The loss of a daughter brought empowerment to women across the nation.

The parents of Ali Kemp continue to fight for justice even after their daughter’s murder through a self-defense program called The Ali Kemp Educational Foundation, or TAKE, a director and instructor of the program said.

TAKE Executive Director and instructor Jill Leiker said TAKE had two main goals: to teach women self-defense and to provide educational scholarships to young women who reflected the spirit and standards Kemp herself showed.

“Her parents, being selfless as they are, said, ‘We have to do something to keep this from happening to other people so other families don’t have to go through this,’” Leiker said.

Pi Beta Phi Event Coordinator Elizabeth Ellis said this was the second year for TAKE to visit the TCU campus. The Pi Phis sponsored the event with Alpha Delta Pi sorority and Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity on March 8 for all TCU women.

Ellis said her sorority participated in the event because Kemp was a Pi Phi at Kansas State University. Additionally, Ellis’s mother was a member of ADPi and her father was a member of Sig Ep.

The three Greek organizations donated to TAKE. Additionally, the Interfraternity Council and other sororities on campus made donations to the program.

“We’re trying to kind of make it into a bigger deal and involve other sororities,” Ellis said.

Leiker said the Greek community was the largest demographic for the self-defense program. Originally the program was focused on the collegiate group but quickly expanded due to demands from gyms, community centers and schools.

Since the program launched in 2005, TAKE has instructed more than 48,000 women across the country.

“We really had no idea how old somebody would be that would be interested in this class, and actually our oldest student at this point has been 90 years old,” Leiker said.

Ellis said the event was timely for university women due to the recent university crime alerts on and off campus. She said TAKE taught self-defense techniques that were relevant to college women because Kemp was a freshman in college when she was murdered.

Women at the event said they were motivated to attend because of the crime alerts but that they still felt safe on campus.

Junior nutrition major Madelyn Wilson said she felt safe on campus but she wanted to come after she learned about Kemp and the mission behind TAKE.

Sophomore strategic communication major Dru Boyd said she attended the event for safety tips she could use the rest of her life on and off campus.

“I know that we have a great police force, and there are emergency poles that are pretty close,” Boyd said. “But with the crime alerts lately and just stuff that’s been going on, it’s nice to know what to do.”

For more information on TAKE, visit www.takedefense.org.