Frozen Tundra

Sometimes it feels like bad weather follows us on our cross country journey to spread the good word of sexual empowerment. Not sure if the weather finds us or we find it, either way we're always up for the challenge. Through rain, sleet or snow, we will find our way.


Becca found great humor in me snow plowing our rental car while working in the northeast during the Great Storm of 2009. Seriously, that's what the weather folk were calling it. I don't know about great but it sure was messy.


We woke up early to do our best to get ready for the snow filled highways. Manual labor for Becca was a photo shoot followed up by a quick video shoot and so here's what we have to share from the Great Storm of 2009. What a glamorous life we live!


Two Florida girls trying to do our thing and doing our best to stay safe and warm through it all.

LIVE LIKE YOU MEAN IT

"Live like you mean it."

We hear it in motivational meetings, spiritual circles and from our Grandmama's. We read it in positive self help books and sometimes even on print art in the home section of Target (oh how I love thee, Target!). It's everywhere, but what does it really mean? Live like you mean it.

To me, it means living with no regrets. Man, that's hard, but something I try very, very, very, okay just one more very, hard to do. But are we really living like we mean it if we have to constantly remind ourself to live like we mean it?

What do you think?

What would your Grandmama think?

More Spring Break Safety

Aruba, Jamaica, ooooh I wanna take ya...

You are well over a month into the semester and ready for a little R & R right? We hope you have fabulous plans for a nice little vaca to get away and unwind. No? Why not? You totally deserve it! Wherever you choose to soak up the rays and release your semester stress this spring break enjoy yourself my friends. But please remember to look out for each other, be safe and always watch your drinks. Sexual assault cases that involve the use of date rape drugs often increase during spring break. That said, it's important that you know there are things you can do to protect yourself. Here are some basic tips to help get you and your pals in a safe spring break state of mind-

SPRING BREAK SAFETY TIPS
-Trust your intuition; it is your best defense.
-Program the hotel # and address in your phone.
-Protect yourself from date rape drugs by watching your drinks.
-The 3 D's: Don't drink & swim, drink & drive or drink & hook-up.
-Have fun and take care of each other.

For more details on these tips and additional spring break safety information visit

Unite for Change - http://www.uniteforchange.com/springbreaksafety/index.php

SPRING BREAK SAFETY TIPS - As Seen on TV

With spring break right around the corner we thought it would be a good idea to post the video from our appearance on Dateline NBC. It shows you what 'could' happen if you're not careful and we offer tips on how you can keep you and your posse safe. Check it out, pass it on, and look out for your friends and always, no matter what, watch your drinks...alcoholic and non-alcoholic.

Be safe and have an amazing spring break!

ARE YOU READY TO SEXVERSATE?

We’ve been waiting months to roll this project out and we are pleased to announce the wait is finally over. Sexversations® are here! Over the past decade many wonderful folks have allowed us to visit their college campuses and communities to share our story and educate students about sexual assault awareness and prevention. (Thank you!) We’ve had the chance to work with hundreds of campuses and thousands of students, which has lead to countless meaningful conversations and many, many questions about sex. The questions we get range from educational to over the top personal but mostly they’re really important questions about sex, sexuality, STIs, sexual assault and sexual empowerment. We chose some of our favorite questions to include in our first edition of Sexversations®.

Our goal is to help stimulate conversations, as we believe the best way to create a more sexually empowered culture filled with confident, empowered, healthy and respectful individuals is to talk about “IT.” We are so incredibly stoked about each and every question in the sexy 52 card deck we can hardly contain ourselves! Please check them out and get your hands on a deck. We would totally appreciate you passing the good word on to your friends, neighbors, lovers, peers, teachers and anyone else in your life significant or otherwise. Let us know what you think and please be sure to update us on how your Sexversations® go!
Follow this link to get the low down on Sexversations® http://kellyandbecca.com/sexversations/
Join Sexversations® on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2232843380#/group.php?sid=6b83709fe68cde6aae75c5de767631b5&gid=54354395775

JMU is gonna rock you!

CARE Posse

We were all kinds of jacked up to visit James Madison University and to meet a group of students who are doing all sorts of good for the JMU hood. The Campus Assault Response (CARE) promotes awareness and education about sexual assault on campus and they operate a 24/7 helpline to assist students who have been affected by sexual assault and are in need of information or crisis intervention. After a couple of years of hard work and dedication they now have a strong group of student volunteers and a rock solid student organization that is providing an amazing service to their community. They have a good thing going on indeed.

A humongous thank you to CARE for making our time at JMU memorable and an even bigger thank you for all you do!

The College Agency Rules da School!

We just got back from NACA National's and packed in lots of meeting, greeting and socializing into a day and a half. We had the chance to present a really fun and interactive communication and leadership program, 86, 400 Opportunities to Shape the World in a training showcase ( http://kellyandbecca.com/program411.php) and had a blast doing it. It's always great to meet students from campuses all over the country and especially NACA students. They are all just so freak daddy nice!

One of the highlights of our time in Nashville was kick'n it with THE best agency throughout the land, The College Agency. We are honored to be represented by them and fall more and more in love each time we see them. The College Agency has an amazing roster. They represent speakers, musicians, comedians, poets and some truly outstanding acts one of which is stand up comedian Pete Lee (as seen on Last Comic Standing). His special on Comedy Central debuted this past weekend. Congratulations Pete! If you missed it, be sure to catch it when it airs again. He's one funny dude. Since Comedy Central recently presented Pete Lee, we thought we would too! So here goes....

Kelly and Becca Presents Pete Lee! http://comedians.comedycentral.com/pete-lee/

Kelly & Pete at The College Agency booth

Hot for Scarleteen!

We recently stumbled across a spectacular website intended for teens and young adults that's filled with gobs of information, oodles of resources and absolutely everything you ever wanted to know about sex. http://www.scarleteen.com/
Ms. Scarleteen, Heather Corinna is a hip, brilliant, passionate activist who keeps the site oh so fresh. Check it out and spread the word! And if you're really feeling it, we highly recommend you swing by Amazon to pick up her book- S.E.X.: The All-You-Need-To-Know Progressive Sexuality Guide to Get You Through High School and College . It's chock full of good stuff and currently on sale for $12. 38-- so worth skipping a couple of lattes this week.

University of Wisconsin

B and the famous curds.

We enjoyed our second visit to the great state of Wisconsin and it was like a cheese curd show down- seriously. These folks are passionate about their dairy. Our fabulous hostess with the mostess, Savannah at the University of Wisconsin- Stevens Point brought us THE best cheese curds in the state. That's what she said and after the big taste test we believe her!

Okay, so it wasn't the cheese that brought us to Wisconsin or the awesome February weather (it was zero degrees when we awoke in Wisconsin this morning- brrrrrr). We came to Stevens Point to educate, inform and empower and our absolute favorite part of the trip, we met some really amazing students who are doing great work on their campus. Living the dream indeed. Thanks for everything Savannah!

For those who are intrigued, here's a little cheese curd knowledge...

What is a cheese curd you ask? Cheese curds are the freshest cheese in its most natural form. Right after the dairy farmers separate the curds from the whey and before they shape, process and pack the cheese they set aside some creamy dairy goodness in the form of cheese clumps, which we fondly refer to as super fresh cheese nibbles. When they are ultra fresh and served in proper form (room temperature) they give a little squeak when you bite into them. Strange at first and second bite, maybe even third bite for cheese curd virgins, but they really are quite delicious.

January E-News

AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL

This is an exciting, emotional and hopeful week in American history. We are honoring Martin Luther King Jr., celebrating the inauguration of our 44th President of the United States and tuning into the second week of American Idol season Eight. A celebration of ALL things American!

In the spirit of patriotism we’re offering a discount to our fellow countrymen and women; $500 off our regular program fee. Now is the time to book for women’s history month, sexual assault awareness month and spring break programming and with a substantial $500 discount there’s not time like the present.

When you call (952) 440-4777 or e-mail info@thecollegeagency.com to book you can witness first hand the legendary service that got this top notch agency nominated again for the Campus Activities Magazine 2009 Agency of the Year Award. Share the love and rock the vote. Visit www.campusactivitiesmagazine.com/awards to cast your vote for The College Agency.
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In the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope. --Barack Obama
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NASHVILLE BABY!
We are so jacked to be showcasing at NACA Nationals in February. Stop by The College Agency booth to say hello and pick up some of the sexy swag we’re offering this year and come get your learn on in our training session, "86,400 Opportunities to Shape the World" which is being held on Sunday at 9am. We're looking forward to seeing everyone in Music City USA.
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Currently booking for 2009. For available dates and program information contact The College Agency at (952) 440-4777 or info@thecollegeagency.com

Whatever your passion, whatever the cause, bring awareness to others by talking about "IT".

Focused, Determined & Hopeful -
Kelly & Becca

Santa Loves Me!

You know how there's that one special gift that you hope to get for Christmas? Well, the hot item on my Christmas wish list this year was a juicer. Santa loves me yes he does, I got one! My husband found my giddy excitement amusing as I ripped open the shiny wrapping anxious to see if my new juicer really was inside. YES!! A Power Juicer, awesome.
My intentions for the juicer were not to make uber healthy green drinks filled with vigorous enzymes as pictured above. I wanted fresh squeezed citrus beverages, especially since citrus is every where in Florida and free when you know the owners of the trees! Lucky me. The OJ and Tangelo juice is fabulous but I was ready to explore and now I just can't stop myself. I am amazed at all of the juicing options out there and can't think about fruit or veggies without wondering what delicious and nutritious concoction my Jack LeLann Power Juicer can work up. Juicing is my life! Okay, not really but its my current obsession... I tend to have at least one a month. Obsessions are good for the soul aren't they? If not, hopefully the juicy potions I'm creating in my kitchen will balance it all out.
I'm off to clean my juicer, seriously.
Kelly

DOJ Crime Data is GOOD NEWS.

...Good as in better though not even close to where we need to be, but according to the latest data we're moving in the right direction.

New Department of Justice Crime Data Released: Rate of Sexual Violence Well Below Record Rates of Early- 1990's

December 17, 2008 – (Washington, DC) – The 2007 National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), released today by the Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), shows continued evidence of the remarkable decline in sexual violence in the U.S. over the last 14 years. NCVS is the nation’s largest and most reliable measure of crime (including those crimes not reported to police).

According to the 2007 NCVS survey, there were an estimated 248,300 sexual assaults in 2007 against victims age 12 and older. That’s a decline of almost half (49%) over the last 14 years, down from 485,000 attacks in 1993.

The new survey shows that most rape victims still do not report their attack to police. Over the last three years, an average of 40% of victims reported their rape to police. However, that is a significant improvement over the average 30% of victims who reported during the mid-90s.

This continued increase in reporting — overall, it is up by a third since the mid-90s — is promising news because reporting to the police is the most effective tool that exists to prevent future rapes; every time we lock up a rapist, we're preventing him or her from committing another attack. But despite this decade-long increase, it is important to note that sexual assault remains one of the least-reported violent crimes, well below the rates for robbery or aggravated assault.

Approximately two-thirds of victims were attacked by a non-stranger (generally an acquaintance or family member); the remaining third were attacked by a stranger.

The Department of Justice’s NCVS 2007 data was collected from about 41,000 households and 73,000 individuals age 12 or older and includes both reported and unreported crimes. Due to budgetary restraints to the NCVS program, the 2007 sample size was reduced by 14% in July 2007. BJS estimates that this change had little effect on the outcome of the 2007 NCVS survey results.

Since most rapes are not reported to police, NCVS provides the most accurate data available to analyze trends in sexual violence. The main alternative crime measure, the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports, counts only rapes reported to police. Because NCVS is based on direct interviews with victims, it does not include crimes against children age 11 or younger. Thus, the actual number of sexual assault victims, including children, is somewhat higher than the NCVS total. Other Justice Department research has shown that about one out of every six victims is under age 12.

E-NEWS

December is here and Santa will soon be on his way! So excited about Christmas cookies and family time. Have a safe and happy holiday season!

Follow the link below to check out the holiday edition of our e-news...

http://kellyandbecca.com/newsletters.php?issue=december2008

I Love You, Baltimore!!

Baltimore was one of our stops this week. Talk about a city that makes a girl want to burst out in song! I could not stop singing "I love you, Baltimore." The song was stuck in my head all week long. Every time I said, read or heard someone say Baltimore, I could not help but belt out, "I love you, Baltimore!" I was channelling Tracy Turnblad for sure, only the problem with my bubbling excitement about Baltimore and Broadway musicals is that " I love you, Baltimore" was (and still is) the only line from the song I know. Though I sang this one line with much passion, one little line only took me so far. I'm what I call a "chorus girl." I can sing along with the best of em' when it comes to the chorus of just about any hit tune, but when it comes to the other parts of the song, forget about it. Yes, I'm one of those people who proudly belts out the chorus and mumble-hums the rest. Becca, was amused the first 20 times, but I imagine she became annoyed at some point and was probably very happy when our Baltimore show was behind us.

For those of you who now have " I love you, Baltimore" in your head too, I thought I'd share some of the lyrics with you just in case you don't know the words either. This chorus girl is signing off, but not without saying one more time, I Love You, Baltimore!

Peace Out,

Kelly

I Love You Baltimore

Every days like an open door

Every night is a fantasy

Every sounds like a symphony

and I promise Baltimore

that some day when I take to the floor

The worlds gonna wake up and see

gonna wake up and see

Baltimore and me!

Home Sweet Home

USF University Lecture Series Posse

It was an honor to be a part of the University of South Florida Lecture Series and nice to have a gig so close to home. Seriously, we're talking just a few miles down the road from our respective cribs. We're used to a 6 hour + commute to work with at least one time change, so it was rather strange but pleasant to get ready in our personal bathrooms and come home to sleep in our own beds, but mostly it was wonderful to speak to an audience filled with members of our community which included a sizable group of our friends and family members. They're so supportive!

Thank you USF for making our evening on campus truly feel like home sweet home.