Community Events to Help Victims of Domestic and Sexual Violence

Registration is now open for the 2021 Cheers & Chocolate Community Crawl, a month-long give-back event raising funds and awareness for survivors of domestic and sexual violence in Muskegon County.

Every Woman’s Place (EWP) will host a special version of its beloved Cheers & Chocolate event, traditionally held in downtown Muskegon at the Culinary Institute of Michigan (CIM). In anticipation of a wider reopening of the economy in the spring, the Community Crawl invites businesses to support EWP by committing to giving back a portion of proceeds from featured items during the month of April.

MUSKEGON, MI – Toe up to the Starting Line for the 2021 Cheers & Chocolate Community Crawl! Every Woman’s Place (EWP) and the Culinary Institute of Michigan (CIM) are again collaborating to create a unique version of the culinary classic that’s been hosted in downtown Muskegon since 2003.

Beginning April 1 and ongoing for the entire month, folks across Muskegon will be visiting local businesses to purchase featured items—from pizza to cannoli, to coney dogs, to pottery! Businesses will give back a portion of proceeds from these items to EWP to support services in the community that respond to and help survivors recover from domestic or sexual violence.

For a continually updated list of participating businesses, visit everywomansplace.org/cheers-and-chocolate, or use the shortlink bit.ly/cheerslist. Meijer is helping kick off this month-long community engagement as the Cheers Community Crawl Starting Line Sponsor.

Also part of this year’s event is a Pop-Up Wine Pull on April 17 at Smash Wine Bar in downtown Muskegon, sponsored by Webb Chemical Corporation. Scheduled from 11 am to 2 pm, the pop-up will offer 100 bottles of wine, each valued at least $15. For a donation of $20, attendees and passersby 21 and over (ID required) can pull a bottle to take home. Find more details and a few of the featured bottles on the Pop-Up Wine Pull Facebook event.

In the Cheers Crawl Social Media Challenge, a weekly winner will be drawn at random from all social media posts on Facebook that use the hashtag #cheerscommunitycrawl. Prizes include bottles of wine, floral arrangements, and salon gift certificates. An arrangement donated by Flowers by Ray and Sharon (North Muskegon location) is the featured prize for April 1-9.

EWP, the CIM, and Brena will join forces for a cap-off celebration on April 24—the Cheers Crawl Finish Line—on the Olthoff Stage in downtown Muskegon. The community is invited to eat, drink, and stroll the downtown Muskegon Social District all day. Downtown visitors can end their outing at Olthoff Stage, where Brena, West Michigan’s premier party band, will perform from 5pm to 8pm. Attendees can put on their party shoes and dance to the music in specially-marked dance circles along Third Street, which will be closed between Western Avenue and Clay Street. The dance circles will be spaced for social distancing between groups.

The CIM chefs will have been busy creating specialty chocolates for sale at the Finish Line. Pre-ordering is now open at everywomansplace.org/cheers-and-chocolate for these delectable treats, which will include flavors representing the CIM (hazelnut latte with coffee ganache) and EWP (blackberry with dark chocolate and a teal ribbon decoration). Pickup of pre-orders or day-of purchases can be made at the chocolate booth at the Finish Line, made possible by our Chocolate Sponsor, Beth and Jerry Evans.

The Cheers Community Crawl is just one of EWP’s awareness and fundraiser activities that align with national Sexual Assault Awareness Month in April.

In 2021, EWP is also hosting four Netflix Watch Parties. Using the free platform Scener, EWP staff and viewers will be able to engage in chat conversation throughout the film viewing, and join in a short discussion following the movie. Registration is free at bit.ly/ewpSAAM.

Denim Day is a national campaign that focuses on raising awareness about sexual violence, supporting survivors and addressing the myths and misconceptions that surround this issue. To participate, donate and wear denim on April 28th to make a statement against sexual violence in all its forms.

The Muskegon Sexual Assault Response Team is collecting NEW bedding throughout the month of April for survivors of sexual assault. Drop-off locations include various police departments, the Prosecutor’s Office and EWP, or donors can order items on AmazonSmile (bit.ly/MSARTbedding) and ship directly to EWP.

About Every Woman’s Place

Every Woman’s Place provides residential crisis shelter and non-residential recovery services for victims and survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and sex trafficking. We provide a safe haven, complete with advocacy services, support groups, counseling and crisis response. All services are free of charge and are available and welcoming to anyone affected by abuse, assault, and violence.