Why I joined this fight

“I just couldn't bear the thought of

People living in poverty

Children sold into slavery

The thought disgusted me

So, I shook my fist at Heaven

Said, "God, why don't you do something?"

He said, "I did, I created you."

Matthew West, Do Something Lyrics

I was in college at Passion Conference Atlanta when I was first introduced to the concept that people, especially women and children, were not only living in poverty, but were sold as if they were pieces of property. I remember the videos of young girls in Indian brothels, women in China, and other places around the world. I felt angry, disgusted, and ready to join in the battle for their freedom. At that same conference, I heard the song by Matthew West, Do Something and I felt both convicted and called by the lyrics (above). I, too, felt angry that God hadn’t done something to protect these children. I’ll never forget the weight that landed when I heard these words and realized that maybe his answer to the problem was me and others like me. 

I left this conference knowing that one day, I would be a part of the change. I remember thinking I didn’t care if I stood behind a curtain on the side of the stage, handing water bottles to the people with the microphone, I wanted to be a part of this movement. I wanted to create a better world for children who deserved everything but had been given nothing. What I didn’t know at the time was that I wouldn’t have to travel halfway around the world to find the children who I was drawn to protect. 

I spent the next few years wrestling with my desire to make the world a better place, but not seeing a clear path forward, so like many who graduate from Texas A&M, I landed in Oil & Gas. Thankfully, a mission trip to Haiti rocked my world in the best of ways. I fell in love with the kids we met at an orphanage and, when I returned to the states, I decided that I needed to work for more than a bottom line. That’s when I found my first role as a development assistant for an inner-city preschool. From there, I moved to a Houston-based nonprofit that offered foster care and adoption placements, where I held many different fundraising roles throughout my 10 years at the agency. 

Since my trip to Haiti, I’ve spent 15 years in fundraising and have been incredibly blessed to work alongside donors, volunteers, and community partners in creating a better world for children who have been marginalized, overlooked, and largely ignored. 

I am officially one month into my new role as Chief Development Officer at Traffick911. I’ve spent this time listening and learning about the very real and very difficult truths facing children right here in North Texas…

Within 24 hours, I saw 4 children ranging from ages 11 to 17 removed from active trafficking situations. 

I witnessed our Voice & Choice Advocates lean into crisis response, showing up within an hour ready to provide safe and trauma-informed spaces for these same children. 

I’ve listened to story after story of girls who should have been loved, cherished, and nurtured but found themselves exploited for sex, money, and the personal gain of adults. 

Most importantly, I’ve seen the impact a community of caring adults can have on the lives of child survivors.

I cannot “un-see” these things. I cannot deny that trafficking impacts my personal community. Hopefully, neither can you. 

I hope you will sit with me in this space of listening and learning. 

I hope you will join me in telling the world that here in North Texas, children are not for sale. 

And when you are ready, I hope you will decide to do something about it.