Comments

I am wrapping up the semester and showed your story again. I talk to my students about finding a voice, being empowered etc. My goal is to get them to realized the power they have through the tools we learn in my class.

Anyway, after we got done talking about you and others who have found a voice, I let them log onto your website and encouraged to look at "Just Yell Fire", we had already talked about the video's origins and message. At the end of class a very quiet 8th grader who never really speaks out much came up to my desk.

"Do you know how fast they can send the video? I am going to be moving soon."

Maybe that doesn't have the impact for you that it had on me. I have no idea what her personal story is, but the really timid girl making such an inquiry made me wonder.

I don't know how long videos take to ship. But I happily gave her mine. She was stunned and looked at it and then me with a wide eye, then said thanks and walked back to her seat still looking at it.

It was a nice moment, just wanted to share.

Thanks for who you are and what you stand for.

It's awesome what you have done. I'm 55 years old, and I have watched the statistics my whole life. I was traumatized when I was young, too, and it is astounding how many young girls have uninvited sexual advances made toward them, not to mention being raped or murdered. Thanks you for your work. You know how important it is.

How proud you must be of your daughter and her friend for their efforts at creating such a fantastic film. A friend loaned me the DVD and I watched it with my 14 year old daughter last night. VERY POWERFUL!!! My daughter was on the verge of tears during the date rape scene, as my niece, her cousin, was in a similar situation and was unfortunately not prepared.

I would love to have a copy to share with my daughters campfire troop and would also like to review it over and over so that both my daughters are prepared in such an attack situation.

Thank you again for making the film available to everyone. It is invaluable information for our daughters!

With Appreciation

My name is Ellie and I'm fifteen years old. Today I was reading a Tae Kwon Do magazine and ran across Just Yell Fire. So I went to your website and watched the movie. I think what you guys are doing is awesome and that girls need to know that its ok to fight back and don't be afraid if someone threatens you. I'm just a yellow belt in TKD right now. But I've already learned some important self defense and how to help others in a harmful situation. The video was great and I really appretiated that you guys showed different ways to defend yourself, in different situations. My mom and Dad have always taught me to walk with confidence and to alway pay attention to that gut feeling. I can usually tell when something doesn't feel right and I always try to avoid vulnerable situations. I think that the message you guys are trying to spead is extremely important and that every girl should see this video. Thank you so much.

I have just heard about the DVD from members of a city-wide committee that deals with domestic violence in the Jewish community. As we all know, date rape, abduction and other types of violence cross cultural, racial and religious lines -- they highly recommended this film for use in our schools.

Thank you so much --

Hi. I saw you girls on Montel and I wanted to take a moment to say Thank-You. The number of girls you both are helping through this video is more than you could ever imagine. I live in Eastern Canada and have taken your video and sent it out to our local Community Collage to be sent out to all the students as these techniques are some that can be used by anyone, at any age. I also hope to make it available to the elementry and high school kids in town. We live in a small community, less than 5000 people approx., and everyone here believes it is a safe place. Because of parents beliefs, no one is taking the time to teach our girls what to do if they find themselves in danger. Although we all want to protect our kids, keeping them in the dark about what happens in the world is not the way. I fully believe this nietivity was party of what led to me being raped by someone I thought was a friend when I was 15. I wish I had known what to do then, but knowing that it is here to help the next girl is enough. Please keep doing what you are doing. And from me alone, Thank-You for keeping my family safe. My daughters (5 & 12) and myself (27).

I just heard about this DVD while watching the Montel Show. I can not tell you how impressed I am with these young ladies. Their advice and techniques will help numerous people. I can only hope to make such a contribution one day.

I have 2 young daughters (ages 6 and 10) and a son (age 8) and we talk about abductions and stratagies regularly. 24 yrs ago, my family suffered a great loss when my father (age 53) was abducted and murdered. It can happen to anyone, anytime.

Thank you!

First off I would like to thank you for volunteering your time to help save teenage girls against predators. Your dedication to assist in making the world a safer place is a great asset to our Country. THANK YOU!!

What I am interested in is sharing this Just Yell Fire DVD with our School Resource Officer(s) and of course with family members of my own. I think the video will show girls that it is ok to fight off a predator and though fear may try to take over they will more than likely be better off if they over come the fear and fight for all they are worth.....

I would like to receive a minimum of 10 DVD's. I do not mind purchasing the DVD's from you, or donating a set amount to your non-profit organization. Please let me know what you would like for me to do.

Again, thank you for all you do and if I can be of any assistance please let me know.

Besides being the mother of four daughters and one son, I am a retired Crime Scene Investigator. I'm very aware of the crimes and devastation of sexual assault cases, kidnappings and murder. My 13 year old son is a 3rd degree black belt in taekwondo, a black belt in Ki Gum Do (Korean sword), and a black belt in Hwa Rang Do. My 12 year old twin daughters are 2nd degree black belts as well. However, I still fear that they would "panic" if confronted with an abduction situation. I found this video to be a fantastic tool to reinforce all they have been taught. Congratulations! Keep up the great work. If this saves just one person's life, it's worth it's weight in gold. You should be very proud of yourselves!

This is a comment sent in to our trainers Leila Rae Sommerfeld and Valerie Mainridge of Gresham, OR

Thank you again from our entire team! You and Valerie did such a fabulous job. Several of our volunteers commented at the end that your traiing was the best self-defense class they had ever taken - and several had attended classes in the past. you adapted your presentation to fit perfectly into our time constraints and skill level. You and Valerie brought such great energy and enthusiasm to our class. We especially appreciate you taking time on a Sunday. We feel empowered to continue to advocate for sexually exploited women in and around Portland.

We are so pleased to know you and your work. I hope this is only the beginning of our partnership.