We are the Take A Stand monkeys, or mascots if you will. We are sent all over the world when someone we know needs a little extra love and support. Let me explain a little about how we got our names.
Within the soul of every person--regardless of religion, race, gender--dwells a strength only complete in its duality. Maya, or "Mother," resembles the silent resilience in us all, especially noticeable when we are facing fierce hardships.
Maya also refers to Maya Angelou. When she was raped as a child, she told her family members the name of her rapist and they found him and killed him. Believing her words had the power to kill and not quite sure how to cope with both that power and her recent rape, she was silent for years. Finally a teacher told her that she would never really understand poetry until she read it aloud. Poetry became her way of coping. And so she inspired the world with her own poetry.
However, within the soul of every person--regardless of religion, race, or gender--dwells a strength only complete in its duality. Maya, or "Mother," resembles the silent resilience in us all, especially noticeable when we are facing fierce hardships.
Matty means "Strong Fighter." It takes strength to stand up and speak out about abuse. No matter how scared you are, and whether or not you believe it, you have the strength inside of you. It may be deep within your soul and you may have to search for it, however, it is there. You only have to look for it. Matty represents the strength and courage inside inside us all giving us the vigor to take a stand to fight.
Our middle name, Lee, comes from Dr. Lee Jantz who was one of Meg's professors. She is the inspiration behind TKASTND.org. She allowed Meg to talk to her about her rape and essentially became Meg's sounding board. She was the face on the other side of the computer. Meg emailed her regularly whenever she felt like she needed to talk. Never once was Meg told to stop emailing; never once was she told that this was inappropriate. In time Dr. Jantz helped Meg regain her strength and become the person she is today.
It is Meg's hope that the board, along with TKASTND will help you all find