The Defenders USA Archives - Page 2 of 12 - Shared Hope International

July 30, 2020 by Jo Lembo

Brianna’s Story Part 1 – a Grateful Survivor

Many of you responded to the voice of a grateful survivor this week, over 3,400 of you viewed the post and more than 50 shared it. Today we want to introduce you to Brianna and the police officer who orchestrated her escape. He had learned about trafficking after spending time with Linda Smith, founder of Shared Hope.

“Without this police intervention, Brianna may have disappeared forever.” ~Chief Criminal Deputy, John Chapman, Clark County Sheriff’s Office

There has been much interest from the Defenders in Brianna’s story. Three Defenders were involved in bringing her to safety: John Chapman, Vern Smith, and Ron Hart. In this interview, Brianna and John Chapman share the story of how law enforcement scrambled in the few hours they had, to put together a plan that would release her from the sinister plans of the seemingly innocent ‘friends’ who had tricked her.

Brianna was just 18 years old when a pimp made his move and began to groom her in preparation to sell her into the underworld of commercial sex. Through the intervention of a high school friend and his father, the quick actions of a law enforcement officer, and others, she was able to see that this friendship wasn’t what it appeared to be. Meet her here as she speaks alongside the officer who helped bring her to safety to expose the deception that would have taken her away.

In Brianna’s own words to us this week, she pleads the Defenders to continue to focus on recognizing signs of trafficking, to watch out for the vulnerable in their communities, and to know how to take action like her friends did.

Brianna says: Pimps/traffickers look for loopholes in your laws, strip clubs, lower educated areas, and perceived weakness in the police force, in order to set up for their operations. A police officer was involved in saving my life from this horror. Without their intervention, I very well may not have made it out alive. I will be forever grateful.

I would like to see an end to trafficking and we need your help! Support those who are there for the children in our community, and focused on finding them, and saving their lives from these monsters.

Shared Hope appreciates our many friends in law enforcement who go into situations where minors are trapped, and bring them to safety. Thank you Defenders, for working hard to protect children.

Click here to get your copy of the Chosen film.

July 3, 2014 by SHI Staff

Not All Are Free

As a kid, I was always told that “America is a free country.” Every year, people in the United States take July 4^th to commemorate the adoption of the declaration of independence in 1776. This moment in 1776 was truly remarkable, and it changed the course of history forever. Founded on the belief that all people are created equal, and that all men had the right to pursue life, liberty, and happiness, our country separated itself from the Kingdom of Great Britain in order to truly pursue those values.

Equality. Freedom. Life. Happiness. Independence. These are all values that our country, from its very beginning, has believed in.

Unfortunately for us, every year at least 100,000 children are being robbed of those values. At the Defenders USA, we acknowledge that there is a $9.8 billion dollar industry out there that is robbing children of their rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. At The Defenders USA, we are seeking to change that fact.

My name is Ethan Morrow, and I am a Defender with Shared Hope International. Tomorrow is the Fourth of July. I would like to invite you to not only celebrate that moment in history when we were granted independence, but to also acknowledge that even in our own free country, not all are truly free.

For the next few weeks, I want to invite you to join us in raising awareness for those that aren’t truly free. I want to invite you to support the restoration and the path to freedom that we seek to provide. In order to successfully do that, we invite you to do the following things:

Today, we are posting an image and a link to download that image. Its message is simple. “Not All Are Free.” We would like to encourage you to print this out, and take a picture of yourself holding it. Then post it to social media, and tell all of your friends to do the same.
[dl url=”http://sharedhope.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Not-All-Are-Free.jpg” target=”_blank” title=”Not All Are Free” desc=”JPG” type=”JPG” align=””]
Get at least 7 men in your circle of influence to be on board with you. Have them take the Defenders pledge, and begin to engage with this as well.
Engage with us on Social media. Every day for the next few weeks, we will be releasing new information, maybe some infographics, some videos, and blog content, and even some new challenges that you can participate in. Share that content. Last year, one of our most powerful state grade changes happened through social media advocacy. The more that you share our content with your family and your friends on social media, the more people are going to be aware that not all are free.

The United States is a fantastic country, but everyone needs to know… that not all are free. Join the cause, and engage with us today.

July 3, 2014 by SHI Staff

Thank You Walt Schulcz

We would like to take time this month to affirm and recognize a true Defender and an incredibly influential Ambassador of Hope. Through his actions, Walt Schulcz has shown that he is a true Defender that brings a message of hope to all. Over time, Walt has influenced thousands of people. From schools to churches, and individuals to small groups, Walt and his wife are committed to addressing the issue of domestic minor sex trafficking. Their work is incredible, and for that we are forever grateful. Let Walt be an example to us all.

Walt has shown us that any man can do something about human trafficking. Walt is the perfect example of a Defender who utilizes Shared Hope resources so that he can save the lives of those around him.

In just a small period of time, Walt and his wife have shown countless showings of the documentary Chosen (well over 20 presentations). In just one month alone, they showed the documentary to over 600 teens and adults. In this time, they also got Chosen into a school system for kids in 7^th-12^th grade. Walt is consistently thinking about how he can reach out and raise awareness about trafficking.

By showing so many screenings of Chosen, Walt has got into his “awareness groove” and he has created an effective presentation style that works for him. Walt is doing lots of effective communication as a result, and he is even working on getting Chosen into his local movie theater!

The list doesn’t end there, however. Walt has also helped identify potential victims of trafficking, he’s made relationships with school superintendents, he has presented to DHS workers—the list goes on and on.

Please, take the time to thank Walt today in the comments section of this blog. Walt, you are truly setting an example, and for that we are grateful. Together, with men like you, we can end the demand for domestic minor sex trafficking.

May 19, 2014 by SHI Staff

Thank You Chris Gay

The following Blog Post was written by Defenders Co-Chairman, Nick Lembo.

In fighting Sex Trafficking, one man can make a difference. One man heard me speak in Washington DC, and things changed for the Defenders USA in fighting sex trafficking. The smallest of actions can add up to major changes in our culture.

What might appear to be a small decision led to a tipping point for major developments in the Defenders Program. One man was instrumental in leading the Defenders USA in their work with the trucking industry. His name is Chris Gay. He is one of our Defenders and this month we wish to celebrate his actions. He’s an active leader of The Defenders USA who is living in Ridgefield, Connecticut.

At one of my Defender’s classes in Washington D.C., Chris heard me say, “We want to get Linda Smith’s book Renting Lacy into the hands of truck drivers.” Earlier that year one of our Defender’s paid to create an audiobook version of Renting Lacy. Our intention was to educate the trucking industry through the audiobook. There seemed no better way than to provide information that truckers could simply listen to on their long hauls. However, we didn’t have the connections to get the book into the transportation industry.

Chris took it upon himself to work some contacts he had in the trucking industry. It led to a meeting with the CEO of one of the nation’s largest trucking companies. In that discussion, we discovered the trucking industry was beginning to recognize the need to implement training to stop the trafficking of our nation’s youth. They invited us to partner with them in creating materials to inform their employees.

We are now going to help this trucking company in three ways;

Debunk the myths surrounding domestic minor sex trafficking
Teach them how to identify victims
Provide ways for them to respond when they see trafficking occurring

Because of Chris’s actions, things are transpiring in a major trucking company with potentially widespread repercussions. Who knows what could be next?

Don’t underestimate your value in fighting sex trafficking in the United States. The smallest of actions all add up to major changes in our culture. Chris is a living example of that.

THANK YOU CHRIS!

-Nick Lembo and The Defenders USA

January 21, 2014 by SHI Staff

Defenders Super Bowl Campaign

How many of you have heard of the Super Bowl? Alright, who I am I kidding? Everyone has! Great food, the most creative ad campaigns of the year, and great football—it’s pretty hard to miss. Millions of people participate in this day. According to a 2013 Retail Advertising and Marketing Association survey, approximately 75% of American consumers planned to watch the Super Bowl in 2013.

According to this survey, about $68 was spent per person on merchandise related to the Super Bowl.

This same survey predicted that in 2013 over $12.7 billion was spent on Super Bowl related purchases.

For me, this raised a question. What if, instead of spending hours of our time and billions of dollars on this event, we spent some time sharing the fact that New Jersey, home of the MetLife Stadium, still has a C grade on the Protected Innocence Challenge? What if we spent some of our time and money sharing the fact that an estimated 100,000 children every year are sexually exploited through prostitution?

At Shared Hope, we want to get 2014 started off right, and I’d like you to participate. 2014 is our year to make a difference in the world. On January 20, we are launching our Second Annual Defenders Super Bowl Campaign, and I’d like to invite you to participate. It’s time that we get men to step up and be true Defenders. It’s time that we end demand. It’s time to get in the game.

There are several ways that you can do this.

If you haven’t already, take the Defenders Pledge. Make a free, public declaration that you are going to let your lifestyle protect the women and children around you.
Share the Defenders Pledge with others. As an added incentive, if you recruit 15 men to take the pledge and they say that you inspired them to do so, we will give you a free Defenders V-neck shirt, while supplies last. We’ll sweeten the pot, if you get 30 men to take the pledge, we will throw in a Defenders polo shirt for FREE!
Spread the word about human trafficking. Gear up with Defenders apparel from our store!
Raise awareness about your state grade on the Protected Innocence Challenge. Spread the word on Facebook and Twitter. Share the link sharedhope.org/stategrades so your friends can see their state score and write their legislator about it!
Engage with us! On the day of the Super Bowl (February 2^nd), we will be tweeting, posting on Facebook, and posting a few blog entries. Your job is to spread the word to your community. Like, share, and retweet our messages! It’s time to get in the game. Use #knowthescore to add your voice to the Defenders conversation on Twitter.

Will you join us? It’s time to get in the game.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DefendersUSA

Twitter: https://twitter.com/thedefendersusa

Website: www.thedefendersusa.org