March is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and the Ponte Vedra Beach Branch Library and St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office are teaming up to help empower women by offering a two-day seminar teaching self-defense for women. A second two-day seminar will be offered again in March, as well.
According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the number of rapes in our state has increased every year between 2014-2018.
“We are pleased to offer this opportunity to the community because it is important that women practice the skills they might need in a scary situation. This two-day course will give women the chance to physically practice self-defense skills and introduce them to members of our law enforcement who have the knowledge and background to educate us in safety practices,” says Anne Crawford, Ponte Vedra Beach Branch Library Assistant Manager and host of the seminars.
Registration in the two-day seminar is free, but space is limited. Interested participants are encouraged to call the library at (904) 827-6950 to register their names in a random lottery. As many participants as possible will be included. The two-day seminars will be offered on the following dates and times at the Ponte Vedra Beach Branch Library at 101 Library Blvd., Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, 32082:
Monday, March 2 & Tuesday, March 3 from 5:00 p.m. – 7:45 p.m.
Thursday, March 19 & Friday, March 20 from 2:00 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.