Beth Twitty Kicks Off “Save Yourself” Program at Natalee’s High School

No more powerful and meaningful words were spoken last night by Beth Twitty during her presentation of the kick off of her teen safety awareness program, “Save Yourself”, than the following:

“I can’t find Natalee,” she said. “It’s too late for me and my daughter, but it’s not too late for you.”

This is a wake up call to parents and teenagers alike. Please learn from the terrible events that Beth Twitty and the Holloway family has experienced in the disappearance of Natalee Holloway in Aruba. The reason why this story has legs is that it could have been anyone of us. Every honest individual knows that even though you try to prepare your teenagers for the real world, it is a dangerous place. Compounded even further when in a foreign country with customs and laws that are so drastically different.

One of the main points that Beth Twitty stressed to the crowd was, “She never saw this coming. She was blindsided.” In an island paradise that is reported as safe individuals on vacation let their guard down. There is a sense that nothing bad can happen. In the world we live in today, this is usually the exact setting for those looking to take advantage of others.

“She never saw this coming. She was blindsided,” Twitty told the crowd of about 500. “Natalee had a false sense of security with her many friends there. She was too confident, she felt safe and she let her guard down for a moment and in that moment she was taken.”
(Birmingham News)

Beth Twitty went on to mention many ways in which teens can keep safe when traveling abroad and not to ever let their defenses down. The disappearance of a child is a tragedy beyond comprehension for parents. This is the case for all missing persons. Beth Twitty in her comments over the past nine months has sounded no different than any of the other parents of missing children. They all will pursue their cause forever to find their children. Beth Twitty hopes that she can make a difference so no other family has to endure the pain that she has.

Holloway’s mother, Beth Twitty, said she wants to take her family’s tragedy and try to make something good come out of it.

Twitty said she is starting a non-profit group called the International Safe Travels Foundation. She told students to always be aware and to keep themselves from being unable to defend themselves.

Twitty warned that bad things can happen anywhere, not just overseas.
(NBC 13)

One of our members was in attendance of Beth Twitty’s “Save Yourself” kickoff. Read their accounts of the evening. Hat tip, SB.

Beth Twitty will be bringing her message on the road in the near future and create a web site as well dedicated to safe travel abroad. There is a strong and powerful message here which is one of the reasons why this story is not going to go away. There is a far bigger picture and one that affects all concerned parents.

Not only the loss of a teenager, but the subsequent dealings by the Twitty’s and Holloway’s with the Aruban authorities. Millions of families across the US have seen the Natalee Holloway investigation and hard ache for these families play out on national TV. Millions of American have seen the yo-yo, back and forth, roller coaster ride that this family has been put through. Beth Twitty’s mission is to make both teens and parents aware of the dangers and preventative measures they can take. For the many that think this is going away in the media or in the collective conscious of Americans, it is not. At every speech, at every high school and college that Beth Twitty speaks at the Save Yourself program and the story of Natalee Holloway in Aruba will be discussed. For every other parent of a missing child that Beth Twitty helps, the name of Natalee Holloway will be referenced.

Going away any time soon? Hardly. The reason why this story has such legs is because it connects with so many people. Unlike many stories in the news that others who want to tell us what should be important to us; this one truly is and connects on a personal and emotional level. Why? Because there is no greater treasure than our children and the disappearance of Natalee could have been any one of us.

Brandi Gulow and her family drove two hours to see the presentation. They hope to ask Twitty to speak to their school system in Rome, Ga.

“That could easily have been anybody’s daughter,” she said.