Self-protection expert to give presentation at North Port Forward fundraiser

This looks like an ordinary ring, but the rose ornament disengages to reveal a barb. COURTESY PHOTO

Laura Fogarty might be small, but she wouldn’t make for an easy victim. In fact, she’s not someone you want to tangle with.

As independent director and safety educator for Damsel in Defense, she is well-versed in how to protect herself, and she’s on a mission to help others do the same.

Her presentation will be the main event for the first-ever fundraiser to be held by North Port Forward, a nonprofit organization that seeks to keep the citizenry informed about issues affecting their present and future quality of life.

Looking at Fogarty, you wouldn’t pick her to be a fighter. The Wellen Park resident of the Island Walk community spent 25 years working for the federal government—no, not the type wearing black suits and talking into their watches. However, she did spend a few of those years as the manager of Safety and Occupational Health, which certainly planted an early seed for her current life path.

Fogarty found her true passion in retirement when she learned about a company called Damsel in Defense. It was the organization’s mission that first attracted her. It focuses on equipping, educating, and empowering women. She was also impressed that the funds from Damsel in Defense support rescuing children who are being exploited and sold into sex trafficking and the aid it provides to abused women. Collectively, the company has committed over a half-million dollars to the rescue of more than 1,500 women and children in life-threatening situations.

FOGARTY

Not surprising, her desire to empower people to defend themselves stemmed from an incident in her life when she was in her 20s.

“I was a passenger in a car when we were approached by a man,” Fogarty explained. “The next thing I knew, I was being dragged out of the vehicle, and he (the assailant) was able to get away with my purse. … It could have been a lot worse of a situation. I wasn’t assaulted, but as a 24-year-old, I had my whole life in my purse, and I remember exactly how I felt in that moment.”

This necklace hides a whistle whose blast can both startle an attacker and signal for help. COURTESY PHOTO

She was fortunate enough to recover most of the purse’s contents, since the perpetrator apparently was seeking cash.

But it left an impression on Fogarty, and when she speaks at Damsel in Defense events, she pulls from that moment and helps others see how they put themselves at risk in everyday situations. Fogarty’s advice is simple: “Keep your head on a swivel and pay attention to your surroundings.” It’s called “situational awareness,” and it’s a tactic she emphasizes.

“Most people are walking around completely unaware,” she said.

Fogarty can talk for hours about her newfound passion. Her goal is to teach people to “be prepared, not scared.” Getting their eyes off their phones and putting their heads up while walking to their car is one example. Having keys already out and ready to use is another. You have to be aware that danger is always a possibility, so look around at your environment and take notice of the things around you.

To add a layer of defense, she also sells safety products—ppepper sprays and stun guns, as well as items designed to appear as jewelry and other accessories but actually conceal personal protection devices, such as a necklace that hides a whistle or a ring with a rose that disengages to reveal a barb. You can see these and more at a Damsel in Defense event or at www.damselcatalog.com .

But Fogarty reminds people that not all dangers occur in the form of human confrontation. There are also the classic phone and mail scams, now augmented by new and frightening digital technology, to gain your personal information or persuade you to send money to strangers.

Every talk Fogarty gives is tailored to the group in front of her. To a younger generation, she speaks about the dangers of becoming vulnerable while drinking, about planning ahead of time how you will get home, and about staying together and communicating plans with friends. Impaired judgment, making good decisions, and using the buddy system are key topics. Then there are matters of the heart: protecting it from abusive behavior and recognizing an unhealthy relationship. When speaking to homeowners’ associations, she might focus more on safe parking, locking doors, and checking on neighbors when things just don’t seem right.

“A lot of what I talk about is trusting that instinct,” Fogarty said, “that gut feeling you have.”

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