Fight for Mari

US Dept. of State - 20 Ways You Can Help Fight Human Trafficking https://www.state.gov/20-ways-you-can-help-fight-human-trafficking/ National Human Trafficking Hotlines - Find Local Services; search "Volunteer Opportunites") https://humantraffickinghotline.org/en/find-local-services End Slavery Now Antislavery Directory - List of US and international organizations; sort by "Volunteer Opportunities" and your region http://www.endslaverynow.org/connect The Action Library - 429 actions you can take now; sort by "Form of Abolition/Slavery" http://www.endslaverynow.org/act/action-library Fight The New Drug - 5 Ways You Can Help Fight Trafficking in Your Daily Life https://fightthenewdrug.org/5-simple-ways-you-can-fight-sex-trafficking-today/ OnWatch Training https://www.iamonwatch.org/ Learn more about trafficking via my other articles with resources: Organizations  (that I've personally researched/worked with) Social Media Accounts Books Podcasts

Hey everyone! This past weekend, I had the opportunity to do photo coverage for an amazing event called Ride For Hope, co-organized by Christ Community Church and an organization called Naomi’s House  in Illinois. The annual Ride For Hope was started in 2021 by Mark Kurland after his daughter started working with Naomi's House. After hearing what the people she worked with were going through, he wanted to do more to help the organization, as he explained in an interview  with CBS Chicago. This year, there were 108 people signed up to ride and over 25 volunteers! There were approximately 80 people that were riding on June 3 and the rest would ride on their own at some point before the fundraiser closes. There were riders in their pre-teens all the way up to 60s or older; people who were avid cyclists who go out in all weather every weekend and people who hadn't touched a bike in months. The ride started in St. Charles, Illinois at Christ Community Church and traveled 50 ...

These are some of the stories that surround us every single day. The stories that go unheard, the cries for help that go unanswered, the pleas for change that never comes. It's time that ends. It's PAST time that ends. We're playing catch-up now. Each and every day, there are more people trapped in human trafficking than the last. So what are we going to do about it? What are you gonna do about it? Today, we walked. An organization called A21  has hosted international Walks For Freedom each of the last eight years, walking silently in a single-file line and holding signs to raise awareness about trafficking (listen to the accompanying podcast  here ). We passed businesses, pop-up artist stands, and parks. We had conversations with people we passed who were unaware of what is going on in their community and giving them ways to get involved locally. We decided to not remain passive. And that's how it starts: making a decision. Every humanitarian horror in history tha...

Important date coming up! February 25, 2021, is Shine a Light on Slavery Day (SLSD). SLSD is supported by End It Movement  to raise awareness of human trafficking and to show your support in the fight to end human trafficking. To show your support, please make a red "X" on the back of your hand and post it on your social media. Also, you can send your photos to  IG: @FightForMari  to be featured on my Instagram story. You can also download graphics for social media posts and phone backgrounds here . Thank you all for your support of Fight For Mari and your support in the fight to end human trafficking!

The question always asked about sites using someone's name: "Why is it called ____?" About 4 years ago, I was on an app called Whisper. I was looking for people asking for advice, wanting to talk, whatever they might want. I came across this one person who was saying she wasn't sure what to do because she was scared. I texted with her nearly all night and more the following few days. We quickly became friends. After a couple weeks, she felt more comfortable telling me what was going on and I figured out she was in a sex trafficking ring. After that conversation, I would be her go-to outlet for everything that happened. Her best (and only) way of coping with her situation was to tell me what was going on each and every night. It was horrifying. Heart-breaking. Traumatizing. After about 3-4 months of talking more, reassuring her that she would be safe if she reported the ring and that she wouldn't be killed or pulled back in, she told me she had reported it and ...