How does Survivors for Change help?

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 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 the Executive Director 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 16-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 abused 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, 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 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.