Sheldon Kennedy skated for three teams in his eight-year NHL career, but is best known for his courageous decision to charge his Major Junior Hockey league coach with sexual assault for the abuse he suffered over a five-year period while a teenager under his care.

Sheldon has become an inspiration to millions of abuse survivors around the world and a committed, outspoken child advocate. His life story was made into an award-winning movie, he has appeared on Oprah, ABC’s Nightline, W-5, and The Fifth Estate, and he was named Canada’s newsmaker of the year in 1997.

In 1998, Sheldon in-line skated across Canada to raise awareness of child abuse and donated all $1.2 million in proceeds from the skate to the Canadian Red Cross – Respect ED program. In 2006, Sheldon wrote “Why I Didn’t Say Anything,” a riveting account of the many psychological impacts of abuse.

He has received several awards for his tireless work, including the Scotiabank Humanitarian Award, an Honourary Doctorate of Laws Degree from the University of the Fraser Valley, the Diamond Jubilee Medal, the Beyond Borders Media Award, 2012 Calgary Citizen of the year and the 2014 David Foster Foundation Humanitarian Award. Sheldon has influenced changes in Canadian law and has taken his message to the International Olympic Committee and the US Senate.

Sheldon serves on the Board of the Sheldon Kennedy Child Advocacy Centre, the first of it's kind in Canada, offering full wrap-around services for victims of child abuse. Sheldon continues to influence social change through Respect Group, the company he co-founded that provides empowering on-line education for the prevention of abuse, bullying and harassment in youth serving organizations, schools and the workplace.