TrafficStop MMIP, Teaching, Thoughts and Ideas

Every Child Matters

We were happy to participate in a local fundraiser where local businesses hosted a classroom that helped with a variety of projects. In our case, we hosted a 2nd-grade class that helped make Thank You cards. And believe me, we have a whole lot of reasons to write Thank You cards! We had fun helping the children make the cards and the hand collage featured above by dipping their little hands in acrylic paint. The students’ efforts earned a donation to Lexington Public Schools.

Orange Shirt Day is October 30th of each year. It is a day to celebrate every child, past, present, and future.

Since Stacey and I are also book lovers, check out Every Child Matters

In closing, we want to remind our readers that some of the most vulnerable people who are targeted and victimized are children in foster care. We did a small deed to help children living in foster care because they matter too!

We delivered goodie bags for 37 children who were reunited for a long weekend here in Central Nebraska by a non-profit Camp Catch-Up. While visiting the siblings during their stay at Camp Comeaca, we encountered kids painting their faces, playing ball, and being busy on their devices. Typical kid activity, what a treasure.

A set of twins, one living in Western Nebraska and the other living in the Northeast part of Nebraska, were selected to lead us through the camp. They told us that the only time they get to see each other is during the camps. Both will be graduating from high school this year and have plans to work and pursue a higher education. They will have two more opportunities to attend Camp Catch-up before transitioning from foster care into adulthood. That transition period is a critical time for many, to help they recieved a small anti-trafficking toolkit in their goodie bags. a few of the items included in the toolkits were grooming tactics and ways to report.

Report Trafficking

If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, please call 911.

Human trafficking is a situation in which an individual is compelled to work or engage in commercial sex through the use of force, fraud or coercion. If the individual is under the age of 18 and engaging in commercial sex they are experiencing trafficking regardless of whether force, fraud, or coercion is also taking place.

If you believe you may have information about a trafficking situation:

  • Call the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free hotline at 1-888-373-7888: Anti-Trafficking Hotline Advocates are available 24/7 to take reports of potential human trafficking.
  • Text the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 233733. Message and data rates may apply.
  • Chat the National Human Trafficking Hotline via humantraffickinghotline.org/chat.
  • Submit a tip online through the anonymous online reporting form below. However, please note that if the situation is urgent or occurred within the last 24 hours we would encourage you to call, text or chat.
  • Interpreters are available via phone call only.
TrafficStop Uncategorized

Grant Writing

The next frontier…

Never in a thousand years would I have signed up willingly to write a grant. To be clear, I HATED writing a master’s thesis and am so jealous that budding young therapist are no longer required to do so in order to graduate. What I came to realize this last few days as I am pouring over my passion to STOP TRAFFIC was I had fun researching and creating innovative ideas to influence social change.

In order to travel Nebraska and beyond to educate the masses about human trafficking prevalence and prevention, we need financial support. That is why I have changed my hat and assumed the role of grant writer for the week.

In the research for one grant, I discovered that not only is Lexington the number 5 hot spot in Nebraska,

Nebraska is number 4 most trafficked state in the U.S. of A. https://www.datapandas.org/ranking/human-trafficking-statistics-by-state I don’t know about you, dear reader, but this is absolutely unacceptable! I cannot stand for this and won’t rest until we rank last.

Why in the world is Nebraska (which doesn’t have the population of California or New York) higher per capita? I have some theories. Please share yours. 

These are my thoughts; Nebraska is NICE. We teach our sons and daughters manners. We do not teach our children the glorious art of saying “No.” We encourage our children to disregard their personal boundaries by saying things like this; “Go to hug Aunt Bertha” even if the child obviously doesn’t want to because she has a snaggle tooth and a large growth on her cheek, not to mention her coffee breath would kill Goliath. The Nebraska child is taught to disregard their inner voice and ability to trust who is safe and who is not because we adults don’t want to offend Aunt Bertha. We teach our children not to hurt other’s feelings and to go above and beyond for others because that is the “right way” to be.

We assume we are safe because this is the GOOD LIFE. We assume nothing happens here, especially nothing as horrific as human trafficking.

I identify as a Christian and Jesus is my BFF. In fact, I want to be more like Jesus. Jesus stood for the downtrodden. He had boundaries and said ‘no.’ He was kind and loving to all, but firm when people were hurtful toward others in any sin. He said, ‘Let the children come to me and do not hinder them.’ He believed that children are our future and protected their innocent hearts. Jesus knew the world and some people in it had evil intentions. He knew horrific things happened, just read any book of the Bible to support there was human trafficking 2000 years ago and beyond, dating to the beginning of human- kind time.

When it comes to human sex trafficking and labor trafficking, could Nebraskans be more like Jesus? Please leave your comments below, I look forward to dialog with you. 

– Stacey Cahill