 2005. The organization's mission is to educate about and prevent crimes like the one that befell their daughter.
"Laura's March" is a 5k walk/run that the organization hosts every year.
Beneficiaries of this year's march include the Pride Center of Vermont and the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Program at UVM Medical Center.
JoAnn Winterbottom says the charity looks for under-funded programs within those organizations.
"Although these organizations are pretty well established, what we do is fund those programs that they have that are totally un-funded or under-funded. That's where we come in," Winterbottom says.
"What we do is fund those programs... that are totally unfunded or under-funded. That's where we come in." - JoAnn Winterbottom, Laura Kate Winterbottom Memorial Fund
She says the money for the Pride Center, for example, will go directly toward a legal fund.
HOPE Works and Champlain College will also receive support.
Part of that initiative includes the promotion of Breakaway, an interactive soccer video game that teaches gender equality and respect.
Ned Winterbottom, Laura's father, says it's crucial that boys learn this message early.
"We want to get more men involved in this cause," he says.
"Because the more men you have, the more positive messages they send to young men and boys, and the more they provide positive role models, the more likely it is that the cultural messages that people absorb through their skin as they're growing up will be less oriented towards this kind of an issue."
Over the past ten years, the fund has provided over $125,000 to organizations or programs in Vermont.
Laura's March will take place 9:00 am on Saturday, Sept. 12 at Oakledge Park in Burlington.
