I am off and running... I’m running for my own life, for those we were not able to protect and for all of those I hope we still may...

Most of us have been affected by sexual assault either personally, or through the experience of someone we love. As a young teen, I knew more than one friend who had been sexually abused by a family member. As I grew older, others were victims of date rape. In my own life,  I've faced degrading sexual harassment at work and at age 17, I was involved in a short, but harmful, relationship.

In my work and through my personal relationships, I continue to hear story after story of lives changed by various types of sexual abuse: some by strangers, but also known coaches, teachers, spouses and trusted family members. There are no boundaries of gender, age, education or income levels and there is no way to measure the long term effects of these victimizations.

So many heartbreaking examples... It's no wonder that, last year, I was deeply inspired by my friend Kathy Beebe. I have always respected Kathy's work for SASS- her commitment and her passion. When I saw she was going to run the Seacoast Half Marathon and read her story, I was moved to action. Unfortunately, I was not only, "not a runner", but also recovering from a ski injury. I supported Kathy with a donation last year, promised myself I would run for SASS this year, and here I am! I began running for the first time in my life in April, began training with the team in July and look forward to completing the 1/2 marathon on November 13th!

I like to think that we have come a long way over the past 20+ years. I feel that we are more educated, more able to talk openly about hard stuff and more willing to vocalize what is and is not acceptable behavior. I believe there has been progress in both prevention and support made by the diligent work of organizations like SASS. I like to think that my children are more prepared than my generation was and that their children will in turn be safer and stronger, but I know we still have a long way to go!

Please join me in continuing to build a safer experience for our youth by supporting the Running for You(th) team and donating to SASS. Donating through this website is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to support my fundraising efforts.

 Thank you,

Rochelle