In this Issue: 
  • Art Exhibit Event on July 22 at B.I.G. Arts
  • Art 4 Freedom Event a Success
  • 3 ARTREACH Programs Conducted in May & June
  • 6 new ARTREACH Volunteer Opportunities in July & August
  • Rauschenberg Grant Updates
  • Updated Website
  • Save the Date: "Taste of Freedom"
    • Dress for Success, SWFL Regional Human Trafficking Coalition, ACT and HTAP event: 
    • October 15, Naples, FL  Taste of Freedom Flyer
Rauschenberg Grant Updates

"There is Life after Survival" is an almost complete painting from our recent Train the Trainer class held for our new art instructors, our non-artist staff members and interns. 
Thanks to the Rauschenberg Foundation grant, we are now conducting our ARTREACH programs with the assistance of 5 Art Instructors and have hired an Art Curriculum Developer. 
What does this mean? 

It means that students are getting additional art instruction as they learn how to protect themselves from human trafficking.

It means that their art is blossoming.

It means that by October, we will have a fully revamped curriculum with lesson plans, including specific lessons on the most requested art techniques, such as perspective and shading. Our entire staff will be educated to be able to help kids with common art questions in the future.

It means we will be able to share the knowledge with other communities who want to hold ARTREACH programs. Our narrative description of the program which documents the trials and successes of our program over the past 5 years will also be available, so others can learn from our experiences.
 
We also offer Train the Trainer classes to provide hands on experience on how to conduct the classes. 
                      
In the Fall, we will have a part-time Art Coordinator on staff to implement the many new ideas and art/human trafficking projects we anticipate. 


Artists and Non-Artist Staff and Interns working together at Train the Trainer

See below for additional coverage of 3 ARTREACH programs conducted in 
May and June.

Summer ARTREACH Volunteer & Service Opportunities
We have 6 more ARTREACH summer camp programs scheduled for July and August so there is still time for you to volunteer!

Click Here to view the schedule and location of the classes. You can come for one two-hour session, a full 10 hour program or any combination you want. You can come to our Fort Myers office and carpool or meet us at the site. We want to make it easy for you to be part of the program!

Call or email Erika and she will make it happen for you: 239-415-2635 or [email protected]
ART Exhibit at BIG Arts
July 22 at 3:30 pm
After 2 weeks of exhibition at the Sanibel Community House, the ARTREACH paintings moved to the BIG ARTS' Phillips Gallery on Sanibel!

On July 22 at 3:30 pm, there will be a reception for the artists and the community of 30 paintings done between 2010 and 2014 and 8 paintings from the newest programs, held at Church of the Resurrection of Our Lord in Ft. Myers, Our Mothers Home in Estero, Pine Manor Association, and the Boys and Girls Clubs in Bonita Springs and Lehigh Acres. There will be a short program.

Please come and meet some of the artists and view the paintings!

Art 4 Freedom
Click the picture above to view a video of one of the dramatic performances
 
Art 4 Freedom was held on May 23rd at the Community House on Sanibel. We had over 60 paintings exhibited, entertainment from Mastersinger students who sang traditional and modern anti-slavery songs, and students performing scenes from their original play. 
 
Pictured: Instructor Jill Janda-Kanner with Mastersinger students who performed at Art 4 Freedom event

There was also a raffle and silent auction. The visitors were amazed at the power of the paintings. We plan to build on this type of program to develop a signature event in 2016. 
ARTREACH & TIPS
Artreach Logo 

We conducted our ARTREACH program for 25 students at the Church of the Resurrection of Our Lord in Ft. Myers at the end of May. The kids created 6 paintings featuring unique ideas such as the successful agreement between Walmart and the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, Disney's Ariel, and an iPhone with a slave miner pictured in the screen. The church was incredibly generous to us, providing materials for their own students and for students in the other ARTREACH programs to come. Thank you Vikki and Ruby!
 
 

We returned to Pine Manor Association for the first time since 2011. Kids worked together on 3 different paintings. Each group melded their ideas into the final images of a girl who feels like a caged lion as a trafficking victim, a graphic novel telling the story of a trafficking situation, and an infographic that shows the power kids can have in influencing big companies to make their labor chains slave free. 
Thanks to Gary for his interest and invitation to another event coming up on July 25.


 
We've returned to Our Mother's Home for the 4th time to do an ARTREACH program. The six girls there are doing a great job on their 2 paintings and they benefited from two of our new Art Instructors. It's always fun for us to meet these girls and their babies. Thanks to Karen and the Counselors for their help and to the Bridge Fund for helping us make this an extra special experience for the girls.
 
 
Point of Contact, Point of Rescue
More Point of Contact, Point of Rescue Trainings: Hotels, Libraries and Law Enforcement.
 
 
 
This past month we did a 2-hour training with Lee County library managers on how to recognize the signs of trafficking in libraries and what steps to take to get potential victims help. 
 
We also worked with Homewood Suites-Fort Myers Airport to give a 1 hour training to their English-speaking staff, along with a 1 hour training to their Spanish speaking staff. The trainings included signs of trafficking that were specific to each job function  within the hotel so that employees from each department (front desk, maintenance, housekeeping, food & beverage, etc) gained a clear understanding of what to look for when they're working. 
 
It seems that at most groups where we speak, someone has a story of a suspicious situation and they are happy to develop a response plan. 
 
We are also scheduled to speak to the City of Ft. Myers Police Department in July. 
 
We continue to schedule trainings with area hotels, libraries and medical facilities. 
 
If you would like to request a training, please e-mail us at [email protected].

Transparency & Responsibility
The GuideStar Exchange, the premier source of nonprofit information, has awarded HTAP their Gold Level of participation which is an important symbol of transparency and accountability. We are a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization and you can see our financial reports on http://www.guidestar.org.
 a note from Nola...


Dear HTAP friend,

Lots has happened since May. We were given office space in Naples which will make it much easier to conduct our programs in Collier County. The new address is 5660 Strand Court, Naples, Fl 34110. We are still working at our Ft. Myers location and maintain our Sanibel address. We are growing!

We will be collaborating with Dress for Success, ACT and the SWFL Regional Human Trafficking Coalition on a big event in Naples on October 15. More about it next month!

The Rauschenberg Foundation grant is being put into full swing with the addition of 5 art instructors and a Art Curriculum Developer. The experience and skills of these people are amazing. Not only are the kids learning a lot, our staff and interns are too!

Our website is now more user-friendly and easier to access on your smart phones and tablets. 

We've decided to publish our newsletter more often to keep you up to date on all that's going on. 

Nola Theiss, Executive Director

We've had a number of important grants come to us this month. 

The first is the
Rauschenberg grant
that will help us enhance the art instruction. We think this will create amazing excitement in our programs. We are grateful and proud to be funded by them


We've also been helped by the Bridge Fund
which is supplying additional materials and reproduction funding for the programs at Our Mothers Home and Bonito Pueblo. 


We also received funding from the
Inner Wheel Club of Fort Myers
 and a number of churches, including the Church of the Resurrection in Ft. Myers who made 100 art kits for other programs as well as their own.   We really appreciate each of these donations!
Website Update

We wanted to optimize our website for mobile use, but one thing led to another and now we are revamping our website with more photos, more program information, etc.
Check it out by clicking the link below:


Any suggestions? 
We're still tweaking and adding...
Click the button 
to Donate Now!





Stay Connected!!
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
View our videos on YouTube
  





Human Trafficking Awareness Partnerships | 239-415-2635 | [email protected]  | http://www.humantraffickingawareness.org
 
Sanibel Office Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 1113
Sanibel , FL 33957

Fort Myers Office Mailing Address:
7275 Concourse Drive, Suite 400
Fort Myers, FL 33908

New! Naples Office:
5660 Strand Court
Naples, FL 34110