Tag Archives: victims

Where Hope Lives!

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I took this photo to catch the morning light on our money plant.

Wednesday was a ribbon-cutting ceremony and reception for a kitchen we helped fund at the Phoenix Dream Center. The Phoenix Dream Center I’ve mentioned before. In it’s former life, it was an Embassy Suites Hotel. Now it’s a residential facility for sex-trafficked women.

Although it’s not in a good area of Phoenix, it offers a chance at recovery and a renewal for many teens and women. The kitchen my women’s group bought appliances for is a respite and educational center for women who choose to keep their babies. It was a space that previously was used for storage, then a break room for staff.

A couple who own a construction company, transformed the space into a living area with a large screen TV where babies and toddlers can relax and play while moms cook for them. There’s a large dining room table in the room adjacent to the kitchen where moms and kids can share meals. Like one staff member told us, “The heart of the home is the kitchen.” It’s a place for assembly and fellowship.

The construction couple designed the plans and used their employees to complete the rebuild. The owner said they hired an AC guy who was a graduate of the Phoenix Dream Center and now owns a HVAC company. They said they often use current people in the recovery program as apprentices to teach them skills to help ensure their future.

Their vision was to have a place where women residents could learn basics of cooking. They explained that many of the women were trafficked at a young age. They never learned things like following recipes, measurements, menu planning, etc. Things we all take for granted. After they learn basic skills, the center will bring in guest chefs.

Wow. I was impressed on how beautiful the room turned out. It’s more than a kitchen, it’s a place for mothers and babies to hang out together, learn and feel safe.

The construction couple gave us a tour of the Children’s Learning Center, which will be finished by the end of the month. It’s a daycare center for infants up to preschool. They have rooms for each age from one to preschool age. They stressed the only way to break the cycle of sex trafficking and victimhood is through education. The three-year-olds will begin to learn to read. The four-year-olds will read aloud to caregivers. The five- and six-year-olds are in preschool and will be prepared to enter public school at the same level as their peers.

Meanwhile, the children’s learning center is a safe place for up to 95 children. While moms continue with therapy, training and education at the Phoenix Dream Center, the moms have a safe place to leave their children — right in the heart of the center. We were told that when moms graduate the program, they can use the center for free daycare. Most women starting out on a new life do not have the means for daycare.

The Phoenix Dream Center is protected by Homeland Security plus local Sheriffs and Police. We learned that a 13-year-old girl can earn their trafficker $300,000 a year. If he has three girls, he’s making big money. They often want to get their “property” back after they’ve been rescued by law enforcement. That’s why there is full-time security, plus high tech DHS equipment — and more they didn’t discuss with us.

Not only am I impressed with the mission of the Phoenix Dream Center and how it changes lives, the couple I met who are donating their time, money and expertise to bring these plans to fruition, truly got me teary eyed.

Here are a few photos from the kitchen we helped support. Next, we’re buying refrigerators for the Children’s Learning Center along with computers for their pre-school.

Thanks for coming along on my tour and ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Phoenix Dream Center — Where Hope Lives!

Please share your thoughts.

Where Hope Lives

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Sunset view

Where Hope Lives is the new branding of The Dream Center of Phoenix, that I wrote about HERE and HERE.

I belong to the Creative Women of Pinnacle Peak which fundraises and supports Where
Hope Lives and hosted the event.

What country is number one in buying sex and human trafficking?

The United States of America.

What is the number one desirable target of sex trafficking?

11-year-old boys who can earn $250,000 a year for their trafficker.

I learned these facts at a meeting last night with guest speaker Joanna Shipe who is a long-time volunteer with The Dream Center (for woman ages 18 and older) and StreetLightUSA (ages 13 to 17.) I belong to the Creative Women of Pinnacle Peak which fundraises and supports Where Hope Lives and hosted the event.

Here is more info from the Where Hope Lives website:

Where Hope Lives
Where Hope Lives is home to the largest human trafficking rescue and recovery operation in North America. We are located at the Phoenix Dream Center (ages 18+), StreetLightUSA (ages 13-17), and Colorado City Dream Center (familial trafficking survivors). Our quality assurance report boasts a 94% success rate, one year after graduating from our program.

Why Give To Where Hope Lives?
Where Hope Lives Provides

  • Onsite medical center to address survivor needs
  • Onsite chapel is offered for spiritual nurture
  • Onsite behavioral health care healing services
  • Onsite trauma informed high school
  • Onsite physical wellness and wholeness center
  • Onsite eye care and dental care clinics
  • Onsite career training and job placement program
  • 30,000 square feet of space for healing care
  • 12 safe beds for boys and young men
  • 41 safe beds for girls and young women
  • 200 sex trafficking survivors served each year
  • $46K per year per survivor in healing costs
  • 10 Years passing legislation to help victims

But even with all this…Only 1 out of every 100 individuals trafficked will be rescued.

https://stoptrafficwalk.org/where-hope-lives/

The facility needs 2,000 beds. Shipe said the former administration came to observe The Dream Center for six weeks. They decided it was a premier program for helping victims of human trafficking and allotted $13 million to the program after going through everything with a fine-tooth comb. That would have provided funds for a new 2,000-bed facility on land that has already been purchased. The current administration cancelled the funds because the center won’t allow men or transgenders into the residential facility with women or children — who were raped up to 15 to 20 times per day and are traumatized.

A question was asked on how long victims stay in the residential facility. Shipe said it’s all individual on what each woman or child needs. She said they have one resident who has been there seven or eight years and may never leave. She was from Ukraine and bought by Epstein at age 10. She’s now in her late 20s and is so damaged she may never be able to lead a normal life. Others are able to continue on with their education or begin careers in a year or two.

Another fact I learned was human trafficking is organized crime. It’s not a one-off kidnapping with a child being thrown into a van. Kids are targeted who are vulnerable. The groomers are not covered in tattoos and don’t look like thugs. They are extremely good looking and clean cut. If your daughter were to bring one of these groomers home, you’d be pleased. Shipe said to not let your children or grandchildren alone with their phones at night. Grooming often starts on apps.

Do these facts change how you view human trafficking? What organizations in your area provide services for human trafficking?

Why not call 911?

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I had to share these lovely blooms in a planter in our backyard.

If you watch news, you probably heard about two employees at Lululemon who were fired for calling 911 when a robbery occurred. They also recorded the thieves in action on their phones.

Jennifer Ferguson and Rachel Rogers told local outlets they reached out to authorities after a group of robbers came to their store in Peachtree Corners, despite company policy that says employees should not intervene in robberies. 

“We didn’t really feel very protected or know what else to do,” Rogers told local TV station 11Alive.

“We are not supposed to get in the way,” Ferguson told the outlet. “You kind of clear path for whatever they’re going to do. And then, after it’s over, you scan a QR code. And that’s that. We’ve been told not to put it in any notes, because that might scare other people. We’re not supposed to call the police, not really supposed to talk about it.” 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/former-lululemon-employees-say-they-were-fired-for-breaking-store-policy-after-calling-police-to-report-a-robbery/ar-AA1bMqry

I learned that this was the fourth or fifth robbery at that store by the same men.

Both my son and daughter have worked retail, my daughter at Lululemon in Scottsdale during a Christmas season. My son worked for the now defunct American Apparel while a student at UC Santa Barbara. When he moved to the Bay Area he transferred to the store outside Chinatown.

The manager who approved my son’s transfer was gone when he showed up. Nobody knew that he was supposed to be employed there. A massive robbery occurred one night after the store was closed and they lost $50,000 in denim. The alarm never went off and the manager, who hired my son, was fired.

Then my son was robbed while he worked there. The policy was not to interfere with the criminals for employees’ safety. I heard about this much later because it was one of those “Don’t tell Mom” events.

Yes, I was terrified when I found out about it. I’m thankful my kids have moved on from retail in their careers.

It is said that theft in stores is a victimless crime.

What are your thoughts? Is shoplifting a victimless crime? Do you think employees should be allowed to call the police? What can be done about the current crime wave?