Miss Yuma County seeks to empower women to protect themselves

Miss Yuma County Stephani Costanza is haunted by the story of Kelsey Smith, 18, of Overland Park, Kan., who was abducted as she left a Target store last June and later found dead.

Costanza made a commitment to do what she could to prevent other women from suffering the same fate. She decided to run for Miss Yuma County and focused her platform on empowering women through self-defense.

Through an organization she's put together, One Gurl Revolution Self Defense, she's seeking to educate women about how to avoid dangerous situations - and what to do if they're attacked.

She hopes to reach every high school girl with that message and see them trained in self-defense before they go off to college.

"I want to be part of the solution," she said, "be proactive with girls before they go to college."

One in four girls in college has been raped or will be sexually assaulted, she said. And the number is rising.

"It's not just about getting an apartment and books," she said of college-bound girls. "They need to know the smart things to do when they're out and awareness of the things that can happen to them."

That's a message she's sharing with local girls and women this month to support Amberly's Place in the organization's participation in "Oprah's Big Give" contest.

Amberly's Place, Crossroads Mission and MOMS Club of Yuma-West are competing to see which group can raise the most money and reach the most people by Monday. The winner will receive $4,000 toward their cause.

Costanza's One Gurl Revolution is collaborating with the World Gym, 2205 W. 23rd St., to provide a four-week class in self-defense to area girls and women age 13 and older. Costanza is especially hopeful high school girls will take the class.

Cost of the classes is $10, with all profits to go to Amberly's Place. For more information and to register, call Costanza at 785-7879 or stop by the gym.

"Ladies, I hate to break it to ya, but the times have changed," Costanza says on her Web site, www.onegurlrevolution.com. "Every time you turn on the news, there is another incredibly sad story about a young teenage girl who was found murdered or a missing wife.

"It’s finally time where we as women say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! One Gurl Revolution is all about traveling to different high schools and colleges teaching girls (like you) to fight back and know how to defend yourself before going off to college."

Along with the classes, Costanza is speaking to organizations and high schools to spread the message that bad things can happen to anyone.

The natural tendency is to panic in a threatening situation, she said. "The big thing is for people to stay calm and think what they can do. Guys think a girl can't throw them."

But with the use of some basic techniques, a girl can escape a much larger and stronger attacker, she said. "It's not about fighting, it's keeping myself safe against a bad guy."

Partnering with her in her cause is Freddy Rodriguez, a participant in the nationwide 1 in 4 movement among college students to educate other men about the issues of sexual assault and breaking down the barriers of understanding rape's impact on women.



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Joyce Lobeck can be reached at
jlobeck@yumasun.com or 539-6853.