Washington DC, April 8 - Vancouver, WA resident Dallas Jessup (16) was inducted into the Hall of Fame for Caring Americans, housed at the historic home of famed abolitionist Frederick Douglass, last evening at a Washington DC gala honoring this year's recipients. Jessup was recognized for her work as America's leading teen-safety advocate and for the non-profit she founded which mobilizes teachers to adopt her Just Yell Fire program and empowers teenage girls to fight back against sexual assault and abduction. Her Just Yell Fire has grown into 41 countries since October of 2006.
The Caring Institute, which maintains the Hall of Fame, was founded to fulfill a personal request of Mother Teresa in her final days to Institute president Val Halamandaris. According to the group's mission statement "By celebrating those individuals who in transcending self, devote their lives in service to others, the Institute hopes to inspire people of all ages to understand the wisdom of Dr. Albert Einstein's admonition that 'only a life lived for others is worthwhile'."
Following a private reception with Senator Bob Dole, Jessup received the Caring Award at a black tie Caring Awards dinner attended by some 400 Caring Institute supporters. In presenting the award Halamandaris commented that Jessup was following Mother Teresa's hope to turn the tide in the world with the power of caring. Co-presenter Coach Brown of LSU concurred describing Dallas as "One of the Children of Light".
Other inductees for 2008 are legendary Coach John Wooden, Reverend Cecil Williams for 50 years of service to tens of thousand in San Fransisco, Sister Adele O'Sullivan MD for her work with Arizona's homeless, Greg Porter for serving 1 million meals to Katrina survivors, and entrepreneurial philanthropist Dick Grace. Previous years' winners and Hall of Fame inductees include Maya Angelou, Paul Newman, Jane Goodall, Robert Pamplin Jr., Jimmy Carter, Mother Teresa, Patch Adams MD, William R. Hearst and others.
To interview Dallas or to connect with Caring Institute president Val Halamandaris call Maggie at 360.909.0527.
About Dallas Jessup - Dallas is founder and spokesperson of Just Yell Fire, a non-profit which trains teenage girls to fight back against sexual assault and abduction, mobilizes teachers and coaches to train their students in the Just Yell Fire program, and lobbies to make self-defense a mandatory part of every teen girl's education. For more information go to www.justyellfire.com. Jessup's DVD of the same name Just Yell Fire, has been downloaded and distributed to more than 420,000 teens, teachers, violence shelters, and police agencies around the world. Dallas, a recent keynote speaker at a regional FBI conference and the upcoming national MENSA conference, attends St. Mary's Academy when she isn't speaking at schools across the United States. Jessup plans to spend two weeks teaching at a dozen schools in India this summer.
