Please excuse us for being a few days late… we’ve been busy, as you’re about to read!
WOW we are once again blown away by our community’s heart and generosity. It’s only a few weeks out from our annual fundraising event, and we’ve counted more than $40K in donations and sponsorships, designated toward services and resources provided to men, women, boys and girls rescued from sex trafficking! Please join me in celebrating these tremendous gifts!
These donations fuel our mission. We currently have 11 Survivors in our Mentor Program. This summer, we were able to host a picnic with Mentors and Mentees, which was greatly enjoyed by all who attended. At the end of September, the Reclaiming Hope team has distributed 872 Hope Bags to victim advocates across the country! This means we have checked more than 28,000 items in and out of our inventory so far this year. Imagine what is possible in the year(s) to come. If you missed our amazing fundraising night, please enjoy a few images below and learn how to donate on our website.
The first photo is of our staff and Board. Erika Omdahl (Teller Country Victim Specialist) shared with our attendees, as did Jaclyn Greer (The Avery Center).
We enjoyed a delicious meal catered by Carabba’s Italian Grill, and a fabulous dessert bar with donations from many businesses and individuals.
We had an amazing time with you all. Thank you, again, for blessing this ministry with your gifts, prayers and time. It means everything to us and those Reclaiming Hope is able to interact with.
In prayers and in Christ,
Sues Hess
Executive Director
IN THE NEWS AND RESOURCES
HELPING PEOPLE UNDERSTAND TRAFFICKING
“There’s a lot of stigma and shame around the experience of being trafficked and losing control over your life,” Pryshlak said, “so when a human trafficking survivor shows up at the hospital or school, they’re not going to be that person who’s saying ‘help!’”
Rocky Mountain PBS interviewed Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking to learn about how they’re educating people on what human trafficking really looks like.
LEARN ABOUT THE PROTECT ACT
It only takes an instant for anyone to become a victim of image-based sexual abuse (IBSA). It can happen through hidden camera videos, deepfake/edited images, leaked photos, filmed child sexual abuse, rape, sex trafficking and prostitution. These images can circulate fast and be posted to pornography websites, or shared without consent to other platforms, often before the victim even realizes it has happened. The PROTECT Act would require websites allowing sexually explicit material (pornography) to obtain verified consent forms from individuals uploading content, or appearing in uploaded content, and to require websites to remove images uploaded without consent.
PRAYER REQUESTS
- Pray every Survivor and Mentee overcome their specific fears and triggers. May they know God’s peace.
- Pray for the connections listed on our Survivor Resource List to help Survivors find the services they need.
- Pray Psalm 82:3-4 and that we will do right, seek justice and defend the oppressed. (Is 1:17)
- Pray for partnership and continued collaboration between organizations along the Front Range. Find out when the next Human Trafficking Task Force of Southern Colorado meeting at www.ht-colorado.org
REQUEST FOR CHRISTMAS STOCKINGS
We have received requests for 200 Christmas stockings and we’d love your help! This year, we plan on multiple versions of our stockings that will go to current victims of trafficking, including those serving in illicit massage parlors here in Colorado Springs.
Click here to see the PDF list of items of materials we’ll need to bless Survivors and Victims of trafficking this holiday season.
And as always, this is where you can go to find the lists of needs for our Hope Bags.