Awareness.

January is Human Trafficking Awareness month. (those stats are from 2011, but still very accurate)

As you may know, I've become very aware of human trafficking in the US, specifically Colorado, over the last 2 years through my involvement with Restore Innocence. Restore Innocence partners with law enforcement agencies and victims assistance units to help girls rescued from modern day slavery (sex slavery) restore their lives, and rebuild them, away from the depravity they have known. I love what they are doing for these girls, specifically, and to bring an end to slavery, globally.

However, because of the ages of my kids and the general chaos of my life, I can't really donate much time to the organization. But I do what I can. I'm a member of the Faith Circle of the do.good stitches bee, and we make quilts for Restore Innocence, and they give them to girls in their program that have been rescued from sex slavery.

Here's a picture of the last Faith Circle quilt I finished for Restore Innocence in August.

Dave and I also give financially to them so they can come along side girls rescued in Colorado, and all over the country. And, possibly most importantly, I use my voice. I post about trafficking on Facebook and Instagram. I have talked about it here and here and here in the past.

Here is an excerpt from the last post I tagged above:

It's going on right under your nose. That van in front of you on the highway? Maybe he's driving a few girls to a "date"... The girl in line behind you at the grocery store that won't make eye contact? Maybe she's buying diapers for her baby that was born into this slavery. The billboard advertising a "massage and spa" at the truck stop???

THESE ARE LITTLE GIRLS!!!

There are hundreds of people who "listen" to me, and sadly, many of them were unaware that modern slavery is happening in my backyard, and in theirs.

Awareness. 

Once the veil is lifted, and we begin to really see the depravity that is happening around us, we either retreat and hope someone else does something. ("I don't know what to do, I can't help!"). Or we feel compelled to help in whatever way we can. We volunteer our time, our talents, or our treasures. Like I said, for me, I make quilts and donate money, and talk about it.

This January, I'm going to be doing two things. First, I'm going to be talking about trafficking more than I have in the past. Here, and on Facebook and on Instagram.  Second, for the month of January, I'm going to be hosting a fundraiser for Restore Innocence  with Jamberry.

As you may or may not know, I've just recently started selling Jamberry nail wraps, and so I'm going to host a fundraiser with 20% of the sales of the party   (which is 2/3 of my commission) going to Restore Innocenc so they can make restoration bags to be given to girls at the moment they are rescued.

The fundraiser party will be mostly held on Facebook, so if you would like to be a part of that party to learn more about Jamberry, play some games, maybe win some free nail wraps, as well as be able to purchase nail wraps or other Jamberry products, then let me know. If I'm not already friends with you on Facebook, let me know how, and I'll find you.

If you would like to simply place an order, you can do that by going to my website: www.melissarichie.jamberrynails.net, or by clicking THIS LINK, which will take you through to the party directly Just remember to select the Restore Innocence party.

Or, if you would rather make a simple, tax-deductible donation to Restore Innocence, you can do that by going to their website, and scrolling to the bottom to give.

I don't honestly know that we will see an end to modern day slavery in my lifetime, but I do pray that it will end in my children's lifetime. It needs to end. The way these girls and boys are treated is simply inhumane and wrong. I want to be a part of bringing and end to it, and bringing hope to the ones who are rescued from it.

If we all do something, then we know an end will come.