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The IEC Foundation's community service project provided vital assistance to organizations fighting human trafficking and supporting neglected, abandoned, and abused children. We received a grant from Rotary Action Group Against Slavery (RAGAS) for training. The Foundation was able to support four outstanding organizations, thanks to your generous contributions of time, effort, and donations.
- Bridging Freedom- Bridging Freedom offers care and restoration services to victims of human trafficking. With your help, they received essential equipment, including water heaters, air conditioners, air handlers, and furnace parts, to aid in their mission.
- Survive and Thrive Advocacy Center (STAC)- STAC works to empower survivors of sex and labor trafficking while educating the community about the realities of human trafficking. The IEC Foundation supported their efforts with a monetary donation to further their impact.
- Dare to Hope Justice Restoration Center - Dare to Hope JRC is a network of legal professionals providing free legal services to trafficking survivors. The IEC Foundation also contributed a monetary donation to assist in their critical work.
- Hope Children's Home- Hope Children's Home provides care for neglected, abandoned, and abused children, with a focus on family reunification. Thanks to your generosity, every cottage on campus received items from their wish boards. ,Additionally, the children and staff enjoyed two meals, along with various indoor and outdoor games.
Last month, the IEC Foundation staff had the privilege of visiting & touring Hope Children's Home, which also includes an on-site school. This incredible facility is dedicated to creating brighter futures for children and their families.
Bundles, Bubbles, Lamborghinis, and The Grinch
Like many, I look forward to Thanksgiving—for the food, family, and football. But this year, Thanksgiving took on a whole new meaning thanks to some very special people I had the honor of meeting the Monday before Turkey Day.
That morning, as I prepared to meet the incredible Foundation staff, my youngest daughter asked me not to leave. With no school that day, she wanted to spend time “with her mommy.” I explained that I needed to work to help some people. Curious, she asked where I was going, and I told her about visiting children who didn’t have as much as she did and wouldn’t get to spend Thanksgiving with their mommies. Her response? “Can I come too?”
After a quick call to LaNa to ensure it was okay, we hopped in the car and headed to Hope Children’s Home, located just a few miles from our office.
The staff greeted us warmly and gave us a tour of the property, including their future Baby Bundles of Hope House, a space designed to give young moms the chance to stay with their babies in a safe, nurturing environment.
Next, we visited the preschool, soon to be filled with precious smiles like those of the twin toddlers we met. These little ones had just arrived at the home the weekend before. Their mother had made the heartbreaking decision to ask Hope for help while she worked to escape homelessness. The toddlers giggled and chased bubbles across the playground, blissfully unaware of the challenges their mother was working to overcome.
We then visited their on-site school, beautifully transformed into a Thanksgiving feast. Tables adorned with hand-drawn turkeys, pumpkins, and Charlie Brown decorations were ready for a meal provided by the IEC Foundation for the children and their families.
After exploring classrooms and staff living areas, we jumped on a golf cart for the day’s highlight. Many of the children at Hope Children’s Home come from situations of homelessness or family hardship. I had expected to see sadness or weariness in their eyes, but instead, I was greeted with joy.
Around the corner, we discovered a circle of brightly colored houses and the sound of laughter. Children of all ages were riding bikes, driving remote-control Lamborghinis, and greeting us with big smiles and waves. From toddlers in diapers to teens, each child found their own way to say thank you.
We toured the homes—beautiful spaces that looked like something out of a magazine—and saw the living areas where the Foundation had donated items like TVs and grills to make each home special. The children and their house parents were beaming with pride as they showed us around.
As we prepared to leave, we discussed with the staff how we could continue to support their mission. They shared that 80% of their high school graduates go on to college, and others enter military service. However, they expressed interest in opening doors to the trades.
I firmly believe that God places us where we’re needed, and that day, we were there not just to offer lunch or TVs but to provide opportunities through our amazing apprenticeship program. In fact, we’ve already connected with one of their recent graduates, who is preparing his résumé to apply for our program next fall.
More importantly, our visit reminded me of the many ways our association can make a difference. As we headed home, my youngest daughter looked up and said, “I’m so glad you let me share my mommy with them today. It made them happy and me too. It’s kind of like a Thanksgiving Grinch.”
At first, I didn’t understand the connection, but she gave me a knowing look and said, “Duh, maybe this year Thanksgiving means a little bit more.”
And she was right. This year, Thanksgiving did mean a little bit more. -Natasha Sherwood, Executive Director of the IEC Florida West Coast Chapter
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