DONATE HERE! Lisa's Race for Hope Donation Page
I am going to copy and paste Saucy Writer Girl's Blog post at the end of this Why? Because you probably won't follow the link. If you don't follow the link, you won't know about the cause she has pledged herself to run for and raise money and awareness for. If I don't post it - you might not be aware of what is going on under your nose in that quiet domesticity you live - I sure didn't. I had no idea just how prevalent it was in my hometown of Dayton Ohio. You might not realize that your sweet princess who is sound asleep in her bed with her American Girl doll tucked under her arm might run away in 10 years and get caught up in human sex trafficking. Maybe she will be too stubborn to call you to get her, but scared out of her skull and some "nice person" will offer her shelter in exchange for a favor. Yes, I know, that could never happen to your daughter. You live in a nice area with good schools and well to do neighbors. The truth is - it does happen and it happens everyday.
So Lisa is going to help end this heinous crime. To help rehabilitate these children. To do something other than talk about it, complain what a travesty it is and them move on to a latte and back to Words with Friends. She is going to run World Race for Hope because she runs and presently between going to school full time, working part-time, being a mom to two beautiful girls and a wife - she doesn't necessarily have time to volunteer - but she wasn't content to sit on her ass and do nothing. She is looking to raise $100. Now, I don't necessarily have the time to volunteer either and my ass can rarely be motivated to strap on my running shoes just for exercise - so I am taking it upon myself to help her promote her cause, her run and to hopefully boost her past $100.
So what can you do? You can pledge to her. It is tax deductible. If you donated that $3.00 you spent at Starbucks or Panera or wherever it is you get your caffeine fix, you could rest easy knowing that you did a small part to help a child caught up in some very f'd up shit. Each of my posts gets an average of 15 hits. If all 15 of you donated just that $3.00 - that's $45 and it puts her $5.00 away from her goal. I donated $10.00 because she is my friend, I think it's a worthy cause and I am donating my blog space to help her raise funds and awareness. Please readers - my friends and those who I don't know but frequent this page - please help me help Lisa reach her goal and help end human sex trafficking. Whether you are in US, Russia, South Korea, Germany or Australia (a sampling of where my regular hits come from) Our daughters DESERVE it and we CAN make a difference!!!!
I'll even sweeten the deal - I will match the highest donation from my blog up to Twenty Dollars. Leave a comment with your pledge amount and I will follow up with Lisa as to the amounts she has received. On December 14, 2012 I will make a second donation and recognize it as a my gift from you!
As promised - here is her post:
Social Media and Social Change: Raising Awareness About Human Trafficking
As part of my Social Media and Social Change coursework, we had to choose an issue that we felt strongly about and use social media and other avenues to help either build awareness or make a positive change. The projects were varied and included removing a bottled water vending machine in an office and replacing it with a water filtration system (a success), building awareness about shelter dogs and puppy mills (very informative and a cause I already support), Mayor Bloomberg’s ban on supersized sodas in NYC, fracking, and the AUM student union (or lack thereof)…I could go on, but I think my point has been made. I chose human trafficking as my topic. Not a pretty topic, but relevant nonetheless. Most victims of human trafficking are women and children who are used in the sex trade or as forced labor. This insidious industry is one of the fastest growing criminal enterprises, and almost all countries in the world are affected by it. During the research, I found that it is a recognized problem in Ohio. In fact, Dayton is thought to be becoming the hub of the child sex trafficking industry in the state, with the average age of the victims being only 13 years old.
Building awareness about this practice is one of the best ways to fight it. But what can the average citizen (for example, you and I), do to help? I found that there are a few different local organizations that are always looking for volunteers. One such group is the Oasis House, which interacts with suspected victims in the community to get them connected with social services agencies to get the help they need. Another resource is Abolition Ohio, an organization founded by Anthony Talbott, a local UD professor who also helped to organize the Dayton Human Trafficking Accords in 2009. Both groups offer training to citizens who want to get involved with victims and help them navigate life after being trafficked as well as offer education about the topic. One of the more positive aspects of community and law enforcement awareness have been the recent changes in Ohio laws that now recognize victims of trafficking and work with them instead of automatically prosecuting them. (Punishing the traffickers and those who use their services is something that can and does happen – decreasing the demand in the community and throughout the world by imposing strict sentences for offenders is definitely something that makes an impact on the industry.)
All during this course, I pondered just exactly what I could do to help this cause. I’m just a suburban wife and mother who goes to school full time and works part time. I don’t have a lot of extra time to volunteer (but I plan on it in the future) or money to donate to a cause. But I do like to run. As I was looking for upcoming races to run in, I found the World Race for Hope run on New Years Day. The event is in Troy and benefits local organizations as well as organizations worldwide who help victims of human trafficking. That’s when it hit me: anyone, regardless of age, economic background, or his or her busy life can help eradicate this horrible crime against humanity. I’ve signed up for the race and pledged to raise $100. I’m trying to find sponsors to help me get to my goal, even if it’s only a dollar at a time.
Here is the link to the website:
http://raceforhope.kintera.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=1037945
If you click on the sponsor button and type my name, it will take you directly to my personal fundraising page within the site and help me hit my $100 goal.
We CAN make a difference.
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