Former NHL player and co-founder of Respect Group Sheldon Kennedy was honoured with the Order of Sport from Canada's Sports Hall of Fame last week.

Aside from an accomplished career in sport, the Foothills resident is perhaps best known for his advocacy work, having devoted the last 20 years of his life to the prevention of bullying and abuse.

As such, Kennedy says he feels the accolade isn't a recognition of athletic achievement, but rather a victory for victims everywhere.

"For a lot of years, the issues of abuse, bullying, harassment, and discrimination never got recognized. To be able to say that the face of them or the advocate or the spokesperson for them is actually being inducted into the sports hall of fame or order of sport, it just says that this is important."

He says the use of one's platform can be a very powerful tool, especially for athletes, who often hold social standing both in their communities and amongst their peers.

"I'm a big believer in giving back, it's the way we were raised. If you look at sport, you look at anybody who is good at anything they do, it puts them in a position to influence others, to have a voice, and to lead the way. I think it's about leadership, I think it's about trying to do the right thing and not be scared to say 'okay, this isn't working, we need to go another way.'"

The Order of Sport is the latest in a long line of accolades for Kennedy, and not even his first of the year, having received the WHL Governor's Award in early May, as well as the Order of Hockey in Canada in February.

Kennedy says he hopes these honours act as a beacon of hope for victims of all kinds.

"My journey has not been perfect, but I think the biggest thing is that we're resilient, we stick with it, we don't give up. I think by Sheldon Kennedy going into the Sports Hall of Fame, it should give people hope that it doesn't matter how far down to the bottom you go, there's always hope to get back up and get going again."

 

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