Dear Backers,

As you probably know, we didn’t meet our Kickstarter goal. We did, however, meet several amazing young women.  It has been such a pleasure working with Paige VanZant, who inspired the “Real Girls Kick Ass” series.  She is the epitome of a young woman who has her act together. She has big dreams and goals that she pursues with passion, drive, and determination.  What I really admire about Paige is her desire and willingness to help other young women overcome their obstacles as she has.

During this project, I also discovered that my daughter’s best friend, Bekka Ross Russell, is not only extremely bright, she is compassionate, dedicated, and working hard to make a difference in the world.  If you missed the KS update # 8, check it out to learn all about “The Small Things” non-profit organization Bekka founded to help orphaned children in Tanzania.  

Although the Kickstarter project did not meet our funding goals, it was a real blast to work on.  I particularly loved the process of working on the video with many of my regular collaborators from Vicky Vixen and all of the new creative folks who came on board.  I’m  grateful to everyone who has helped out in every phase of the project. We’ve learned a lot of valuable lessons from the entire experience of creating this campaign.  We are certainly not giving up on Vicky and Real Girls – we are already exploring other creative ways to make this happen. 

Most important, I would like to thank all of you generous backers who believed in the “Real Girls Kick Ass” and “Vicky Vixen” projects.  I really appreciate my family and friends who showed up to support me and I’m very encouraged by my “new friends” who didn’t know me before – but thought this was a cool project to get behind.  Thank you all so much!

Randy

The young women that I admire because they inspire!

Bekka Ross Russell is a remarkable young woman who combines her passion for art with her compassion for people in creative ways that both enrich and save lives.  Bekka, 23, graduated with a dual degree from Tufts University (Women’s Studies focused on sociology/psychology & Religion) and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston (Jewelry & Metal Working).  Bekka recently returned from a six-month trip to Tanzania that not only changed her life, but the lives of others.

While living in Tanzania, she used her jewelry making skills to teach local women how to create their own jewelry – providing much needed income for their families.  She also volunteered at the Nkoaranga Children’s Orphanage.  She fell in love with the wonderful children there and has now dedicated herself to improving the children's lives and the local staff that care for them. To accomplish this goal, Bekka created her own non-profit organization called “The Small Things,” inspired by the Mother Teresa quotation “ We can do no great things, only small things with great love.” 

Bekka is not just a dreamer – she is a kickass doer!  Bekka and the other Small Things volunteers have established priority goals and have already completed several crucial projects in an amazing short period of time. They have raised enough funds to dig a new well – providing a life-saving constant supply of water. They have also created a garden and purchased a flock of chickens, that provides a much needed consistent source of protein from the eggs.  Recognizing that the “Mamas” who run the orphanage were overworked and underpaid, The Small Things funded a much needed pay increase for the Mamas. One of the prime ongoing goals of The Small Things is ensuring each kid (especially the girls) gets a strong education to break the cycle of poverty.

Bekka is not only hard working – she is intelligent and mature beyond her years. From the beginning, Bekka understood that a long-term commitment to improve the lives of women and children would require her get additional training on a structural level.  In the fall, she will be attending the prestigious London School of Economics.  She will study for a Masters Degree in Public Affairs for International Development. She plans to continue to lead the grass-roots efforts of The Small Things to improve lives at the orphanage in the present and near future.

Please support this remarkable young woman by visiting her uplifting website: http://www.thesmallthings.org You’ll meet the wonderful children and dedicated workers at the orphanage. There are beautiful photographs and stories that are inspiring and full of hope. You can also read about the ongoing projects and learn how you can help. A small donation to The Small Things, can make a huge impact in the lives of these children.  Bekka would also love to have you as a friend! Check her out at: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=174800058&ref=ts

Check out this new video blog from Paige VanZant.  Just returning from the gym, she describes her training routine that includes sparring with boys.  Got a question for Paige?  Go ahead and ask your questions by using the comment button.  She wants to hear from you!   

When Randy met Paige VanZant, he was shooting a video to showcase a new 3D video technology. Paige was a spunky 16 year old athlete who was brand new to mixed martial arts (MMA). At the time Randy didn’t know that Paige had taken on MMA as a response to being bullied by a gang of girls in school. He was just impressed that she was so young and going headlong into a sport thought of as a man’s competitive arena.

Paige was the first girl to come to Randy’s mind when he came up with the idea of “Real Girls Kick Ass!”. Fortunately, she was excited about the opportunity, and her parents were equally as enthusiastic. When Randy began taping the interview, what he discovered was a journey taken by this young woman much more courageous and inspiring than he knew.

We, the “Real Girls” team, hope to eventually have the teen girls we inspire with stories like Paige’s, inspire us by sharing their stories of triumph, compassion, rebellion, and impact. We plan to create a space on the RGKA section of the Vicky Vixen website and our YouTube channel where girls from all over the world, and all walks of life will see stories about their challenges, how they overcame them, ask their questions and pose their solutions to problems they and their friends face every day.

The team of RGKA and VV feel fortunate to live in a time when technology supports this kind of interaction and sharing. Leveraging webcams, camera phones, and digital recording through open source programs that we package for you and being able to post them on the web where people from all over the world can see and hear the posts, comment and engage in active dialogues is a miracle in and of itself.

The fact that we can use these tools to empower and unite our daughters world-wide is a miracle beyond that.

Please share Paige’s story with the teen girls and young women in your life. This is a project based entirely on audience interaction and we find incredible joy in being able to facilitate that interaction. Help us create a stronger community and develop a true conversation around the empowerment of teen girls and share this, be it through Facebook, email, etc, with those you know and care about.

Here are our links:

Kickstarter | http://kck.st/mBOKL0
Facebook | http://www.facebook.com/pages/Vicky-Vixen/280617313143
Our Website | http://vickyvixen.com

Hi everyone! Paige VanZant is a very busy young lady this summer. To hear all about what's up with her - check out her first video blog with special guest Jack. BTW, when Paige refers to training for MMA, that stands for mixed martial arts. Enjoy, and please respond with comments or questions. Paige would love to hear from you!