At his gym in Charleston, Butch Hiles is offering classes to the general public. In those classes, people can learn how to protect themselves.

Hiles says more than 10,000 women are raped in Kanawha County every year. To combat that, he says they just need to know a little self-defense.

Women in the Kanawha Valley took control. They don’t want to face an attacker and be unprepared.

A college student, Krista Moore said, “I think it would good to learn how to protect myself if anything were to happen.”

And her friend agrees. They say being aware is key.

“If anything does happen like that, you could save yourself from a very scaring situation,” said Lindsay Tincher.

All of the proceeds from this event go straight to REACH. That stands for Rape Education, Advocacy, Counseling, and Healing.

The group is there for women who need a helping hand through what, they call, a very complicated and difficult time.

“We don’t like to say that these programs help prevent, but they do help reduce the risk. And so, just learning how to come out and reduce the risk of a sexual assault or any other attack is definitely important,” said Jaqueline Bevan, of REACH.

To contact an advocate with REACH- call 304-340-3676