Getting the Word Out - September 2016
Getting the Word Out
This month finds the volunteers of End Slavery going above and beyond! Yogis everywhere were invited to the “Home Stretch”, a fundraising event sponsored by yogi Jenny Thompson of White Wave Yoga. The event was held on two consecutive Saturdays, July 30th and August 6th, and volunteers Jamie Corwin, Jackie Leach, Kelly Dean, and Lauren Lacava were there to inform practitioners about human trafficking and to answer any and all questions. It was highly successful and Ms. Thompson says she wants to continue this opportunity.
The Women of ATT, the community outreach arm of ATT, hosted a seminar at the iconic ATT “Batman” Building on August 2nd. Assistant District Attorney Tammy Meade, Director of Case Management, Jennifer Settle, and I spoke about the horrors of human trafficking, and the efforts made by End Slavery, as well as law enforcement and the courts, to fight trafficking in our state and strengthen current anti-trafficking laws. We are so thankful for our partnership with Angie Megibben, Leah Peterson, and the other Women of ATT and look forward to many more opportunities to collaborate with them.
A brand new volunteer, Cara Deese, surprised everyone in the office with bountiful maternity and baby supplies for our expectant survivors. When Cara found out about our need, she mobilized her gracious neighbors, who donated a beautiful crib, 3 bouncy chairs, 2 really nice strollers, bags of maternity and baby clothes, breast pumps, 15 gift cards and cash donations. To say “thank you” is not enough to express our overwhelming gratitude.
New volunteer applications keep pouring in every day; in fact, the numbers are such that it is taking two hardworking volunteers, Lena Postanowicz and Jessica Marchand, to handle them all. It is truly amazing that we have this many people (some as young as 15!) who have joined in our vision of creating a slave-free Tennessee. We are truly blessed.
To accommodate these new volunteers, we scheduled two volunteer training sessions. The first was Tuesday, August 23rd, from 5p-8p, taught by the wonderful Karen Karpinski. The second one will be on Saturday, September 24th, from 9a-12n, and will be overseen by the always willing and able Jamie Corwin. An exclusive training will be held on Saturday, August 27th, for the Junior League of Nashville. The Junior League has entered into a partnership with us that will provide services for our survivors as well as help us in our community outreach efforts. We are very excited about this opportunity.
Last, but not least, our Mentoring Program is complete and we have scheduled our first training session for mentors. We are hoping that this will open endless possibilities for our survivors, who need role models who understand their pain and struggles, and will guide them on their journey towards healing and renewal. For more information, contact Jill Rutter at 615-806-6899 X 23.
I am at a loss of words to thank all of you for your love and support. You are one of the reasons that it is such an honor to work at End Slavery Tennessee. Blessings to each and every one of you.
Stay tuned……