Books

‘No Big Deal' author, Torey Ivanic, presents in Carbondale

By Myki Jones Sopris Sun Correspondent

Trigger warning: Th is article mentions childhood sexual abuse and grooming

River Bridge Regional Center and Roaring Fork Schools will host an open presentation with a special guest speaker, Torey Ivanic, at the Roaring Fork School District offi ces in Carbondale on Sept. 1 from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. Th is presentation is to raise awareness about child abuse, specifi cally sexual abuse, and how to recognize the signs of “grooming” to keep children safe from predators. Other speakers will include the development director of River Bridge, Mary Ann Cloud, and Sonia Lindman from Aspen Hope Center. Th e event will include dinner provided by White House Pizza at 5 p.m.

River Bridge is a nonprofi t advocacy organization based in Glenwood Springs with the mission of providing collaborative services to child victims of abuse and their families. Th ey also focus on bringing informative and educational services to the community. River Bridge works closely with law enforcement and human services departments in Garfi eld, Pitkin, Eagle and Rio Blanco counties to aid with investigations. Additionally, they also provide mental and medical health resources to child victims and their non-off ending family members.

Th e Sopris Sun sat down with Cloud to discuss the presentation and its relevance. "We [River Bridge] rely on the school districts because they — our teachers, administrators, counselors, and coaches — are our mandatory reporters," she said.

Cloud explained that in addition to parents, teachers and mentors are the ones seeing children at critical times to identify potential abuse or neglect happening within the home or elsewhere.

Th e special guest speaker, Ivanic, is an advocate for sexual abuse prevention and the author of "No Big Deal", a book that vulnerably recounts her story of being groomed and abused by her gymnastics coach, how she came to realize it was abuse and her journey of healing and seeking justice. Ivanic will speak about her personal experience and educate attendees on how to look out for grooming tactics to protect our children.

Cloud said she felt it was important to do this collaborative project with the school district and Ivanic because of the sentiment conveyed by Ivanic's book: that secrets are a big deal. Oft en in cases of child sexual abuse, children will be groomed by their abusers into thinking the opposite, that what is happening is no big deal. Children may be scared to tell someone what happened or may view the abuse as normal. "I wanted to bring her words and experience to our valley and our community because we are not immune. As much as it’s a lovely place where we live — and we do believe that our community is relatively safe compared to other places — we are still not immune to child abuse and neglect," stated Cloud.

Cloud added that she hopes those attending the presentation will walk away with knowledge, skills and strategies that will allow them to better advocate for the children in their lives, whether that is their own or those they teach, guide or coach. "We don't want to see child abuse in our community,” she continued. “And the way to achieve that is through education within our community. In regards to grooming, we want them to know grooming techniques and how to be on the lookout, and how to respond. I am hoping that we're going to have defi nite questions and discussions about making sure our kids are safe; and what prevention could look like for a parent, what prevention could look like for a teacher, coach or counselor.”

According to Th e Rape and Incest National Network, better known as RAINN, sexual abuse against children is rarely committed by a stranger, and children are more likely to be victimized by someone that they know and/or are close to. According to statistics on their website, sourced from the United States Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Justice, 59% of perpetrators are acquaintances or family friends, 34% of perpetrators are family members of the victims and only 7% of these crimes are committed by strangers or people that are not well known to the victim.

It has also been found that one in nine girls and one in 53 boys under the age of 18 have experienced sexual abuse or assault at the hands of an adult; and females aged 16-19 are four times more likely than the general public as a whole to be victims of rape, attempted rape or sexual abuse.

If you suspect that a child in your life is being abused, the resources below can help. RAINN crisis number : 1-808-656-4673 Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault: 1-303-839-9999 and 1-844-CO4-KIDS (1-844-264-5437)

SPEAKERS

Don’t Miss the Potato Days Pancake Breakfast!

Join Carbondale Rotary on October 1st from 8-10am at the park on Fourth and Main Street! $10 per plate All are welcome!

Sept. 7, 2022 Wild Rose Education Global Public Lands and the Environment

Sept. 21, 2022 Sam Kevan Rotary District 5470 Governor

RSVP to Rick Carlson (970) 948-9650 • riccarlson@gmail.com

The Town of Carbondale is hiring for six full and part time staff positions. Open positions include:

• Planner II / Assistant Planner • Building Official • Board and Commission Clerk • Public Landscape Technician • Wastewater Maintenance Worker • Customer Service Representative

Interested candidates can visit www.carbondalegov.org and click on Employment Opportunities to find position profiles, job descriptions, and application forms.

By Tracy Kallassy

It may sound like something more suited to a dystopian novel than to present-day America, but attempts to ban books are surging across the country and are becoming increasingly successful. Th e past few months alone have seen a staggering number of developments. Among them:

In Michigan, a public library faces closure aft er citizens voted to defund it over its inclusion of books with LGBTQ+ content in its collection.

In Virginia, a judge has agreed to hear a case arguing that two popular books should be deemed legally obscene and therefore illegal to possess or distribute in the state.

In Iowa, a public library has closed aft er fulltime staff resigned, citing harassment from those pushing for removal of certain books from its shelves.

In Idaho, the House passed a bill that would criminalize librarianship, prosecuting librarians for disseminating “harmful” materials to children.

In New York, author Salman Rushdie was stabbed 10 times, presumably in retaliation for his 1988 novel, “Th e Satanic Verses”.

Th e American Library Association (ALA) reported an unprecedented number of challenges to books in 2021, and that number is expected to rise signifi cantly in 2022. Across the nation, books are being removed from library shelves, oft en under the pretense of protecting children from indoctrination. In recent years, the ALA’s Offi ce of Intellectual Freedom lists LGBTQ+ and sexually explicit content as the most commonly cited reasons for challenges to materials, along with issues of race.

Our Garfi eld County libraries have received four formal challenges to materials so far in 2022, a number which doesn’t include the informal complaints library staff hear on a regular basis. For each formal challenge, a committee of library staff examines the work to verify that its inclusion in our collection adheres to the criteria in our Materials Selection Policy.

If the challenger is unhappy with the committee’s decision, they can appeal to the library’s Board of Trustees. To date, none of these challenges has resulted in the removal of the book from our collection, although it was determined in one case that the item should be moved to another area of the library.

Librarians take our responsibility to protect our community’s freedom to read very seriously. Professional ethics mandate that we provide equal access to materials representing a broad range of ideas and viewpoints, and we take care not to let partisan or doctrinal disapproval infl uence collection decisions. We stand against censorship and believe our patrons have the right to decide what books are appropriate for themselves and for their families.

Intellectual freedom can be easy to take for granted for a generation that has experienced few signifi cant restrictions to content, but our freedom to read is a right that needs to be protected and cherished.

On Sunday, Sept. 18 at 1 p.m., join us on the lawn behind the Carbondale Library as we come together to observe Banned Books Week and celebrate our freedom to read. Bring your picnic blanket or lawn chair and come to the mic to read from our selection of frequently banned and challenged books, or simply listen as others read passages from their favorites.

Jamie LaRue, GCPLD’s executive director and former director of the ALA’s Offi ce for Intellectual Freedom and the Freedom to Read Foundation, will be on hand to share his experiences as a longtime defender of intellectual freedom. Ice cream will be served and attendees are welcome to bring a picnic lunch.

Please note that reading choices will not be censored and may come from books written for children, teens or adults. Attendees should consider their own comfort levels in deciding to attend or bring children.

In today’s political climate, it can be tempting to see this as a partisan issue, but complaints don’t come from just one side of the political spectrum. Th e freedom to read is not something that applies only to those who share our views. It’s just as important to protect these rights for those we disagree with as it is to protect them for ourselves. To paraphrase librarian Jo Goodwin, “A good library will have something to off end everyone.”

Where: The Carbondale Library

Why: "Librarians take our responsibility to protect our community's freedom to read very seriously."

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