A two-time Grey Cup champion wasn’t afraid to tell a bunch of guys over breakfast he calls his mom every day. After all, former Calgary Stampeder linebacker/DB Keon Raymond’s mother pulling her family out of its St. Louis home to get away from an abusive relationship took more strength than him trying to chase down Brandon Banks in the 2014 Grey Cup. “She’s got the courage to pack up me, my brother and my sister and we drove two days to Seattle, Washington and we stayed at a women’s shelter for six months until we figured out what we would do next,” said Raymond to approximately 70 men at the Rowan House Society’s Breakfast With the Guys event Friday at the Okotoks Best Western. “I love my momma to death — nobody thinks it weird because I love my momma so much.” Raymond, who also won a Grey Cup ring in 2008, is a spokesperson for the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters. He admitted it might have looked like he was preaching to the choir — those in the audience, like most men, treat women with respect. But those men are key people to reach. “The goal is to create awareness,” Raymond said in an interview. “It’s about allowing people to know they don’t have to be a bystander, about being able to speak out against gender-based violence.” He said in an office, school or team setting it’s important not to sit back. “There’s one guy who may be the male-macho guy and he makes a joke or a catcall, the other guys sit back no matter how it affects them even though they want to say something, but the majority of them are afraid of the backlash that will come,” he said. “Being able to speak about gender-based violence is huge. “The majority of men don’t abuse, but we don’t have the majority speaking out against it, and being a deterrent.” Raymond told the men and the sprinkling of women he is continuing to learn about abuse. He was shocked to hear of his wife taking precautions in regards to parking lot, where as he’d be willing to park right next to something out of The Sopranos. When he asked men in the audience what they did to prevent themselves from facing gender violence, Raymond didn’t hear a peep. However many women raised their hands when asked the same question, offering suggestion such as holding their car keys as a potential weapon (Raymond said it is called the ‘Wolverine Tactic’) to always letting someone know where they are going. The Rowan House message isn’t just restricted to the businessmen of Okotoks. Okotoks municipal peace officer Andy Wiebe is part of Rowan House’s Leading Change — Engaging Men and Boys in the Prevention of Gender-based Violence. The program assists young men in how to speak out against things like sexist comments including those on social media when they may be uncomfortable to do so. Sherrie Botten, Rowan House executive director, said there maybe many men at the Guys for Breakfast audience who were thinking — ‘Why do I have to be here? “That is the best question,” Botten said. “Why is it my job to ensure it doesn’t happen? “(Gender abuse) is everywhere, you don’t know where it is happening, everyone has a mother, a partner, a sister whatever, it doesn’t just happen to the poor or to those who are disadvantaged, it could be anywhere.” She said although the vast majority of homes are healthy ones, a child in school may be sitting next to a fellow student from an abusive home. “The reason it is important is that everyone has to learn to stand-up,” she said. “We want men to say: ‘Yeah that’s not my life, but I want my friends and colleagues to understand that when my daughter goes out she has to think of things differently than when my son goes out — I want everyone to be safe.’” The Rowan House Emergency Shelter in High River provides protection and counselling for women and their families who face domestic abuse issues. The facility can accommodate up to 24 people, which includes women and their children and sadly, the shelter is full. For information about Rowan House or to donate to the shelter and its programs go to rowanhouse.ca.
