Dear Friends,

I’m  thrilled to announce that this week, Free to Thrive completed our 500th  legal matter on behalf of our incredible survivor clients!!!! This  milestone represents hundreds of individual stories and lives changed  forever. Every single legal matter we work on symbolizes a legal barrier  that stands between our clients and freedom from exploitation. Among  these 500 legal matters, we’ve successfully cleared 215 criminal records  through 45 petitions! These matters also include getting law  enforcement agencies to destroy these records pursuant to court orders –  which is sometimes even more difficult than getting the court to make  these orders. When we succeed in clearing a client’s record, it clears a  path to housing, employment and financial stability. We’ve also helped  47 clients obtain restraining orders, 43 get or increase custody of  their children, 13 change their names and/or gender markers, and so much  more!
 

This work would not be possible without our dedicated staff, board  members, donors, pro bono attorneys, interns, volunteers, and community  partners. This truly is a team effort and YOU are a critical part of  that team. I am beyond grateful for your support and the support of  everyone who makes our work possible.
 

Thank you so much to those who will be attending our sold out Journey to  Freedom event. If you are not attending in person, I hope you will join  us virtually this Saturday at 7:15 PM PST to celebrate this milestone together. 

With deepest gratitude,

Jamie

Member of Rotary Club of D5280 Rotarians Fighting Human Trafficking

When Dave McCleary first heard about human trafficking, it seemed  like something that happened far away, probably overseas. But not in the  United States. And certainly not in his hometown.

Then one day he invited a speaker who knew otherwise to talk to his  Rotary club in Roswell, Georgia. Her name was Melissa. She was  originally from Roswell and had gone to the same high school McCleary’s  girls had attended. Melissa dropped out at 16 and was offered a modeling  job by a man who turned out to be a sex trafficker. For two years, she  was trapped and trafficked in downtown Atlanta before police and a local  organization helped her escape.

Students on their way to morning class at Pace Universal, a  school for girls in Piyali Junction, outside Kolkata, India, that is  funded in part by Rotary clubs and The Rotary Foundation. It was founded  by Rotarian Deepa Biswas Willingham to educate girls and protect them  from slavery, trafficking, and early childhood marriage in a community  where these are common dangers for girls.

After the meeting, another Rotarian approached Melissa and gave her a  big hug. McCleary asked him how he knew the young woman. He said she  used to babysit his kids when she was 12, and he had wondered what had  happened to her.

$50,000 Vocational Training Global Grant benefits survivors of human  trafficking. The training lab is housed at C.A.S.T. (Coalition Against  Sex Trafficking). The funds were provided by Rotary International  District  5280 (Los Angeles Region), Rotary International District 3650  (Seoul, Korea Region), The Rotary Foundation, along with Los Angeles  Region Rotary Clubs Beverly Hills, D5280 Rotarians Fighting Human  Trafficking, Woodland Hills, and lead club Westchester guided by  Rotarian Warren Bobrow. The vocational training lab will provide  opportunities for these survivors to look to a brighter future.

On January 16th, the RC of D5280 Rotarians Fighting Human Trafficking sponsored the Los Angeles leg of the California Rotary Human Trafficking Prevention Campaign. Approximately 25 Rotarians participated in a noncompetitive 5K walk to raise awareness about the very serious issue of human trafficking, both labor and sexual exploitation of people of all ages and genders, as well as all socio and economic groups, within the Los Angeles region.     Rotarians from the D5280 Rotarians Fighting Human Trafficking Rotary Club were joined by other Rotarians from Playa Venice Rotary, Rancho Park Rotary, Westchester Rotary, Manhattan Beach Rotary, South Bay Sunrise Rotary and Santa Monica Rotary. The walkers were led by Rob DeCou, Ultra Athlete and Rotarian. Thanks to the generosity of the Drollinger Family Charitable Foundation, District Governor Guity Javid presented $1000 checks to each of the keynote speakers from Journey Out and In Our Backyard, nonprofits assisting victims and survivors of human trafficking, as well as providing the site for the start and finish of the walk.