Fundraiser against human trafficking

From left, Sam Kitchen, charity chairman; Jessie McDonald, correspondence secretary; Louise Bisogni, vice president; and Carol O’Neill, president of Psi Chapter of Sigma Beta philanthropic sorority, are organizing a fundraiser for Sanctum House. Photo by Phil Custodio

BY PHIL CUSTODIO
Clarkston News Editor
Edee Franklin, the founder of Sanctum House, recently spoke to the local Psi Chapter of Sigma Beta national philanthropic sorority about human trafficking in the United States.
The talk made quite an impact.
“We decided as a group to be involved in the fight against human trafficking,” said Louise Bisogni of Clarkston, vice president. “The public is not aware of it.”
“We learned how prevalent it is – Michigan is high in the nation,” said Sam Kitchen, charity chairman.
“It’s in our backyard,” said Carol O’Neill, president.
The group organized a fundraiser to help Sanctum House in its mission, 6-11 p.m., Friday, May 4, at Deer Lake Athletic Club, 6167 White Lake Road.
Guest speakers will include Franklin, along with Deborah Monroe, owner of Recovery Concepts and consultant to Sanctum House; Lt. Wendy Reyes, Oakland County Sheriff’s Office; Jane P. White, director of the Michigan Human Trafficking Task Force; and Daniel Russell, moderator.
They will discuss indicators and red flags of human trafficking, as well as Sanctum House, southeast Michigan’s first long-term, full-service safe home for adult women victimized by human trafficking, said Jessie McDonald, correspondence secretary.
Live music will be provided by the Tribute Singers, with Dawn Marie as Dolly Parton, Andre Brandon as Dierks Bentley, and Jeff Carr as Willie Nelson.
Tickets are $100 – 350 tickets sold for the event, which will also include a silent auction of sports memorabilia and other items, and door prizes.
Call Sam Kitchen at 248-245-1610 and check www.sanctumhouse,org.

Signs a person may be a victim
of human trafficking include:

• Few or no personal possessions, no financial control, no identification documents, not allowed to speak for themselves, no address, unable to identify what city they’re in or what time it is, numerous inconsistencies in their story;
• Fearful, anxious, depressed, submissive, tense, nervous, paranoid, unusually fearful or anxious after bringing up law enforcement;
• Avoids eye contact;
• Not free to leave or come as go as he or she pleases
in the commercial sex industry;
• Unpaid, paid very little, or paid only through tips, excessively long or unusual hours;
• Not allowed breaks or unusual restrictions at work
owes a large debt and unable to pay it off;
• Recruited to work through false pretenses;
• Work or live under high security where windows are opaque, boarded up, barred, or barbed wire, security cameras;
• No access to medical care, malnourished, repeated exposure to harmful chemicals, physical abuse, sexual abuse, physical restraint, confinement, torture.
– www.sanctumhouse.org

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.