What began with one woman taking a self-defense class has grown into a much larger effort to make violence-prevention training more available across Western North Carolina.
Carley Sassmann-Carter first attended a R.A.D., or Rape Aggression Defense, class in 2025. She was struck not only by what she learned, but by how many other women wanted the same thing. About 35 women and girls attended that class, and Sassmann-Carter remembers leaving with a simple thought: every woman I know should have access to this.
So she decided to help make that happen.
With support from REACH of Haywood County, local law enforcement and her co-instructor Aubrey Ray, Sassmann-Carter became a certified R.A.D. instructor and began helping offer more classes locally. Since then, the program has trained more than 70 participants in the region, and interest has continued to grow.
