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S3E2 Kathy Picard: One Woman’s Tireless 15-Year Quest to Challenge Outdated Statute of Limitations
Kathy Picard is an inspiring award-winning advocate whose work centers on increasing awareness of the harsh realities of sexual child abuse.
As a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, through her own process of trying to understand what happened to her, Kathy discovered that there was very little information about the subject of sexual abuse—even in the library. It was as if sexual abuse was “a secret” no one was willing to talk about! Since then, she has educated herself, and now actively seeks opportunities to speak about the importance of awareness, to share the resources she’s personally vetted, to educate people who want to know and do more, and to offer information and encouragement to fellow survivors and their family and friends.
Over her 15 years of advocacy—which included her persistent and determined work to get both the criminal and civil Statute of Limitations for sexual abuse eliminated—Kathy has been recognized for her efforts and received many awards, honors, and citations including:
Zonta International’s 2014 Founder’s Day Award
2014 Pynchon Award
Governor’s Citation from Governor Deval Patrick
State Senate Citation from Senator Gale Candaras
2006 Unsung Heroine Award from the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women
Public Policy Advocacy Award from the Massachusetts Office for Victim Assistance
Massachusetts Missing Children’s Day Award
Kathy has organized and hosted many child safety events, and has forged partnerships with both the YMCA of Greater Springfield and the Girl Scouts of Western and Central Massachusetts to teach Childhelp’s Speak Up Be Safe Evidence based curriculum.
She’s spoken at many colleges including Westfield State College, Westfield State University, Asnuntuck Community College, and Holyoke Community College; and continues to speak to organizations, groups, and facilities open to learning more about the problem, and about how their awareness might be able to help. She regularly speaks to future police officers at the police academy, and has spoken in both men’s and women’s correctional facilities.
Most recently, her book Life with My Idiot Family: A True Story of Courage, Survival and Justice over Childhood Sexual Abuse was published.
Her story was shared with Story Corps, and is archived at the American Folk life Center at the Library of Congress. She has been featured on Mass Appeal, PBS’s Connecting Point, and network affiliate news stations Channel 40 and 22. She has been heard on WFCR 88.5 FM, WHYN AM, and WBMX-Mix 104.1, and the story of her courage, determination, and perseverance has been featured in Western Mass Women Magazine and many newspapers throughout the state of Massachusetts.
********************
Connect with Torah, speaker + memoir author of An Amish Girl in Manhattan: Escaping At Age 15, Breaking All the Rules, and Feeling Safe Again
http://www.TorahBontrager.com
********************
Connect with Kathy:
www.kathypicard.com
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By Torah Bontrager - making women safe by collecting 1,111 stories of sexual assault survivorsKathy Picard is an inspiring award-winning advocate whose work centers on increasing awareness of the harsh realities of sexual child abuse.
As a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, through her own process of trying to understand what happened to her, Kathy discovered that there was very little information about the subject of sexual abuse—even in the library. It was as if sexual abuse was “a secret” no one was willing to talk about! Since then, she has educated herself, and now actively seeks opportunities to speak about the importance of awareness, to share the resources she’s personally vetted, to educate people who want to know and do more, and to offer information and encouragement to fellow survivors and their family and friends.
Over her 15 years of advocacy—which included her persistent and determined work to get both the criminal and civil Statute of Limitations for sexual abuse eliminated—Kathy has been recognized for her efforts and received many awards, honors, and citations including:
Zonta International’s 2014 Founder’s Day Award
2014 Pynchon Award
Governor’s Citation from Governor Deval Patrick
State Senate Citation from Senator Gale Candaras
2006 Unsung Heroine Award from the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women
Public Policy Advocacy Award from the Massachusetts Office for Victim Assistance
Massachusetts Missing Children’s Day Award
Kathy has organized and hosted many child safety events, and has forged partnerships with both the YMCA of Greater Springfield and the Girl Scouts of Western and Central Massachusetts to teach Childhelp’s Speak Up Be Safe Evidence based curriculum.
She’s spoken at many colleges including Westfield State College, Westfield State University, Asnuntuck Community College, and Holyoke Community College; and continues to speak to organizations, groups, and facilities open to learning more about the problem, and about how their awareness might be able to help. She regularly speaks to future police officers at the police academy, and has spoken in both men’s and women’s correctional facilities.
Most recently, her book Life with My Idiot Family: A True Story of Courage, Survival and Justice over Childhood Sexual Abuse was published.
Her story was shared with Story Corps, and is archived at the American Folk life Center at the Library of Congress. She has been featured on Mass Appeal, PBS’s Connecting Point, and network affiliate news stations Channel 40 and 22. She has been heard on WFCR 88.5 FM, WHYN AM, and WBMX-Mix 104.1, and the story of her courage, determination, and perseverance has been featured in Western Mass Women Magazine and many newspapers throughout the state of Massachusetts.
********************
Connect with Torah, speaker + memoir author of An Amish Girl in Manhattan: Escaping At Age 15, Breaking All the Rules, and Feeling Safe Again
http://www.TorahBontrager.com
********************
Connect with Kathy:
www.kathypicard.com