We've done many walks before and I have to stay this was the best organized, and most beautiful pre walk I've seen. The Fairmont generously hosted this event and the pre-event/registration took place in their gorgeous ball room.
The registration was quick and easy...Each person registering for the walk did it over an iPad and it took only a few minutes. The ballroom had a fair trade market taking place to support many creative designers and individuals. One in particular I must shout out is, Shah Emily Noaman, my dear friend and owner of 3SHAHS jewelry.
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| To the left is Alicia and Shah manning the 3SHAHS table. Kevin, Iyla and I on the right. |
Check out my new bracelets she created...
A well catered continental breakfast was provided to fuel the energy stores prior to our walk. Now to top that all off, there was a Kid Zone connected to the ballroom where I could go feed Iyla. Volunteers with free-them kept the kids occupied by reading books, doing crafts, watching movies and even playing guitar... SO COOL. Now for my favourite part, the speakers. Two brave women who were human trafficked gave insight to the world they were once in and also to the work free-them has done to support them to escape it. One guest speaker, Timea Nagy shared a question that she was most commonly asked, "What was it like to be a victim of human trafficking?". To answer that question she challenged the audience to step inside the life of a trafficked victim for 15 minutes at home later in the day. When taking this challenge you have to ask permission for absolutely anything you may want to do (eating, using a restroom, what clothing to wear, and/or to even moving into a different room). We then were told to be prepared for the most frequently heard answer "No", and that you may not eat for days. This was a tiny, but horrific insight into what it was like as a victim. Timea spent 15 years trapped in a world where she had no voice, no opinion, and no dignity. Thankfully, she has used this dreadful experience to warn and educate others who may not be fully aware of the risks many young women and men currently face even here in Canada.
Before the walk even started I felt educated, and grateful to be at such a moving event. Over the four years free-them have been organizing this walk, the numbers of participants have risen dramatically. This years event raised upwards of $45,000. That is testament to the countless hours of work that goes on behind the scenes to raise awareness throughout the nation. It was as recently as July 2013 that the FBI made 150 arrests throughout 76 cities while uncovering 105 children involved in sex trafficking. With the ongoing work at free-them in conjunction with Canadian Authorities, there is now talk that a trafficking task force be put in place to find and free the helpless victims and send their captors to justice.
I look forward to seeing some new faces at next years Annual Freedom Walk.
Before the walk even started I felt educated, and grateful to be at such a moving event. Over the four years free-them have been organizing this walk, the numbers of participants have risen dramatically. This years event raised upwards of $45,000. That is testament to the countless hours of work that goes on behind the scenes to raise awareness throughout the nation. It was as recently as July 2013 that the FBI made 150 arrests throughout 76 cities while uncovering 105 children involved in sex trafficking. With the ongoing work at free-them in conjunction with Canadian Authorities, there is now talk that a trafficking task force be put in place to find and free the helpless victims and send their captors to justice.
I look forward to seeing some new faces at next years Annual Freedom Walk.
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