April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Pentagon invites child sexual abuse victim and bestselling author as honorary guest for Sexual Assault Awareness Month (April) for the second year in a row; supports the adaptation of her novel to a screenplay.
Date: March 28, 2016
Statistics from the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape and the CDC indicate that one in five women is a survivor of rape, and nearly 50% of women experience some form of sexual violence in their lifetime. Just one of the women included in that statistic, is Blakeslee, PA resident and author, Kelly Randis. As April marks the start of Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM), Randis is on a mission to get people angry about the lack of child abuse education in our school systems and shares her own harrowing story of assault that is detailed in her best-selling novel Spilled Milk.
Blakeslee, PA - For the second year in a row, Kelly Randis will be using her first-hand experience as a sexual assault survivor to educate national leaders at the Pentagon, where she has been invited as an honorary guest for their 2016 sexual assault training. While most victims of rape and sexual violence find it incredibly hard to share their experiences on child sexual abuse, Kelly feels it is both her obligation and privilege to speak publically about her novel, Spilled Milk, which details her own abuse at the hands of her father, marking the beginning of her journey to help give other victims a voice.
Kelly, who goes by the pen name K.L. Randis, wrote Spilled Milk to shed light on the prevalence of abuse, and also to provide young adult victims a realistic and empathetic window into what to expect when testifying against their abuser.
It was following her graduation from Penn State University, and her employment as a Community Educator for Women’s Resources of Monroe County, that Kelly recognized both the absence of, and the necessity for, literature that provided insight into the unknowns surrounding the process of the judicial system for victims of sexual assault. Fortunately, her personal experience coupled with her education and writing talent, provided Kelly the very special expertise needed to take on the task.
“The Walk-A-Lap for a Survivor is a Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month event hosted in the Pentagon Courtyard to raise community support for sexual assault survivors. Participants complete laps around the courtyard; each lap symbolically shows support for a sexual assault survivor,” said Lieutenant Ashley Valanzola, head of the Pentagon’s initiative.
“Last year's walk attracted 191 Department of Defense employees who walked 813 laps to support survivors in our community. Kelly Randis was the guest speaker for the 2015 walk. Countless event participants remarked on the powerful impact of her speech and spent time throughout the event asking her questions and sharing stories. It has always been important for me to have a survivor open this event, instead of a high-ranking military official. Through her speech and presence, Kelly was able to demonstrate to survivors in the Department of Defense community the unlimited potential for survivors to find healing and strength in their lives. We asked her to come back to the Pentagon again, as an honored guest for the Walk-A-Lap 2016 event, since having her there to engage with participants is invaluable, and we need her expertise to make the event a success.”
Randis, now a best-selling author, shares, “My first-born daughter was 3 months old when my novel was published. I remember her strapped to my chest in a baby-carrier and my husband looking over my shoulder as I announced on my Facebook page that friends and family, many of whom never even knew about my past, could purchase my book” she said. While she was confident in knowing her book could change others’ lives, she was also nervous about how it might affect her own.
“I woke the next morning to an overnight bestseller. I have fans worldwide including Australia, Europe, South Asia, the United Kingdom, and more. What started as a therapeutic outlet for me turned into a career to help others find their own voices. By sharing my story, I have allowed others to have an outlet to tell someone about their trauma, even if they're only willing to share it with me via private message on social media,” Randis states.
Of her many accomplishments, Randis is most proud of her ability to reach victims and survivors that were previously unreachable. That is why she is incredibly enthusiastic to share her latest news. “Probably the most exciting announcement is that this year Spilled Milk will begin the process of being adapted into a screenplay. The idea that something I wrote has caused such a stir among mental health professionals, survivors, and the general public that they want to take it to the big screen is so much more than I ever could have imagined. It has truly been such a crazy ride,” Randis admits.
Randis’ quest to connect with victims and educate the public is constantly advancing. In addition to her appearance at the Pentagon, Kelly will be speaking in Ohio, at a Blue Ribbon Award Ceremony, and also doing a training and seminar for the National Guard. Her novel, Spilled Milk is also being adapted to Audible, where it will be narrated into spoken word for easy listening. Kelly has also aided in the integration of her novel into several high schools and colleges, and will often Skype with students to answer their questions afterwards. Randis will also co-lead a Child Abuse and Domestic Violence course at Penn State Berks for their upcoming fall semester.
“I never could have imagined that there was a ‘reason’ I had to endure the life I did as a child. It's overwhelming to know that something so terrible can morph into something so positive. I didn't want to be a victim anymore, but a survivor. I wanted to prove to my abuser that his actions did not ruin my life. The messages I receive from men are the most heartbreaking; they are the lost souls in childhood sexual abuse stories because social stigmas pressure them even more to not come forward because ‘they're men’. That alone fuels my mission to bring awareness to these subjects in any way that I can.”
Ebook and paperback copies of Spilled Milk can be purchased via Amazon, as well as Barnes and Noble. For more information or educational resources please visit www.klrandis.com or by emailing the author at authorklrandis@gmail.com
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If you'd like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview with Kelly Randis, please call at 570-234-5844 or e-mail at spilledmilkrandis@yahoo.com
