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Michelle Lee Rich donated 2021-08-30 22:08:31 -0700
Our New Mission, Vision, and Values
We're so excited to share our new Mission, Vision, and Values, and to invite you to help us make them a reality!
We need your support to get to 100 donations by August 31, 2021!
Your generous donations enable us to make IMPACT support:
- Continuing our "pay what you can" model for in-person classes
- Recruitment and training of instructors from the community
- Expanding programs for those who need us most
Michelle Lee Rich
IMPACT Bay Area is a non-profit that teaches self-defense, personal safety, conflict management, and verbal boundary setting with a focus on women, LGBTQ, and teens/young adults. It’s a safe space for anyone who has been made to feel small or vulnerable — and it has personally been one of the most transformative and empowering experiences for me.
We Need Your Help During COVID
Throughout the pandemic, IMPACT has continued to offer critical services online for free, including adrenaline management during pandemic, and anti-harassment training specifically for the Asian American Pacific Islander and LGBTQ+ community.
At the same time, we have lost an important source of revenue generation without the ability to offer in-person classes. We are hoping to offset this financial gap in 2020 through the generosity of private donations & private corporate classes.
I invite you to help support and scale Impact's mission during this critical time, either by:
Making a private donation using the link below or promoting our private classes by facilitating warm introductions to corporation/organizations interested in offering an Impact private class to their employees/members.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to me at [email protected].
My Impact Story
As someone who tends to be self-critical and uncomfortable with conflict, I came out of my Women’s Basics class in 2017 walking 2” taller down any street and into any meeting room at work, knowing that I have the skills and strength to navigate conflict and protect myself. In 2019, I returned to take the Multiple Assailants class and felt more powerful with my voice and body than ever before -- this time, knowing that I can defend myself against 3-4 attackers at a time under an adrenalized state. Through Impact, I've been able to find my voice, set boundaries, and defend myself with strength and courage that I never thought I had.
I attribute so much of my personal happiness and professional success to my learnings on that mat. It's the best investment I've made in my own growth, and my hope is to scale the transformative power of the Impact experience, particularly among women of color who are in need of a safe space to discuss their unique experiences with safety and violence in their communities. I invite you to join me in expanding the reach of this program to help more individuals and communities find their voice and strength again.