National Coalition for the Prevention of Human Sex Trafficking | |
We've Been Busy!
Read the newsletter to see the exciting and important work being done in Louisiana and around the nation.
| | A Message from our Founder and President | | | |
Donna H. Edwards Founder/President | |
What a busy start to the year! January was filled with efforts to fight human trafficking, and I wanted to share some highlights.
We hosted a Zoom webinar with the FBI, nonprofits, and survivors, discussing trafficking risks around the Super Bowl. I also attended a press conference for It’s A Penalty, connecting with amazing advocates. Every event deepens my understanding of this fight.
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Dana joined the SOAP Project, where volunteers distribute soap and face wipes with hotline numbers for victims—a small but powerful initiative.
I spoke on a panel with Karen Swenson, producer of Turning the Tide, an award-winning documentary on trafficking. If you haven’t seen it, watch it on YouTube! We’re grateful to WYES and United Way for helping share this vital resource. At the screening, we met incredible organizations working to rescue victims—truly inspiring teamwork.
February started with a trip to D.C., where I spoke at a U.S. Chamber of Commerce event on the role of businesses in this fight. While there, Dana and I saw a young girl showing trafficking signs at a restaurant. We discreetly left hotline info in the restroom and alerted law enforcement—a reminder that small actions matter.
We are excited to announce the launch of our Human Trafficking Prevention and Awareness Playbook, a resource to guide those fighting trafficking. More details soon! Last year, First Lady Marty Kemp and I spoke at the Chamber about stronger laws and victim support. Her GRACE Commission is changing lives—check out Grace’s Place! We’re honored to have her on our Advisory Board.
We were able to meet with pastors in Tangipahoa Parish to learn about the Methodist Children's Foster Care program. Thanks to Ponchatoula United Methodist Church for hosting. This month, Samantha and Dana will attend more gatherings in Baton Rouge and Lake Charles to continue this work in supporting our Foster children, our children.
Let’s keep making a difference!
With love,
Donna
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Dr. Dana Hunter, Executive Director
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2025 has been filled with highs and lows for many families across our nation. I am inspired by the resilience of the individuals and families who have lost loved ones to acts of violence, tragedies, or other causes. We must continue to remember the complex trauma faced by those around us.
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Over the last nine years, we have served vulnerable children and youth across our state and beyond in various ways to address trauma, advance health equity, and build opportunities for long-term success.
In order for us to continue this work, we ask for your support in bringing awareness to the crime of human trafficking and support for our foster children. You can support us though your prayers and/or you can give to us financially through our 2025 Freedom Fund Campaign. See below for more information and how you can donate to this fund.
In the words of Helen Keller, "Alone we can do so little, but together we can do so much".
I want to thank each national, state, and local leader for your continued commitment and dedication to survivors of human trafficking and other forms of exploitation. May we continue to work together, partner, and leverage our collective resources to help the children, youth, and families in our respective communities and state.
Blessings,
Dana
| | National News and Resources | | | | |
Donna H. Edwards, Louisiana's Former First Lady, had the honor of providing the keynote interview at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's event which emphasized the business community's role in developing strategies to raise awareness of human trafficking at major sporting events.
Along with experts from the private sector, non-governmental organizations, and federal, state, and local entities, she shared lessons learned from Louisiana's anti-human trafficking campaign for the NCAA men's Final Four tournament and how this initiative can be replicated throughout the U.S.
Donna was able to reveal the newly published NCPHST Human Trafficking Prevention and Awareness Playbook, developed in partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other experts, which provides a guide for developing and implementing a state, regional, or local human trafficking training awareness campaign in advance of large-scale sporting events. If you are interested in learning more about resources and training, please contact us at info@ncphst.org.
| Visit the NCPHST website for more information on the NCPHST Playbook and the Indicator Badges. | |  | Human Trafficking Training and Resources | |
NCPHST is pleased to announce the release of our newly published NCPHST Human Trafficking Prevention and Awareness Playbook which was developed in partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other key experts including survivor leaders. This playbook is developed to provide state and local leaders with a guide for creating and implementing a state, regional, or local human trafficking training awareness campaign in advance of large-scale sporting events. It includes a detailed overview of events, meetings, trainings, and media events that were done in preparation for the 2022 NCAA Final Four Men’s Basketball games to give key stakeholders a blueprint of how to raise awareness and prevent human trafficking during large-scale sporting events. Specific strategies and a step-by-step guide to increasing victim identification and promoting healing and recovery for survivors are also included.
NCPHST has developed Human Trafficking Indicator Badge Buddies which list the indicators of human trafficking to help medical staff identify a potential trafficked victim. The Badge Buddy also has contact information for the National Human Trafficking Hotline so the crime can be reported and resources can be obtained for the victims.
In addition, NCPHST has partnered with the Louisiana State Nurses Association and the Nurses Against Trafficking Task Force to develop a human trafficking training for medical providers. The training includes best practice information for medical providers on how to identify and report human trafficking, a pre-test and post-test with answers, PDF download for participants and will be available through LSNA's online learning management platform.
For more information, please email cne@lsna.org and copy info@ncphst.org.
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First Lady of Georgia Marty Kemp
First Lady Kemp introduced the 10th piece of legislation aimed at cracking down on human traffickers and buyers in the state while making Georgia a safe haven for victims.
Read More
| Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health Georgia worked with First Lady Kemp, the state Department of Human Services and other community partners to open Grace’s Place, a commercial sexual exploitation recovery center for youth. Grace’s Place, located in Lawrenceville, helps survivors of human trafficking recover and rebuild their lives. | | |
Virtual Global Summit January 2025
NCPHST presented the 11th Global Summit: "Preventing Human Trafficking and Ensuring Pubic Safety Before and During Large-Scale Sporting Events".
With 160 in attendance, the summit provided an educational opportunity to share strategies to identify, prevent, and address human trafficking and ensure public safety before and during large-scale sporting events.
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The SOAP Project
NCPHST proudly joined Theresa Flores' SOAP UP NOLA project which brought together 100+ volunteers from 14 states to deliver over 10,000 bars of soap and make-up remover wipes labeled with human trafficking reporting information to local hotels and businesses!
Missing teen posters and other human trafficking education and awareness information were also delivered to hundreds of hotels.
The SOAP Project’s mission is to end human trafficking by mobilizing communities, providing prevention education and advocacy, and facilitating restorative experiences for survivors.
SOAP Project Website
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It's A Penalty
It’s a Penalty ran its 8th Campaign during the Super Bowl, working with partners and the New Orleans community to raise awareness and prevent human trafficking, contributing towards a positive legacy.
Highlights
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Campaign Film Launched: Our 30-second campaign film, featured on major airlines, premiered, showcasing NFL Ambassadors and partners
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Networking Opportunities: Connected with like-minded individuals and organizations committed to making a difference
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Awareness and Impact: Building on the success of our previous campaigns, they aimed to reach an even wider audience, amplifying their message of prevention and protection in the city
It's A Penalty Website
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WYES Screening of Turning the Tide
It was an honor to join WYES and United Way for the screening of the Emmy winning documentary, Turning the Tide: A story of hell, healing and hope.
This summit provided an opportunity for representatives from law enforcement, hospitality, and health care to engage in discussions regarding human trafficking. It takes all of us working together to bring awareness and help eradicate this heinous crime. I would like to thank those that attended and joined the fight to end human trafficking. You can watch the documentary HERE
| | NCPHST 2025 Funding Campaign | | | Freedom Fund: Breaking Chains, Building Futures | | |
NCPHST continues to fight for some of our nation's most vulnerable youth such as victims and survivors of human trafficking and children and youth in the foster care system. Join us today in our 2025 Freedom Fund Campaign and help us reach our goal of $500k by June 2025. Your generous donation will provide human trafficking indicator badges and training to direct service providers and medical professionals across our nation to help identify human trafficking. Your donation will also support NCPHST staff in working with U.S. first spouses to build capacity of states, regions, and localities to develop human trafficking campaigns in advance of large-scale sporting events.
We thank you in advance for your consideration and generosity.
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| One Church, One Family, One Child | | |
One church, one family, one child engages with the faith community to support the needs of our foster children through advocacy.
Our mission is to enrich the lives of our Louisiana Children and families creating equitable opportunities for all.
Our goal is to share info with our faith community in how they can be a part of the solution, and support foster care in their community.
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Foster Care Luncheon
1C1F1C partnered with Methodist Foster Care to bring together faith communities and provide information on how they can support children in Louisiana's Foster Care System. Methodist Foster Care offers training and support for Therapeutic Foster Care (TFC).
TFC is a family-based service which allows a child to live in a temporary home with trained caregivers while receiving intensive treatment in the community for their emotional and behavioral needs. TFC offers children supportive family settings. Children live in TFC homes until their natural family can be reunited or a permanent placement can be arranged for the child.
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