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Jessup, Caring Museum inductee and President's Youth Service Awardrecipient, is recognized for her Just Yell Fire foundation which protectsteenage girls from abduction and assault. Her organization grew from acommunity service project to affecting more than a million girls in41 countries in two years.
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A black belt martial artist and honor student, Dallas produced and starredin Just Yell Fire, a film that teaches girls safety awareness, get-away streetfighting techniques, and a Dating Bill of Rights. The film became one of the10 most-downloaded films worldwide in 2007.
Event attendees from 25 law enforcement organizations viewed clips fromJessup's free online film and learned simple street fighting techniques,designed by Dallas, that enable a 100 pound girl to get away from an attackermore than twice her size -- every time. The film includes a Dating Bill ofRights and has appearances by celebrity supporters Evangeline Lilly and JoshHolloway of LOST.
Jessup's address stressed the need for local law enforcement to get theJust Yell Fire program into Oregon schools in response to the sexual assaultcrisis plaguing American teens. According to the YWCA, more than 1 in 4 youngwomen become the victims of sexual assault and more than half of rape victimsare under 18.
"There's a great partnership between Just Yell Fire and law enforcement,"said Debbie Baker, Salem Police department deputy chief and president of theOregon Chapter of the FBI National Academy Association. "The more avenues wehave the more effective we are at stopping abuse."
A high school senior, Dallas regularly travels 10,000 miles a monthspeaking at high schools, colleges, and conferences around the country (andthis summer in India) teaching girls the dangers they face and how to avoidthem.
"We've gotten the Just Yell Fire message to a million girls," said Jessup."But we need law enforcement to get it into all the schools so we caneliminate date rape and abduction of young women in this generation."
To Interview Dallas or learn about Just Yell Fire: [email protected] 360.521.0437 or http://www.justyellfire.com
SOURCE Just Yell Fire
