Hometown Hero | Ashley Elkins

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) - Self-defense classes for women are more than just lessons on punching and kicking.

Ashley Elkins, our latest Hometown Hero, is teaching young women to develop strong bodies and minds.

She said personal experience -- especially something dramatic, even in a negative way -- can have a tremendous impact on someone’s life.

“I am an overcomer of sexual assault and domestic violence,” Elkins said.

And she’s not alone. Every day in our country there are more than 20,000 calls placed to domestic violence hotlines, and every 68 seconds someone is sexually assaulted.

WSAZ’s Tim Irr caught up with some young women at Marshall University who are hoping to be part of a movement to change those statistics.

Elkins is one of their instructors. For more on her story, tap on the video link with this story.

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