Comments

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.

I don't exactly live in the BEST neighborhood and I walk to and from school every 5 feet I constantly catch myself turning around to make sure I'm not being followed, and the cat calls from way older men just scares me to death that one of them will act on it one day so thats why I am writing cuz I can't afford any type of classes or anything, I figure this is the next best thing (: and I think what you girls have done is just amazing you should be so so proud of yourselves, that's from the bottom of my heart and I'm sure you have saved lives. Thanks again.

I am a junior at Gettysburg College in PA. I don't know if you have been watching the news lately, but there has been a murder on our college campus last Thursday. One student (a male senior) strangled and murdered his (ex-)girlfriend of one year (a sophomore). It really shook our campus hard, along with myself, even though i did not know either one that was involved. After breaking down a little tonight, i realized, crying was not going to change the past; nor prevent incidents, assaults, nor murders like this from happening again in the future.
What will? Taking action!
I found your contact information after googling 'self defense for women classes' and wanted to get in contact with you right away. I was hoping you could hold self defense classes for female students, or any woman (faculty, staff or students) on our campus to help protect us if we were to ever get ourselves in this type of situation. It is very scary to know that an innocent 19 year old young woman was strangled, stabbed and murdered by someone that loved her for a year. Not even a stranger, or a crazy drug addict rapist on the street! Her boyfriend! Someone she trusted and loved! How scary is that? She was not able to get away, she was not able to defend herself. She died because of that.
But you... you have the power to give us woman that power. You have the ability to give us woman the ability to defend ourselves. To win. To live. And to help with our recovery of her death on our campus. I believe that immediately holding these self defense classes on our campus will prove that Emily Rachel Silverstein did not die in vain.
Please help me, help us. Give us the power, the ability to defend ourselves and live.

I just wanted to say that what you're doing is an absolutely AMAZING thing. I am one of the Managers at the Build a Bear Workshop in Annapolis MD and I discovered your organization after flipping through a preview of our upcoming Huggable Heroes calendar. While it's always great to see kids helping other kids, in 6 years a BABW, none of the organizations ever REALLY hit home with me...but your's definitely did. I am 23 now, but when I was 16...I had a boyfriend that brutally attacked me. I feel like knowing more about how to fight back might've not only prevented the first incident, but things I went through for two and a half years with this boy after the fact. A film like your film would've really been a great thing to see in school...or anywhere really. So, while this isn't a strong enough word by any stretch of the imagination, kudos on what you've done and continue to do here!!!

I train and teach Soo Bahk Do in the Mount Vernon Washington area. While looking at one of our regional web sites, www.camaskarate.com there was an article on Just Yell Fire and how it was created.

I'd personally like to thank you and all involved for providing awareness to not only women but people of all ages. Awareness is an important key.

I've recently been asked to provide self defense training to my fellow co workers (nurses) and their children.

I look forward to sharing my information and requesting all attendees watch your video-then pay it forward to family, friends and loved ones. It's this type of crucial information that should be required viewing (and learning) in all schools.

What a gift it would be to each and every recipient!

Again, thank you to all for creating such an important film. May it travel around the world and touch the lives of millions!

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.

The DVD came today. I watched it with my daughter. Very well done, very informative. It's a relief to know that even a non-athlete can do something to protect herself. Thank you so much!

Thank you for the DVD. I wanted to let you know that I really admire you for coming up with "Just Yell Fire." It is really neat to see a proactive approach to the issues of violence that women face. What an empowering world you are creating! Thank you for making a difference.

Thank you. I saw what you girls do on a tv show just last week. It's amazing that you all are taking time to inform young ladies on what to do. I myself am 25 but women my age and older need to be just as informed as teens because a man or woman can try to over power us just the same. Being aware of ways to assist in attack is life saving and I appreciate what you ladies are doing. Thank you again. God bless.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!! I have tried to involve both my children in role playing situations so that they can think about what they are empowered to do in any difficult situation - - to think outside the box and to throw "respect" out the window if they are in danger of another person.

Your video sounds terrific!! I plan to show it to my kids' friends (with parental permission, of course), their parents, girl scout buddies, my friend who is a realtor who I worry about since she is around so many strangers in vacant homes. I'm a teacher and I work with lots of women who need this. One teacher I work with was attacked in a fast food parking lot in the middle of the day. She was knocked to the ground and mugged before she knew what hit her. I can think of so many people who would benefit by this dvd. God bless!