How does Survivors for Change help?
Rooted in Strength.
Stronger Together.
Survivors for Change’s mission is to provide education, advocacy, peer engagement, and wellness resources to support survivors of sexual abuse to help them on their journey of healing and justice.
Through the creation of our Educational Curricula, S4C envisions a future where healthy relationships are prioritized over a culture of “win at all costs.” By focusing on the interpersonal relationships within our sport and the necessary boundaries between them, the members of our community will gain a greater understanding of how to best work together and share in the experience surrounding our children and the game they love.
To support our efforts in raising awareness of this issue, creating educational materials to help the survivors and the community, and advocating for change through powerful storytelling, please support our signature project “The Incubation of Silence”.
Leadership
+ Michael Sacks
Chairman
Mike’s vision brings forth a truly transformational program developed in collaboration with the hockey community to be implemented in the locker room, on the ice and significantly off the ice. This is not the grandiose vision of an outsider, but the principled methodology of a trailblazer defining what it means to be a game changer. Sacks was 15 years old in 1982 when a youth hockey coach gained his and his family’s trust, fueling his sports dreams while leveraging the situation as a form of sinister grooming. The coach subjected Michael to predatory sexual abuse spanning nearly two years of his young life. Despite long-lasting trauma from the abuse, Sacks built a career as a telecom engineer.
In September 2018, Sacks wrote a letter to the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) that prompted an investigation into the coach who had abused him. As a result, the formerly prominent coach in youth and collegiate hockey was banned for life. The abuse went on for decades as warnings went unheeded by authorities, but as the case unfolded, Sacks heard about other youth hockey players who had been abused by the same coach. He teamed up with fellow survivor, Kelly Gee, to form Survivors for Change.
+ Kelly Gee
Executive Director
Kelly sees a future where systems no longer harbor predators and abusive relationships in sports while providing resources to programs, families, and people of the communities to support safe sporting arenas for all. Taking to his newfound role head on, Kelly emerged as a leader in the fight to prevent sexual abuse in sports and drive accountability for the people and institutions who have allowed for this pervasive issue to exist.
In 1999, Gee came to Chicago to pursue his dreams of playing hockey. The 17-year-old was living out of his truck when a prominent local coach took him in. The coach turned out to be a serial abuser who sexually assaulted Gee and exploited other youth athletes over decades. Despite long-lasting trauma from the abuse, Gee built a successful career. He coached numerous teams, produced hundreds of prospects, primarily goaltenders, founded Kage Sports Inc. and Quantum Institute.
Gee has gone as far to participate in speaking sessions with members of the US Senate and US Congress as a member of a Survivor led team of advocates driving change at the legislative level.
+ Michelle Cronin
Strategist, Genisys Advisor
Michelle Cronin is a strategy and finance professional working with Boards, executive teams, and staff to focus their operations and resources. She works with local and national organizations to increase their impact through building capacity, enhancing the effectiveness of their services, and fostering strong leadership. Michele has considerable experience working for nonprofits such as Feeding America and Teach for America leading their national strategy and performance management efforts. She previously worked in the for-profit world for consulting and financial services firms such as Goldman Sachs. Michelle is a dedicated civic leader volunteering and serving on Boards of organizations improving communities by addressing equity issues including access to education, healthcare, and resources. She is proud to work with the team at Survivors for Change creating systemic change and supporting people on their journey of healing and justice.
Resource Center Update
Survivors for Change Online Resource Center to explore a range of educational tools and methodologies to help up your game. Cari Egharevba shares the vision on how S4C is changing the culture of Hockey.
What began as a dream
to make a difference
Rooted in the founder's history, dating back decades, review our visual timeline to learn more about the evolution of our movement and the formation of Survivors for Change.
Survivors for Change presents The Incubation of Silence a multi-part documentary series. The Incubation of Silence, takes on one of the last taboos in sports. It kicks in the door of a closed hockey community where, for decades, abuse was allowed to fester beneath a cloak of protection. The documentary series is anchored by two victims, abused decades apart, who summoned the courage as adults to take on their abuser and the system that shielded the truth. Michael Sacks and Kelly Gee overcome years of abuse, living to tell the tale so others won’t have to.
Join the Conversation
If you feel like you or someone you know is in crisis, you should call 911 (or call RAINN at 800-656-4673) or go to an emergency room to get immediate help.