“I’m doing much better today,” said the high school girl when asked how she was feeling. During a previous class, she was visibly affected by some of the course material and stepped outside for a breath. After taking some time to comfort her, I encouraged her to come back to class and she did. Her classmates were clearly moved as well and waiting for the girl with some positive, uplifting words that they wrote on her paper handout. I watched her smile and the lesson of the day set in.

On the last day, when I called the young girl up to receive her certificate of completion, she swiftly approached me with open arms. Her smile was radiant despite the tears she shed moments earlier during a spoken-word video which emphasized that teenagers are “not a number.” Hopefully, they never will be considered as a commodity thanks to the tools they took away from this class.

“I’m doing much better today.”

This girl was just one of the many kids, and adults, who are impacted by our programs. Not only do we see their interest but we see their heart, the pain in their eyes as they consider the issues and the resilience formed in them as they decide to help fight human trafficking. This fight can take many forms and for us it takes the form of prevention through education.

It takes money to provide these programs to the public. This is why our Freedom Fund campaign is so important. During this time, not only are we raising money to sustain these programs but every dollar raised is doubled through a matching grant. There are more people who have a heart for advocacy and even more who can avoid being trafficked if reached with a CVJC program. Please continue to help us serve as many people as possible by donating to our Freedom Fund.

Thank you.

Marissa Garcia, Prevention Program Manager