Speaker and Sports Activist Kyle Richard Addresses Lackawanna College Students
Today, Lackawanna College hosted guest speaker Kyle Richard in the Peoples Security Bank Theater to share his story with students and the Scranton community, speak about violence prevention awareness and promote active bystanders.
Richard is a former SUNY Cortland linebacker and football team captain who was shot twice when he stepped in to stop a sexual assault in the summer of 2017. His experience has led Richard to become a nationally known advocate for bystander intervention and prevention of sexual assault.
“Richard’s presentation is an important part of our initiative to educate and engage our students in bystander awareness,” said Tierny Ulmer Cresswell, Student Wellness Program Director. “We are honored to host Richard and provide our students with an opportunity to hear his heroic story.”
Richard received several awards for his heroism, most notably the Biden Courage Award for Bystander Intervention from It’s On Us and the Biden Foundation, as well as the Orange Bowl Award and the Next Generation Award.
“I’m beyond excited to get the year kicked off at Lackawanna College,” said Richard. “I shared my story to provide a wide range of emotions through vulnerability and to motivate athletes, students and faculty to continue doing their part in preventing sexual and domestic violence.”
The Kyle Richard event was part of the Lackawanna College’s “It’s On Us Lackawanna” project, which was funded by a grant award from Governor Tom Wolf’s 2020-2021 It’s On Us PA grant program.