Heather Castellino, Chief Deputy Attorney General, Human Trafficking Section of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, to speak at the Freedom Walk event.
Saturday, October 5, 10 am - Musser Park – Lancaster, PA
LANCASTER, Pa., Sept. 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Hope Inspire Love, an anti-human trafficking nonprofit, will host the Freedom Walk to create awareness about the crime, atrocities, and violence that women, men, and children are exploited and victimized through human trafficking and sexual exploitation in the communities of Lancaster, Reading, York, Lebanon, Lititz, Manheim, Myerstown, Norristown, Harrisburg, and Philadelphia.
At the Freedom Walk, individuals will be able to learn more about human trafficking by visiting a "Trafficking Story," an immersive experience to learn about a human trafficking story and informational tents. Single-file lines of people will fill the local streets and sidewalks of Lancaster City with a message that can't be ignored: human trafficking exists, and we are here to help put an end to this atrocious crime. Those in attendance will walk a 2-mile radius around the city in silence, holding signs, reaching people in the community with the message about the heinousness of human trafficking, and letting the community know that they have the power to make change possible.
In addition to the nonprofit Hope Inspire Love, there will be several other anti-trafficking nonprofits present at the event, showcasing the work and services they provide in the community to fight sex trafficking.
WHO: | Amy Thurston, Founder, President & CEO, Hope Inspire Love, Inc. |
Heather Castellino, Chief Deputy Attorney General, Human Trafficking Section of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
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WHEN: | Saturday, October 5, 2024 – Program starts at 10 am. Walk will start at 10:45 am (Program ends at 1 pm)
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WHERE: | Musser Park, 135 N Lime St, Lancaster, PA 17602 |
QUOTE: "Sex trafficking is happening right here in our own backyards, and this walk is providing a tangible first step to make a difference in our community," stated Amy Thurston, President and CEO of Hope Inspire Love. "Through our trauma-informed mentorship program, we are empowering survivors of sex trafficking to flourish and thrive. We do this walk for the one victim, the one survivor. The work we do and the awareness through this walk are all about transforming lives and providing avenues of prevention education and restorative services."
PHOTO: To download photo, go to:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/9x1rz7f9bgq1cdk/FreedomWalk-2023-Release-Photo.jpg?dl=0
For more Freedom Walk information, visit HopeInspireLove.org/walk
ABOUT THE DAY'S EVENTS: The morning will start at 10 am with an opening statement about the walk and the impact happening to fight human trafficking in Pennsylvania. A live rendition of the story through music will take place, storytelling an actual trafficking situation that led to the founding of the nonprofit, Hope Inspire Love. The walk will start at Musser Park with a powerful charge and Freedom Declaration and then head out for a 20-mile walk around Lancaster City. The walk will end back at Musser Park, where representatives from Hope Inspire Love will share about the work being done in our local community to fight human trafficking.
There will also be a human trafficking story showcased where the public will learn more about human trafficking in our community.
About Freedom Walk
Freedom Walk is a local awareness event that rallies hundreds of people taking thousands of steps with one purpose: to walk for freedom, stand for freedom, and fight for freedom. This awareness event rallies change-makers, taking steps, as an outward expression of the inward desire to see human trafficking abolished.
About Hope Inspire Love, Inc.
Hope Inspire Love, Inc., is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that exists to eradicate human trafficking and sexual exploitation. It was started in 2017 with a 3-part solution to fight against human trafficking: awareness, prevention education, and mentorship. Through these initiatives, Hope Inspire Love is equipping communities with anti-human trafficking tools and resources, partnering with organizations and community members to fight for vulnerable people, and disrupting the business of human trafficking through targeted awareness campaigns. As host of the Freedom Walk in Lancaster, Hope Inspire Love believes that as people show up locally, there will be a global impact. One step at a time, Hope Inspire Love walks to see its community and world without trafficking.
SOURCE Hope Inspire Love Inc