As we near the end of the year, a time when we pause and reflect on all the wonderful things we have to be grateful for, I wanted to share with you an experience that I'm grateful for and invite you to help me in paying it forward to other teens, young adults, and women who need it.

You may know that last year around this time I joined the board of a Bay Area non-profit called Impact Bay Area after taking one of their classes. Impact teaches personal empowerment, boundary setting, and full-force physical defense skills. I was a little intimidated, but I worked up the courage to take the class because I wanted to have the skills to defend myself if I ever needed them. What I got out of the experience was that and so much more - the unexpected camaraderie of the women who took the class with me, the caring and empathetic teaching staff who helped students work through past trauma, and the everyday life skills that have helped me set clear boundaries and walk with the full confidence of Impact backing me up everywhere I go. 

One of the primary ways Impact fulfills its non-profit mission is by providing these classes to teens, young adults, women, and underserved communities who could not otherwise afford them through its scholarship program. We need your help raising $20,000 in our year-end giving campaign. This money helps us continue to offer low- and no-cost options to deserving students.

My personal goal is to raise $5,000 from my friends and family in support of this effort. Each of you is an important part of my personal support network, and I hope you'll be able to give what you can to support me in this effort as well.

Help me help teen girls and women in the Bay Area protect themselves - please support me by giving now. Thank you for reading - I appreciate you!

p.s. - if you're interested in finding out more about Impact Bay Area's classes and schedule, you can find them here.