Cyclists traveling across the country will stop in Aiken 7/30/2010 11:13 PM Submitted article A team of cyclists on a three-month bicycle trek across America will make a local stop in Aiken on Monday to spread the message of preventing one of society's most devastating crimes: child sexual abuse.
Participants in the cross-country trip hope to raise awareness and donations to benefit Darkness to Light (D2L, www.d2l.org), a nonprofit with a mission to teach adults how to prevent, recognize and react responsibly to sexual abuse of children.
The Child Advocacy Center of Aiken County will host a special event for the cyclists on Monday at 4 p.m. at the Child Advocacy Center, 4231 Trolley Line Road. There will be a press conference, and the three young men who are cycling across the United States will share their message of the importance of the prevention of child sexual abuse.
The cyclists' team includes Tyler Gilliam, Landon Phillips and Mike Allen. The trio will begin their journey from Charleston on Saturday and hope to arrive in Los Angeles by late October.
"Our main goal is to raise awareness about the devastating impact of child sexual abuse on victims, families and society," said Gilliam. "It's a difficult subject to discuss. But public discussion and education is the only way to fight back and prevent these crimes from occurring. We are committed to opening up that discussion and creating dialogue about prevention all along our trek."
Gilliam said that discussion begins with alarming facts. There are an estimated 40 million victims of child sexual abuse in the country. It is linked to a host of social issues including teen pregnancy, psychiatric disorders and substance abuse. Statistics show one in four girls and one in six boys are sexually abused before age 18. Additionally, it ranks second to murder as the most expensive victim crime in the United States, where costs for intervention and treatment surpass $3.4 billion annually.
During the bike trek, the team plans to overnight at community fire stations and with D2L affiliate hosts. The team will interact with D2L representatives along the route, including news interviews, community rallies and speaking engagements. D2L has cultivated affiliate representatives in 48 states and 10 foreign countries.
The public is encouraged to support the team at this week's event. Donations may be made at the event or through the group's website www.pedalforprevention.com.
Citizens are also encouraged to take the D2L "Stewards of Children" prevention training class. Dates, times and locations of the trainings are available through the local D2L affiliate or online at www.d2l.org.
Trainings are open to the public and are of specific interest among parents, youth sports organizations/coaches/camp counselors, youth service organizations, teachers/school personnel and faith centers.
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