Jill spoke to our class at the College of St. Catherine. Their stories were incredibly moving and powerful. Both of these woman have a tremendous amount of courage and conviction. Thanks for taking the time to speak to us. There are no words capable of describing how this presentation effected me. In one way I feel incredibly sad and depressed about the state of our society, and I also feel incredibly hopeful that we will be able to change the world one dedicated person at a time. Thank you for the truth that you tell and the work in harm reduction that you do.

Sincerely,
Debra J. Hanson
College of St. Catherine

Thank you to Jill for speaking to our course on Spirituality and Sexuality at the College of St. Catherine. We were all moved, touched and inspired by your presentation. You are role models for integrating spirituality and sexuality given the courage it took to get out and share your stories with us.

Linda Hutchinson
Instructor
Spirituality and Sexuality
College of St. Catherine

I saw Jill speak at a Human Services Conference. She was part of a panel of speakers on the topic of Exploitation of Youth on the Streets. Jill told her story in a very professional and honest manner. She was not trying to shock us, nor was she looking for pity. She was making us realize that these horrible things can and do happen.

I was shocked, angry, horrified, stunned and saddened all at once. I wanted to run up and hug Jill, I wanted to go home and hold my daughter and never let her go. I found myself on the verge of tears, as you could tell that many of these memories were still very fresh for Jill. I began to realize that if that had been me, I probably wouldn’t have survived, let alone be able to talk in front of a large audience about it. Jill is very courageous I greatly admire her for telling her story and for helping others who have walked a similar path.
Karin Polzin, St. Louis County Social Services

I first brought Jill to speak to the University of Minnesota in March of 2001. Since most of our previous speaking events had not drawn a large crowd, I reserved a room that held only thirty people. Little did I know that Jill’s presentation would intrigue over twice as many people . The personal story she told was both horrifying and eye-opening. It was helpful that she was able to break up her presentation with wit. After she was done, the audience sat in stunned silence before breaking into applause. Slowly people got up the courage to start asking questions. After Jill left, members of the audience gathered back in one of their offices and discussed her presentation for another hour. Jill’s presentation not only exposed people to the “non-Hollywood” side of prostitution, but left a lasting impression on people who had never considered the detrimental affects of it. Jill’s presentation was incredibly powerful and I plan to bring her back the University of Minnesota each year.

-Kelly Coughlan, The Aurora Center for Advocacy & Education