By Jan Edwards | President
WOW!
What a 4th Quarter we had with youth and adults around the nation!
Our October started out with us being at the Black Hills Pow Wow. We hosted a table with one of our partners out in South Dakota Pathfinder, a safe house for Native women. We spoke and educated hundreds of native brothers and sisters about child exploitation, online abuse and trafficking.
We continued our educational programs with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Florida throughout the quarter. They are one of our favorite partners as they fully understand the importance of educting youth about what's happening online and offline. Overall we've educated almost 500 youth with them from the summer through the fall. We look forward to continuing the partnership into 2023.
There were several tabling events we participated in to engage with and educate the community. Events at Community Centers for National Night Out, Halloween Haunted Houses, along with Health and Safety events at Colleges, Elementary and Middle Schools. We impacted close to a thousand lives out in the community with our informational Jenga game so we could talk with parents about ways to keep their kids safe. We were invited to speak at Rollins College to a Social Justice class and ganined two new Interns for our program and have been invited back again in the Spring!
Working with Title One and Alternative High School students is so rewarding and we've been invited back to multiple Alternative school this year to educate and empower older youth.
Impacting legislation at the Federal Level that keeps kids safe, especially online, is an important part of our Advocacy work. We traveled to DC to meeting with Congressional Representatives and Sentors to have them hear from the voices of our kids. This past year, we educated close to 7,000 students and hundres of adults. The teens voices must be heard at the Federal level and that's what we bring; Real stories about real people who are being exploited.
We were recognized this summer by the Orange County Sheriff's Office as a community Parnter for the work we do with the CRC and educating kids ing the Sheriff's Summer Program.
Our CEO was invited to be part of a panel on Effective Advocacy with NCOSE in November. This conference is attended by thousands of people across the world as it's is done via zoom. Was an honor to be selected and invited to share our perspective. Our CEO was on the panel with NCOSE, RAINN and National Childrens Alliance.
We closed out Novemember with our Lights on For Children event leading up to Giving Tuesday. We raised over $10,000 via individual donors and the GlobalGiving Platform. We are so grateful for our donors and partners. We also won another grant, Cares Amercia and invited to participate with the Victory Cup Intiative, where we compete for prize money by sharing our story. Last years winner recieved $82,000 of unrestricted funds! We look forward to being that inspiring as well.
We were also invited to educate the Lakota Tribal Educators at a conference in December, however, that's when the big snow happened all accross the mid-west. When a Governor shuts down a state, you know it's serious. We'll be back there next year!
Being invited back to talk to students is always an honor. It means we did a good job the first time and the faculty understand the importance of this conversation. I'm going to leave with one story about a young girl you helped impact.
We went back to a High School in Brevard County (Space Coast) to educate the Freshmen. Our CEO was 5 classes in with two more to go when a student approached her. She said " Miss Jan, do you remember me?"
Jan said, "Yes, of course"
Then the student said one of the most profound things ever. She said, " I had to come say thank you for saving my life.' Jan blinked a coupld times to get the tears out of her eyes and the student continued. "You see, if I hadn't taken your class back in April and learned I and my friend were being groomed to be trafficked, I don't think I'd be here right now." Jan acknoweledged her for her courage and taking the tools and applying them. She said,"I just had to come say thank you." They hugged and Jan went on to teach two more classes before sobbing in her car at the end of the day.
That is one life. One story of hundreds that we may never know about. And we don't need to. This is why you continue to support this imporant mission and we are forever grateful.
An old Proverb says, "Blessed Are Those Who Plant Trees Under Whose Shade They Will Never Sit"
That is who you are for the world and the kids we educate.
Thank you!
By Janet Edwards | President
By Janet Edwards | President
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