According to the Human Trafficking Hotline, there were 11,000 cases of human trafficking reported last year.

11,000 cases of forced labor, sex trafficking, forced marriages, domestic worker abuse. All cases of people, often minors, being exploited for someone else's gain. This is happening all across America, in communities like yours and mine. Trafficking is connected to other social issues as well; juvenile justice, mental health, education, women's rights, foster care and so many more. What can we do to stop it?

Robert Beiser, Executive Director of Seattle Against Slavery, shares about the work they do to help end Human Trafficking. He tells us about their strategies and how we, as a community, can get involved in helping to bring these issues out of the shadows.

Robert Beiser has long been interested in issues of social justice and community engagement. He was a long-time volunteer with Seattle Against Slavery when it began, and became its first paid employee as Executive Director.

Seattle Against Slavery envisions a community where no one is exploited for labor or sex. Its mission is to mobilize the community in the fight against labor and sex trafficking through education, advocacy and collaboration with local and national partners.

Find out more at seattleagainstslavery.org or visit them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Follow me on Social Media for up to date information. You can find me on Facebook (@nonprofitluminaries), Instagram (@npluminaries), Twitter (@npluminaries), and LinkedIn (@Nonprofit Luminaries)

On Today's Episode, Beth Farmer, Program Director at Refugees Northwest shares  how Refugees Northwest supports asylum seekers and refugees.

Refugees Northwest believes that every person forced to flee war, persecution and terror can heal, thrive, and enrich our community with their unique gifts and strengths.  They work with thousands of refugees and asylum-seekers each year to build upon the strength and courage that got them here, and to support their hopes and dreams. Their programs include trauma-focused mental health support, torture treatment, unaccompanied minor foster care, asylum assistance, complex medical case management, and a variety of community programs that help develop new skills, gain citizenship, and build fulfilling connections. 

Visit www.refugeesnw.org to learn more about Refugees Northwest and how you can help support asylum seekers and refugees. You can also find them on Facebook

and Twitter

Follow me on Social Media for up to date information. You can find me on Facebook (@nonprofitluminaries), Instagram (@npluminaries), Twitter (@npluminaries), and LinkedIn (@Nonprofit Luminaries)

On Today's Episode, I talk with Debbie Lacy, Executive Director of the Eastside Refugee and immigrant Coalition (ERIC). She shares what ERIC does and how her mother's experience inspired her to pursue her masters in social work and become an advocate for all immigrants and refugees.

Debbie Lacy co-founded ERIC in 2002.  Advocating for immigrant and refugee communities, ERIC supports cities, institutions, and organizations in East King County to be safe and welcoming places for all. Debbie has over 20 years of experience that includes clinical social work, nonprofit management, community organizing and engagement, intercultural competency, group facilitation, and organizational leadership in equity efforts. ERIC's work has given rise to a new, broader equity initiative.

Debbie is developing "Eastside for All," a private operating foundation that will launch in 2020. You can find out more about Eastside for All at www.eastsideforall.org

Visit www.ericmembers.org to learn more about ERIC and how you can help support building welcoming communities for immigrants and refugees. You can also find them on Facebook

Follow me on Social Media for up to date information. You can find me on Facebook (@nonprofitluminaries), Instagram (@npluminaries), Twitter (@npluminaries), and LinkedIn (@Nonprofit Luminaries)

For Episode 6, my friend, Jake Prendez, joins me to share his story as an artist, activist, and community art gallery owner where he hopes to support marginalized communities through artistic expression.

Jake is a renowned Chicano artist, curator and public speaker, displaying his work in exhibitions around the country.

He creates art with a specific focus on themes relating to Chicana/o and Indigenous culture, activism, social justice, pop culture and satire.

Jake now resides in Seattle and is a host of the Pop up Mercado, lectures around the country, leads the Próxima Generación: Youth Residency Project and is the owner/director of the Nepantla Cultural Arts Gallery in White Center.

Nepantla Cultural Arts Gallery is a multi-use space in White Center WA, hosting art exhibitions, arts workshops, a gift shop for artists and artisans, and a space for spoken word, music and arts related lectures.  A space for those that find themselves in nepantla - the space in between.

Check them out on Facebook  and follow their Instagram.  Learn more about Nepantla Cultural Arts Gallery on their website www.nepantlaculturalarts.org.

My Guest for episode 5 is Mikaela Chandler of Skookum Kids.Mikaela Chandler is the Advocacy and Policy Coordinator at Skookum Kids, a foster care focused non-profit in Bellingham. She moved into her role last August after previously working full time at Skookum House, a 24-hour emergency placement shelter, for 2 years. Skookum Kids operates various foster care oriented programs in Whatcom County. They aim to restore the foster care system by licensing and supporting foster parents, providing emergency care for initial removals, and advocating for smarter policy and collaboration to help serve vulnerable children in Washington state. 

Check them out on Facebook ("Skookum Kids") and follow their Instagram (@skookumkids). Learn more at their website www.skookumkids.org.

On Episode 4 my guest is Trey Rabun, Foster Care Services Supervisor and former outreach specialist with Amara.  Trey has been working with Amara for nearly 8 years and, along with his husband, is a licensed foster parent currently caring for a 4 year old foster child.

Amara is a not-for-profit that serves children in foster care and the families who care for them.  Their mission is to ensure that every child in foster care has the love and support of a committed family - as quickly as possible and for as long as each child needs.  They provide services primarily in King and Pierce County with offices located in Seattle and Tacoma.

Trey shares with us the work of Amara and how you can get involved in helping them achieve their mission.

Learn more about Amara at www.amaraputskidsfirst.org. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

Deb Christian President of Seattle Angels

On episode 3 of Nonprofit Luminaries, I sit down and talk with Deb Christian, President of Seattle Angels.  Seattle Angels' mission is to walk along side children in the foster care system as well as their caretakers, by offering consistent support through intentional giving, relationship building, and mentorship.

They accomplish this through two main programs: Love Box and Dare to Dream.

Love Box provides foster families with community and holistic support so that they can continue to do the important and meaningful work of being a foster parent.  Volunteers are matched with a local foster family and then provide monthly support, through tangible goods and services. 

Dare to Dream is Seattle Angels' one on one mentor program for foster youth ages 15-21 and has a goal to engage youth, help them be supported, and equip them to navigate life.

Learn more about Seattle Angels at www.seattleangels.org.

Follow them on Facebook and Instagram

Have you supported a foster family?  Are you or have you been a foster parent that received, or could have used support like what Seattle Angels offers?

Share your experience in the comments below.

Brave is a one-day catalytic event whose purpose is to remind girls that they are worth being celebrated.

Brave seeks to remind these girls that they are valuable and toencourage them to dream big dreams for what their futures can be.

At the event, girls will hear of the many resources available to them, they'll hear from speakers about how they can be empowered and they'll be showered with dinner, gifts, giveaways, hair and makeup styling, personal portraits, confidence-building art projects, and much more.

Join them on May 18th from 4-8pm.

Register at Http://tinyurl.com/bravex3

If you'd like to support the event through donations visit Http://tinyurl.com/givebrave

What does empowerment mean to you?  How can we help empower young women in society today?  Let me know in the comments below.

Today I sit down with Todd McNeal, Executive Director at Hand in Hand., an organization driven by compassion for those who have been abused, neglected and marginalized.  They aim to restore hope to kids in crisis and offer a support system to strengthen families.

Learn more about hand in hand at www.handinhandkids.org.

You can also find them on Facebook and Instagram.