Nine years ago, I came to work for Journey Out with absolutely no idea what human trafficking really meant. I was living in an upper middle-class community where most moms’ greatest worries were about what teacher our children were going to get in the new school year and would my children make the high school football team or the choir. It never occurred to me that there were children and adults in our community that were victims of human trafficking and I had no idea how horrific a person’s life could be if they were forced into human trafficking. As I began to hear some of those stories and meet those victims at Journey Out, I spent my drives home from work sobbing and praying. My first day on the job I quit. I couldn’t imagine working in an environment where the daily abuse I would be seeing was unimaginable, and the recovery for those victims would not be instantaneous and in most cases take many, many years.
The day after I walked out I thought about all the victims and wanted to say, “I am truly sorry!” I want to do better. My ignorance and fear are no excuse for wanting to ignore your cries for help! You deserve to feel safe and loved too. That is why I came back.
Statistics reported on Human Trafficking Awareness Day in 2023 stated that 4.5 million people throughout the world are victims of forced sexual exploitation. Those are people’s lives, and they are being sold. They have lost their freedom. Its modern-day slavery and it must stop!
Now more than ever, WE NEED YOUR HELP! These past few years have been extremely difficult for many non-profit organizations. During Covid-19 we experienced an enormous drop off in annual donations from people just like you and we need your support NOW! Would you please consider sending Journey Out $10, $20, $50, $100 or even $1000 dollars to help us keep our life saving programs available to the hundreds of victims that we come in contact with every year?
Desperate times call for desperate measures and so I want to thank you in advance for making whatever donation you can to help us continue to show these victims that WE CARE! Every single dollar helps. No gift is too small. I promise you; we will make a difference.
Thank you,
Cindy Spula, Finance and Operations Officer
“Journey Out has been a lifelong support to my recovery and exit from the life of commercial sexual exploitation. Thanks to them and the endless love and care, I can live a stable, peaceful and violence free life with my children.”
Cara, Survivor Thriver
https://give-usa.keela.co/donation-23