It's to be a night of inspiration and education. Partners Family Services is holding a Community Rising Gala event, which will feature a talk by retired NHL superstar, Theo Fleury.
The event will be held on June 11 and will be raising funds for Partners while also raising awareness for their programs, the focus being on sexual violence in the family.
"We tend to think we're sheltered because we live in Saskatchewan," said Andy Burgess, board treasurer for Partners. "In small towns, it's more likely to get covered up so it's important for this message to get out there."
The event will be held in two parts. Thanks to sponsorship by local businesses and the City of Humboldt, students in Grades 6 to 12 from schools in the surrounding area will have the opportunity to hear Fleury speak for free in the afternoon. The second part will be held in the evening for anyone who wants to buy tickets.
"We're hoping that the students will be able to take away from it the same thing as everyone else, that we're able to create some awareness around these issues," said Rachel Trann, executive director for Partners. "We want to reduce the stigma and let people know that if you have been a victim or know someone who has, there is help out there and it's okay to come forward."
Their key speaker, Fleury, is expected to connect with people on two different levels: his hockey career and his experience with sexual abuse. In 2009, Fleury wrote an autobiography entitled Playing with Fire, which revealed that his coach Graham James had sexually abused him during his time with the NHL's Moose Jaw Warriors in the '80s.
Fleury eventually filed a criminal complaint against James, who subsequently pleaded guilty to charges of sexual assault. James then spent time in prison as a convicted sex offender for his sexual assaults on other male hockey players, the most famous case being that of Sheldon Kennedy.
Since then, Fleury has spoken about his experiences around the world.
"Theo was one of the first athletes to come out and acknowledge that this terrible thing happened to him and has really ignited discussion across the country, across the world really," said Michelle Bankowski, the fundraising chair for Partners.
Tickets for the event will be sold at Diamonds of Detroit, but there will only be 300 of them.
