Today the LA Times homepage featured a story, “Jerry Crowe: One phone call changed Greg LeMond’s life,” that caught my attention because I had a good guess as to what it was about. Greg LeMond is a three-time Tour de France winner, and also happens to be a victim of sexual abuse in his past. My friend Steve LePore (who I have to thank for showing me what serving the poor and homeless is really like, as we meet on a regular basis) started an organization called “1 in 6″ to help men deal with abuse in their past, and Greg LeMond is now a board member of this organization.
The LA Times article mentions this, and here’s an excerpt:
…His secret was out. Rather than retreat again, however, LeMond boldly stepped forward as the rare celebrity advocate whose first-person knowledge makes him a natural spokesman for his cause. Within months, he signed on as a founding board member of 1in6.org, a Santa Clarita-based nonprofit that, according to its website, “helps men who have had unwanted or abusive sexual experiences in childhood live healthier, happier lives.”
…Steve LePore, founder and executive director of 1in6, says LeMond has put the nonprofit and its cause on the map. The issue is automatically taboo,” says LePore, who for nearly two decades ran a nonprofit that worked with homeless children. “No one wants to get close to it. I’ve been in nonprofit work for 22 years and this is not on anyone’s radar screen, so to have a person of celebrity who’s willing to be as candid and as honest and as forthright has only served us well.”
It’s an interesting article. I find it fascinating how certain causes are not popular ones to deal with, and I admire Steve for starting this organization to help people that need it.
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