In this Issue:

Special Event: "Not On My Watch" - August 28th
On-line auction of hotel stays on Facebook: August 5-9th
Recap: Art Exhibit event on July 22nd at BIG ARTS
3 ARTREACH programs conducted in July

Heights Center program in August
Ft. Myers Police Mentoring Program

Updated Website
Save the Date: "Taste of Freedom"

SWFL Regional Human Trafficking Coalition, ACT and HTAP event:
October 15, Naples, FL . See flyer below.

HTAP's Online Auction: Bid to Win a Voucher for a Special Getaway!!

We have generously been given a number of hotel vouchers for resorts all throughout the state of Florida!

We will be hosting a series of online auctions to give you the opportunity to bid on a special two-night getaway of your choice!

Destinations include:

Clearwater Beach, Daytona Beach, Orlando, Amelia Island, and Miami just to name a few.

Our first auction for hotel vouchers will take place on our Facebook page and will begin today, August 5th and will end Sunday, August 9th at 8 pm.

Click Here to visit our Facebook page and bid on a special getaway! Don't want the drama and risk of bidding? Then just comment that you would like to "Buy it Now"!

To read the detailed guidelines of the auction, click here.

Art Exhibit at BIG ARTS

Attendees enjoyed viewing the slideshow of the kids working on the paintings that were displayed.

We had a great turnout at the unveiling of new ARTREACH paintings at the BIG ARTS Phillip's Gallery last week.

In addition to dozens of HTAP supporters, we had 8 artists from this summer's programs join us as well.

Attendees enjoyed refreshments generously provided by BIG ARTS, as they viewed the art work and watched a slideshow scrapbook of the kids working in the programs throughout this summer. Click here to view the slide show.

We have really enjoyed the opportunity to have so many paintings on display in the gallery in June and July and hope to do more exhibitions at BIG ARTS in the future. Thank you BIG arts!

Volunteer Opportunity!

We have one more ARTREACH summer camp program scheduled for August and a special evening program scheduled as well so there is still time for you to volunteer! We'd love to have some of our experienced Zonta volunteers to return to Heights so they can see the enhancements we've made with the addition of the art instructors.

The ARTREACH at the Heights Foundation will take place Mon, August 3rd through Friday, August 7th. (No class on Wednesday). Please e-mail erikak@humantraffickingawareness.org if you are interested in helping out.

NOT on My Watch!

Thanks to the hospitality of our board member, Lee Bellamy, who is also the manager of the Homewood Suites Hotel in Ft. Myers at Bell Tower, a special event is being planned to bring business owners, law enforcement and community members together to learn how traffickers target hotels, restaurants and other businesses as venues to sell young women and boys through the internet.

This event will feature a reception with complimentary refreshments, including hors d'oeuvres, wine, and beer. A raffle will also be held to support the programs of HTAP.

Hotel trainings are part of our Point of Contact, Point of Rescue program. At each training HTAP has conducted, employees have reported previous encounters with suspicious situations in hotels.

Business owners will learn about the opportunities for staff trainings. Law enforcement officers attend.

The community is welcome to attend as anyone who visits a hotel would prefer one where trafficking is not condoned or ignored.

Rauschenberg Grant Updates

One of the great advantages of receiving the Rauschenberg Foundation grant is working with the "Rauschenberg Tribe" comprised of the 6 agencies that were funded this year. We are all working together and learning from each other.

Photo from the first Rauschenberg Grant Tribe meeting.

ARTREACH & TIPS

We just finished up two awesome programs with the Boys & Girls Club! We started the month off at the Lehigh Acres site with our largest program of the summer! We worked with over 50 kids ages 9-17 and despite the fact that the AC was on the fritz, the kids had great attitudes and together created 10 different paintings!

The following week we moved south to the Bonito Pueblo site where we worked with 14 students ages 10-12 on three different paintings.

Group photo of BGCL Bonito Pueblo

The assistance of our Art Instructors continues to be a great asset to our summer ARTREACH programs! The kids really appreciate having art lessons to help them achieve their creative visions! The insights that the instructors are sharing regarding the program will be incorporated into the curriculum that is currently being developed.

Art Instructor, Andrea Luizzi, working with a group at

BGCL Lehigh Acres

Point of Contact, Point of Rescue

This past month we had the pleasure of training 2 different groups, both of which serve this area in a high capacity: the Fort Myers Police Department

and Goodwill Industries.

We trained over 30 Fort Myers police officers on what human trafficking is, the signs of trafficking activity to look for, and interviewing techniques for talking with potential victims. We stressed the importance of building working relationships with victim service providers in this area, such as ACT, who are specially trained to work with victims and are often very effective at getting information from them that could help build a case against their traffickers.

At Goodwill Industries we brought staff and managers up to speed on the human trafficking activity that is taking place locally and emphasized the opportunities they have to impact this issue through building awareness with their associated churches, clubs, and after-school programs.

If you would like to request a training, please e-mail us at info@humantraffickingawareness.org.

Taste of Freedom

This event will benefit SWFL Regional Human Trafficking Coalition, ACT and HTAP. It is by invitation only so please see flyer below for details.

Below is your opportunity to buy raffle tickets for a 2 year lease on a Lexus.

HTAP Bulletin Board

The Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report is the

U.S. Government's principal diplomatic tool to engage foreign governments on human trafficking. Worldwide, the report is used by international organizations, foreign governments, and nongovernmental organizations alike as a tool to examine where resources are most needed.

Click here to download the TIP Report

Taking Back the City

HTAP joined with dozens of other community organizations to celebrate the power of people to make difference in their community. The "Taking the City" event, featured performers and close to a thousand community members who gathered to have fun and be motivated to bring their best to the city to fight violence and to save youth. We met Greg Jackson, the founder of the program at our Pine Manor ARTREACH. We had an informational booth and met dozens of people interested in our work.

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,

This has been an exhausting and exhilarating summer. We've reached out to some of our favorite youth centers and some new ones with our ARTREACH pograms and have reached over 100 kids so far with at least 60 more to go.

We've conducted Point Contact, Point of Recue programs at the hospitals for their young Medical Explorers,Good Will and with the Ft. Myers Police Department.That training led to us working with them closely on our hotel program and to us conducting an ARTREACH program for the youth they mentor.

We will be holding a fundraising event called "Not On My Watch" with the cooperation at the Homewood Suites Hotel and local law enforcement.

Also don't miss the big collaborative fundraiser, Taste of Freedom in October. If you are interested in attending, please let us know so we can send you a personal invitation. Click her to see the flyers for the event and the car raffle.

Taste of Freedom

Nola Theiss, Executive Director

Read, Recommend, ACT

We've added 2 new books to our suggested reading list:

"Faraway" by RK Kline & Daniel Maurer is a memoir of young middle class boy who became a sex trafficking victim while living in a middle class neighborhood with 2 caring parents.

"fly unzipped" by Mike Hirsch is a rare combination of a serious look at human trafficking in a middle class community in Florida and humor. SW Floridians will recognize some of the fictional characters.

Click here to read press releases and reviews for "fly unzipped".

Click here to view our complete Read, Recommend, Act Reading List.

This is where we usually thank our donors of grants and contributions, but the summer, when we do the most work, is also the time we get the fewest donations. Anything you can give now is especially appreciated. Please push the red button below and donate!

Click the button

to Donate Now!

Website Update

Okay, we think we've got the website in pretty good shape. To view a complete portfolio of all of the student ARTREACH paintings and the artists' interpretations, please click the link below:

ARTREACH Student Paintings Portfolio

Special thanks to Charlene Rains, our website consultant, and Erika Kiah for their hard work on the website.

Any suggestions?

We'd love your ideas!

Stay Connected!!