Alison Arngrim, best known as Nellie Oleson on Little House on the Prairie, was originally scheduled to speak at our event. However, Air France had other ideas and bumped Alison from the flight that would have made her presence possible. Betsy Salkind was kind enough to agree to step in as a substitute for Alison, with less than twenty-four hours notice!

Betsy, who is often also referred to as The Squirrel Lady, wrote for the "Roseanne" television series and "Saturday Night Special". Additionally, she has appeared on the "Tonight Show" on NBC, "Last Comic Standing" on NBC and Comedy Central, "Stand Up Stand Up" on Comedy Central, "Girls Night Out" on Lifetime, and "America's Funniest People" on ABC.

Betsy, in addition to being a comedian, is also an advocate for children.

According to Protect.Org: "Betsy Salkind was PROTECT's woman in Sacramento for Senate Bill 33. Salkind worked the halls of the legislature, lobbying, charming, bullying and organizing throughout the winter, spring and summer of 2005. She also played a crucial role by painstakingly working to recruit a diverse, winning coalition of over 40 organizations for the Circle of Trust campaign. In this essay, Salkind focuses on the emerging movement of child abuse survivors sparked by this campaign, their anger and their determination to win again."

The following is an excerpt from "The Righteous Battle is On: An Organizer's View" by Betsy Salkind:

Our society acts like the real danger to children is the creepy loner who lurks in the park, but the truth is the danger is in our homes, in our families. This is not new. What is new is that victims now grown are no longer accepting the shame and enforced silence of the crimes committed against them, and are determined to spare other children their own pain.

For years I worked to "heal" the damage of my own abuse. But when I found out several years ago that my father had also molested other children, outside of the family, I realized that my own experience was not personal, and treating it as such was not an option. Just because I was an adult and no longer in danger did not absolve me of responsibility for those still vulnerable. He may have gotten away in my case due to statutes of limitation, but others could still be caught.

This campaign has taught me that there are a whole lot of us who are finished with the perp version of our experience and are determined to ruin a perps day. Every day.

We were incredibly grateful for Betsy's willingness to speak at our event, especially with such short notice. The last-minute research we did, to find out who she was, did little to prepare us for the tremendous gifts that her speaking would bring is. Her excellent mix of forthrightness and humor carried a powerful message without leaving her audience overwhelmed.