Getting the Word Out - October 2016
Getting the Word Out
September has been a busy month for End Slavery Tennessee. We welcomed two amazing interns, Breanna Adams and Lauren Dekleva, from Belmont University, and they’ve done a wonderful job in helping the case managers in meeting the needs of survivors.
Another cohort from the Junior League of Nashville reached out for training, and we gladly complied. We feel truly blessed that this wonderful organization is partnering with us to help facilitate greater outreach in community education, to volunteer and to expand opportunities for the survivors under the care of Direct Services.
Volunteer Alissa Shear did an outstanding job updating our Be the Jam program. This educational program, which is geared towards the general youth population (as opposed to our intensive prevention groups for high risk youth), has been updated to reflect the current trends in trafficking of minors and to be interactive. Alissa used the revised program already in several school presentations, including two all day trainings at Smyrna High School. Be the Jam will be uploaded on the End Slavery website very soon, and we are hoping to even have an app developed for the program for tech saavy youth.
End Slavery was honored again to speak at the DCS 2016 Annual Foster Parent Conference, held in Murfreesboro September 9th through 10th. Volunteers Olivia Arnold, Sarah Cho, Chad Holt, and Alissa Shear hosted our End Slavery table and handed out information and answered questions posed by the more than 800 attendees at the conference. This year, we not only represented the work of our own organization, but also the work of the three other designated Tennessee Single Points of Contact agencies: Restore Corps – West Tennessee, Second Life Chattanooga- Lower East, and the Community Coalition Against Human Trafficking- Upper East.
The St. Thomas Day of Hope, Health, and Healing was held on Saturday, September 24th, at the Municipal Auditorium in Nashville. Andrew Branch, Rebecca Broeker, Mesha Ingram, Paige Price, Annette Valentine, Casey Walker, and Tracy McCarthy stepped forward to volunteer and represent End Slavery Tennessee. This annual event, part of St. Thomas’ Medical Mission at Home, is part of a collective commitment to serve all persons, with special attention to those who are struggling the most in Middle Tennessee. Because of the great work of St. Thomas Health, and the wonderful partnership with us, we were delighted to be a part of this event.
We are on the final stretch – the Ride for Refuge is TODAY! Riders, runners, and walkers, are lacing up their shoes and pumping the tires to get ready for this annual FUNdraiser. Chairperson Beth Wright, as well as volunteers Don Adcox, Marcus DePaula, Cheryl Brehm, Clarice Grooms, Clarice Parsons, Dana Franklin, and Dana Montgomery have worked tirelessly towards the success of this event. And Volunteer Group Leaders Scott Hardesty, Sherry Gatewood, Tina McLane, and Stacy Elliott have their teams lined up and ready. It promises to be a fun day enjoying other like-hearted people who care about our mission!