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| Current Needs |
As we expand our client reach via new and increased personal development
workshops the need for new personal care items, including beauty and nutritional products, increases. If you have any products or gift-certificates to donate please contact us at doantions@btff.org. |
| Call for Volunteers |
We are currently accepting applications for Fall Interns and Fellows. Please see the Opportunities page of our website for full job descriptions and send in your application today to help survivors lead thriving lives tomorrow! |
| National Human Trafficking Hotline | |
If you have reason to suspect that someone is a victim of human trafficking, please call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline on (1-888-373-7888). Multilingual call specialists are on standby 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. All calls are confidential.
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Dear Supporters,
It is that time of year when the seasons begin to change and students are all heading back to school, and with that BTFF is also going through some seasonal changes. We are left with a mixed bag of emotions as our summer interns and fellows have returned to school, some will remain with us from afar on a limited basis, so we are excited they will not truly be leaving us; others are thankfully staying right here; and new team members are preparing to join us soon. However with the change of the seasons we are not only experiencing a shift in out team, but also in our involvement with the community.
We are excited that the Fall has had brought us closer to both individuals in the community, including many of our Virgina Legislators, as well as businesses and partnering NGO support organizations. We are thrilled to have teamed with both Acellera Solutions and Acumen Solutions to raise both awareness and funds for BTFF. It is key partnerships such as these and the increased awareness of both the cause and our organization that has allowed us to begin conducting workshops for NGO and community organizations, such as Youth for Tomorrow, and we are excited to be filling our Fall/Winter calendar with many more workshops at a variety of other organizations.
I hope you will join us for some of the amazing events we have coming up this Fall and again thank you for your support!
Sincerely,
Cassandra Clifford
Executive Director and Founder
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| Bridge to Freedom Foundation News |
| Accelera Solutions Charity Golf Tournament to Benefit BTFF a Huge Success!
 On August 17, 2010 Accelera Solutions hosted a charity golf tournament for which 100% of the proceeds went directly to BTFF. We were
thrilled to work with Accelera and its partners to raise awareness for the cause and funding for BTFF's programs.
"We were excited to work with the BTFF team. Their enthusiasm was contagious. It's a great cause and we were proud to sponsor the event," said LC Yi, CEO of Accelera Solutions (pictured second from the left).
For more information on the tournament see the post event press release and event page. Click here to view more photos form the event.
BTFF Begins Personal Development Workshops with Partnering Support Organizations
BTFF has launched the beginning phase of their Personal Development Program's off-site workshops for organizations servicing the survivor community. Workshops include positive self-image, health and nutrition, and other areas of personal development which have a direct impact on a survivors recovery and ability to lead a sustainable and thriving life. All workshops can, and are, customized to the individual and groups participating. If
you are a service provider and would like to enquirer about BTFF's
Personal Development Workshops Please contact Cassandra Clifford at
cassandra@btff.org for further information and scheduling.
Calling Survivors to Give Their Voice to Program Development
BTFF's Evidence Based Research and Programming team needs your voice as we conduct research to
identify recovery hurdles for which survivors have, or may, come across
in the process of recovery and rehabilitation. Please find the
links to each individual survey here: General Survey, Nutritional Habits Survey, and Health Survey. All surveys are
confidential and anonymous.
Please contact research@btff.org should you
have any questions about the surveys or
BTFF's Division of Research and Evidence Based Programing.
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| UPCOMING EVENTS |
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 Race for a Cause... Race for Freedom! BTFF
is pleased to announce its selection as one of twelve designated
non-profit recipients to benefit from the proceeds of the 2010 Acumen
Solutions Race for a Cause!
Sign-up today and choose BTFF as your designated charity!
Date & Time: October
17, 2010 at 8:00 AM 8K Race and Immediately following the 1 mile Family
Fun Run will take off (strollers welcome, bring the whole family).
Location: The race will begin and end on North Quincy Street, near the intersection of Wilson Boulevard in Arlington. DC Stop Modern Slavery Walk  Join BTFF and the metro anti-trafficking community to walk against all forms of modern slavery in our Nation's Capital and beyond. 100% of the walk proceeds
will go directly to non-profit organizations, such as BTFF, working to combat human
trafficking and/or care for victims in the metro.
Join the BTFF team today and walk towards a slave free DC!
Date & Time: October 23, 2010 at 8:00 AM. Immediately following the walk there is an information fair, a full line-up of speakers and musical entertainment until 1:00PM
Location:
National Mall, Washington, DC Walkers will depart from Constitution Gardens...look for the our team wearing BTFF's purple t-shirts! |
| MODERN DAY SLAVERY NEWS | | Domestic Minor Trafficking Deterrence and Victims Support Act of 2010 Public Hearing
The legislation's goal is to authorize large block grants to
create a comprehensive, victim-centered approach to addressing minor
sex trafficking and provide funding to implement improvements to the
National Crime Information Center system to track information about
missing and exploited children. The
House Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and
Homeland Security has scheduled a hearing for the bill on September 15, 2010 at 1
p.m. in the Rayburn building room #2141. This hearing is open to the public. Read a detailed summary of the legislation here and the full bill here. For more information please see the
Largest Human Trafficking Case in U.S. History Filed in Honolulu
A federal grand jury in Honolulu, HI has indicted six people for
earlier this month for conspiring to hold 400 Thai immigrants as indentured laborers on farms
in Hawaii and Seattle. "This is the largest human trafficking case ever charged in U.S.
history," said FBI Special Agent Tom Simon. The indictment covers the period of May 2004 through September
2005. The workers were brought into the country legally under the U.S.
agricultural guest worker program. For more information click here.
Anti-Trafficking "Blue Campaign" Launched
On July 22, the Department of Homeland Security launched the "Blue Campaign" in an effort to raise public awareness, as well as assist victims and prosecute traffickers. The Blue Campaign is focused on the four P's: Prevention, Protection, Prosecution and Partnerships in order to accomplish these goals. Blue was chosen to coincide with the global anti-trafficking symbols of a blue heart and a blue blindfold, as well as the "thin blue line" of law enforcement. For more info, see the official website.
International Megan's Law Passes House
The law would create procedures for notifications between the United States and other countries when sex offenders travel abroad and/or seek to travel within the United States. The bill has been dubbed the "International Megan's Law" after the 1994 New Jersey state Megan's Law that required public notification of convicted sex offenders living in a community. For more information please see the press release and read the full bill here.
New York Bill Expunges Criminal Record for Sex Trafficking Victims
The bill is only awaiting the governor's signature to be passed into
law. The law would wipe out prostitution convictions of trafficked victims, making it easier for them to apply for jobs or residency. If passed, this would be the first law of its kind in the country. For more information read the full article and bill.
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TEAM CORNER |
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Fundraising and Events Intern - Angela Bourdet
 I am originally from Michigan and previously earned a degree in Humanities from Mid Michigan Community College. I am in the process of finishing my bachelor's degree in political science from Central Michigan University and hope to study humanitarian law in the near future. With family scattered around the globe from the Philippines to Beijing to Guatemala, one of my greatest passions in life is traveling and experiencing different cultures. Since my arrival in DC, I volunteer with the National Center for Learning Disabilities RTI Leadership Network which provides mentoring for Educators. As an intern with Bridge to Freedom Foundation, I hope to become a bigger advocate for human rights.
Fundraising and Events Intern - Angela McDaniel
 I am originally from Kansas and am currently involved in fundraising/event planning for Generation Obama-Washington, DC and Politics Under 30. Having previously earned a Bachelors in Psychology and Sociology from Benedictine College, I have worked the last five years as an Events Assistant at a conference center, regularly preparing wedding receptions, and the last three years outreaching to individuals that have been abused by offering therapeutic services in inpatient and outpatient mental health facilities. Upon arrival to DC, I found my passion in volunteering for CARE and Peace Brigade International in honor of human rights and international affairs. My awareness of modern slavery surfaced after reading articles provided by these organizations and by reading the book, Half the Sky. Inspired by such readings, I am determined to raise awareness and mobilize people to promote Bridge to Freedom Foundation's programs and the anti-trafficking movement.
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