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•T h e IF P • H al to n H ill s •T hu rs da y, M ay 1 6, 2 01 3 12 CHURCHES & TEMPLES GEORGETOWN CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH welcomes you! Lead Pastor: Rev. Gary vanLeeuwen Youth Pastor: Brian DeBoer Sunday Worship Services: 10:00 am & 6:00 pm 11611 Trafalgar Road (north of Maple Avenue) 905-877-4322 www.gcrc.on.ca SUNDAY SERVICES Meeting In: Georgetown Seniors Centre Address: 318 Guelph Street Phone: 905-873-1005 Website: www.haltonhillsbiblechapel.com www.knoxgeorgetown.ca Service Dial-in: 905-702-1629 God's Word for Today's World. Interim-Moderator - Rev. Wendy Lampman Chair-lift access available. 'Sunday's Cool' youth ministry program for ages 4 & up. 116 Main St. S., Georgetown, ON 905-877-7585 Services EVERY Sunday New Location: 16 Adamson Street, South Norval, Halton Hills familyhouseofworship@start.ca Services starting at 10 am A Word and Spirit Faith Church Starting April 21, 2013 at 9 am info@spiritwaveministries.ca www.spiritwaveministries.ca Meeting Location: Mold-Masters SportsPlex - Gordon Alcott Heritage Hall 221 Guelph St., Georgetown WHAT DOES GOD SAY ABOUT YOU? Pastor Sandra & Blair Dalziel 647-786-8594 Child care for infants to 5 years Sign up fo r fre e e -O ffe rs an d g e t th e in sid e sco o p o n th e b e st flye r d e als! @ C heck o ut this w eek's m o ney saving d eals fro m o ur team o f exp erts. { { ek's m o ney saving d e $38 SA V E U P TO O N Y O U R N E X T G R O C E R Y B ILL! Just a few o f o ur Featured A d vertisers: The sexual abuse Chris Kirby suffered as a child has had a profound impact on his life. The 40-year-old Georgetown man, who was abused by the teenage son of a family friend when he was nine years old, said the fallout he's experienced has been far- reaching. In an effort to help others who have been abused, raise awareness and funds and stop sexual abuse from happening to other children, Kirby has taken on the role of local co-ordinator for the Victor Walk taking place in Georgetown Thurs- day, May 23 from 11 a.m. to noon at Do- minion Gardens Park. The local walk is part of the National Victor Walk Movement powered by Or- ange Wave of Courage that will see NHL superstar and sex abuse victim Theo Fl- eury walk from Toronto to Ottawa to raise awareness and change the way Ca- nadians understand the effects of child sexual abuse. Fleury, who began his walk this week, will be arriving in Ottawa May 23-- the same day local walks are planned across the country. Everyone--- survivors, supporters of survivors and child advocates-- is encour- aged to come out to the Georgetown event to support and create awareness about how child sexual abuse has affected and impacted their lives. Members of the community will walk the path around the gardens in hopes of raising awareness and funds for the planned Little Warriors Be Brave Ranch-- a long- term treatment centre for children, the fi rst of its kind. Those who come out can choose to collect pledges for their walk or just show their support Child sexual abuse statistics are alarm- ing. They show that one in three girls and one in six boys will experience an un- wanted sexual act and 95 per cent of vic- tims know their perpetrator. Seventy per cent of sexual abuse sur- vivors report excessive use of drugs and alcohol, 60 per cent of women with panic disorder are victims of child sexual abuse and 76 per cent of prostitutes have a his- tory of child sexual abuse. Kirby said sexual abuse is happening ev- erywhere. "It's happening in nice, quiet, little Georgetown. People need to talk about it, take it out of the dark- ness and shine a light on it," he said. Kirby said the main reason he wanted to get involved with the Vic- tor Walk is that "the big push is for awareness, advocacy, and healing for the people it's hap- pened to and changing the laws to make sure it doesn't happen to other people." The abuse Kirby suf- fered as a child has had far-reaching consequences in his life. It has impacted his relationships-- he's had two failed marriages. "I fl irted with alcohol abuse and had a fairly disastrous 20s," said Kirby. "No- body gets in, nobody gets to see what I really think or feel. You shut everything down, you don't trust anyone, you don't feel you're worthy of anything," said Kir- by. He blames himself for the abuse. "It's funny because I know logically, and I know from what I've read, and be- cause I'm a parent that it's not my fault, but the gut feeling is guilt," Kirby said. He said it's been a "bloody hard road," but he's coping better now after undergo- ing therapy, which he described as a "long slow process." He has a daughter and is happily mar- ried to Jodi Stansfi eld-- whom he used to date in high school. He wants to send a message to others who have been sexually abused so they can survive as he has. "I survived. I made it through," he said. He added it's important for him to "just to be able to show people you can get better, you can have a happy life and be worth while, you can shake off all the things that does to you." The Victor Movement highlights the work of and supports Little Warriors, Sexual Assault Centre for Quinte & dis- trict and the Siksika Nation. For more information on the Victor Walk and the 2013 Victor Movement or to obtain a pledge form visit www.victor- walk.com For information on the local event contact Kirby at 416-788-0009 or email him at victorwalkgeorgetown@bell.net. Abuse victim organizes local Victor Walk for May 23 THEO FLEURY (LEFT) AND CHRIS KIRBY By LISA TALLYN Staff Writer