Raising Awareness … Saving Lives!
Articles:
Two hours north of Mumbai, India, sits the beautiful 72-acre Village of Hope called Ashagram, a testament to the vision and commitment of Shared Hope International, Bombay Teen Challenge, and partners like you.
This life-saving village restores adults and children victimized by India’s commercial sex industry. Today, women and their children benefit from the medical, emotional, educational, and vocational care and training provided on campus.
Residents like Kumari* are empowered to heal physically and emotionally in this secure environment:
Kumari was born in the red-light area of Mumbai. She was brought to us when she was almost 10 … and her mother could no longer keep Kumari safe from the traffickers and buyers.
The young girl thrived at Ashagram! She was able to attend school, was trained in tailoring and jewelry-making, and ran the kitchen at the Village of Hope for two years.
This past spring, Kumari was married to the love of her life and is looking forward to a future of promise and hope. Thanks to you.
*name changed for protection
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Thanks to the support of friends like you, Shared Hope’s 7th Annual JuST Conference was our biggest and most impactful national training event in our organization’s history!
We were blessed to learn from many leading field experts — from the Midwest and around the country — including more than 70 survivor leaders and thrivers.
This conference not only drew an attendance of 1,140 professionals from all 50 states — including law enforcement, victim advocates, and others — but Shared Hope’s purpose for choosing to host in Cincinnati garnered the attention of Ohio legislators, community leaders, and the media.
Ohio is one of 21 states where children can still be charged for the crime of prostitution, and one of our goals was to encourage Ohio legislators to take a look at changing this.
Our staff met with Ohio State Senator (11th District) Teresa Fedor at the conference, and both U.S. Senators from Ohio opened the conference with statements of support, plus actions they are taking at the federal level. Sen. Rob Portman helped lead the charge to shut down the prostitution site Backpage.com, and Sen. Sherrod Brown recently reintroduced a bill that would make it easier to convict human traffickers federally.
What we are most inspired by are the stories and impact expressed by the many field professionals and survivors who attended, such as Clouse, who shared her belief that raising awareness and training law enforcement and school personnel really can make a difference. You can read more about Clouse’s story in this Cincinnati Enquirer article about the JuST Conference.
So what’s next for JuST?
We’ve taken the JuST Conference on the road to New Orleans, San Diego, and Cincinnati, learning and engaging with regional leaders across the nation. In 2020, we are bringing JuST back to where it all started!
We look forward to our next gathering of experts and advocates for three days of inspiring and empowering training in the heart of the nation’s capital, especially as we celebrate the launch of the Shared Hope Institute for Justice & Advocacy located just two blocks from the White House!
You can sign up for updates about JuST 2020 here!
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Prevent │Restore │Bring Justice
Before this year comes to an end …
You can make a powerful personal impact on the fight against sex trafficking — and improve your tax situation — by planning your end-of-year giving now. Consider one or more of these great stewardship opportunities before December 31, 2019:
- If you’re 70½ years of age or older, you can donate up to $100,000 as a rollover from your IRA this year and not add a penny to your taxable income (you will actually save more in taxes than by itemizing) — and this also counts as part of your required minimum distributions.
And because of a change in U.S. tax law, giving from your IRA may be even more advantageous this year. Many who itemized no longer can, as the new law raised the standard deduction. But a similar (and possibly better) tax advantage is still available to many who simply give from their IRA. - When you donate appreciated assets, like stocks or property that you have held for a year or more, you receive a charitable giving deduction for the fair market value of the asset, and often avoid capital gains tax, too. Giving stock actually allows you to give more — because your giving capacity goes up as you reduce or eliminate your current and/or future tax exposure.
- Give from your Donor Advised Fund, or DAF. After you’ve established your DAF by putting in appreciated stocks and securities (thereby avoiding capital gains taxes, and receiving an immediate tax deduction), you can distribute gifts to Shared Hope from the DAF anytime. You can make a generous contribution with no shifting or transferring of funds or assets, and no red tape.
- Donate funds or non-cash assets. You can write a check, or you may find that donating stocks, real estate, or a portion of your business to be the best strategic option — because capital gains and other taxes are avoided.
For more information regarding any of these planned-giving options, contact Bonnie Ager at 866-437-5433 or bonnie@sharedhope.org. Thank you!
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Your generous donation today will continue Shared Hope’s anti-trafficking efforts in America and around the globe.
You’ll give the blessing of freedom to enslaved adults and children, restore survivors, and help bring justice — both to victims and those who victimized them. Thank you!
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