If you are in the Guelph/Kitchener/Waterloo/Fergus/Hamilton area and like music, this Saturday Joe Brunsting is having a CD release party for his album In Colour in Guelph to help raise funds for Hope for the Sold!  Joe was part of the anti-trafficking group I led at the University of Guelph and has for a long time been a huge support in our efforts to bring modern day slavery to and end.

Joe and I in the bottom row at an anti-trafficking event at the University of Guelph, 2008

Please see the concert details below, and learn more about Joe and his CD on his website. My personal favourite from the album is #6 (hint: Something I aspire to & very cute), but you’ll have to come to the concert to find out why! Jay and I will be presenting on the current project we are working on as well. Hope to see you there, and don’t forget to bring a friend!

Please note: we were switching hosting this week for the HFTS website, and are correcting any small glitches there may still be floating around.  Thanks for your patience.  Should just be minor things though.  Contact section is functioning fine.  I will remove this message very soon, once everything has been dealt with.

My husband and I were feeling under the weather this week, hence the lack of posts! But we are back to being healthy, and will be speaking at a Spa & Awareness event put together by Trade Sensations in Toronto this weekend.  Find out more here, and be sure to register by today if you can make it!  Get pampered and support Hope for the Sold!

We will post pictures of the event next week, and I promise to get back on the blogging horse now that I am feeling myself again.

I am excited to announce that Trade Sensation, a Toronto-based event planning company with Canada’s largest wedding planning team has partnered with Hope for the Sold to throw a Spa Day for brides, maid of honours, bridesmaids, mothers, mother-in-laws, and all ladies interested in having a day of pampering!  Whether you are getting married, know someone who is, or are single and just want to come get pampered and learn about what Hope for the Sold is doing to fight sex trafficking, mark the date in your calendar and come on out!  If you have trouble seeing the details below, click on the invite to enlarge:

Jay and I will be showing some clips from our documentary on sex trafficking in Canada as well as sharing about this very important and heartbreaking issue.  100% of the entrance fee is going to Hope for the Sold, as well as 10% from sales proceeds.  I am told there will be some Swiss-made organic make-up available for those of you who are interested as well as open forums on several topics.  We will also be highlighting how you can sign up to donate to Hope for the Sold in lieu of wedding favours.

So come on out on Sunday, January 22 from 3:00 to 7:00 pm at 238 Supertest Road in Toronto, ready to feel good, learn lots, and take a stand on behalf of the exploited.

Please pass this onto other friends or family that might be interested, and RSVP to info@tradesensation.com before January 20th.

Hope to see you there!

I love hearing about people who do creative things to fight human trafficking.  Right now a group of women is getting prepared to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, with the purpose of raising funds and awareness to combat modern day slavery and exploitation.  As described on The Freedom Climb website:

Women from across the globe will begin their ascent of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania on January 11, 2012, the National Human Trafficking Awareness Day in the U.S. Climbers will be raising awareness, prayers, and finances for women and children being oppressed, enslaved, exploited and trafficked. The Freedom Climb goal for 2012 is to affect the lives of 10,000 women through projects that break the cycles of poverty, shame, slavery, and despair. These projects include micro-loans, education, skills training, and protection from exploitation.

Why Mt. Kilimanjaro? The highest mountain in Africa, its summit is known as Uhuru Peak. Uhuru is the Swahili word for freedom. Climbing Kilimanjaro is symbolic of the huge climb to freedom faced daily by millions of enslaved women and children worldwide.

Women climbing for women.  Beautiful.

Nikki Fairlie giving feathered hair extensions (Source: Welland Tribune)

One of the climbers, Regine Huettner, has a friend back home who is using her skills to raise some money for the cause. Hairstylist Nikki Fairlie is offering feathered hair extensions to clients in Welland, Ontario.  For a minimum donation of $2 per feather to help support the Freedom Climb, Fairlie will give you feathered hair extensions – which are suitable for all ages and most hair lengths.  Nikki is a great example of what it looks like to use your skills and ideas to do support the fight against human trafficking!

If you are in the Welland area, call Nikki at 289-820-9662 to book an appointment!  The climb is taking place this week, and Nikki’s offer last until January 16.

For more information, read this Welland Tribune article, check out the Freedom Climb website, or the Feather for Freedom facebook page.  If you want to support Regine in her climb but can’t make it out to Welland, you can sponsor her here.  Check out the rest of the team’s profiles here.  Regine & team, we are so excited for your climb this week and are cheering you on!

A week ago we were invited to The Best Christmas 2011, a party to celebrate the season and give to those in need.  This year Hope for the Sold was chosen as the organization to support, with the proceeds of the evening going to our documentary project.

Dave and Mandy McSporran were the masterminds of this event, and we were blown away by all the people that jumped on board to help them put this thing together – from Jeff and Liz who opened up their beautiful home, to Todd who helped create a fantastic logo, to Reed for taking the majority of these amazing photos, and for everyone who gave of their time and resources to get this off the ground.  A HUGE thank you goes out to a very generous couple who matched the money that came in for the night, making the following announcement a possibility:

WOW!!!  Our most sincere thanks to ALL of you who came out to the party and gave generously!  This is a HUGE step toward our goal of raising $80,000 – 10% of our project was covered by you guys!

Check these sponsors out, they are fantastic:

• When He Found Her
• Style My Child
• Perfect Painting
• Bottled Media

And here are the party shots!

What a night.  The Best Christmas happens every Christmas, so this is your opportunity to think of next year and what you’d like to support, whether it be with this crowd or your own wherever you are! What a great time to be generous and have fun doing it!  I will be taking about a week’s break from blogging over the holiday season, but will hit the ground running in the new year.  Savour this precious time with your loved ones and I’ll see you in 2012!  MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

If you are in the Greater Toronto Area, come join us for the Best Christmas Party in Burlington Ontario on Friday, December 16!   Why are we partying?  So that through this project we can help prevent scenarios like this:

Please add your name to the guest list if you are coming (let me know here if you don’t have facebook)! Hope to see you there!

A screening of the Rockumentary Call and Response is being presented at Bethany Community Church on November 20th at 6:30 pm. That’s this Sunday!  The address is 1388 Third Street, St. Catharines ON.

This film uses alternative music and documentary style interviews to raise awareness on the issue of human trafficking. Featured in the documentary are interviews with human rights activists such as Ashley Judd and Madeleine Albright. A large portion of the film also includes musical performances by several well known musicians including Five For Fighting, Switchfoot and Natasha Bendingfield.

The purpose of this evening is both to raise awareness and provide education on the issue of human trafficking and to provide an opportunity for individuals to get involved in bringing hope and freedom to those who are enslaved.

Timea Nagy, victim of human trafficking here in Canada, will be at the event to share her story as well. Timea is using her experiences as a message of hope to those still trapped in slavery, and as training for the RCMP and other groups invested in stopping trafficking in Canada and around the world. She is an inspiration in the darkness that is growing all around us. And she stands as a living testament that there is life above that darkness.

Representatives from local and international organizations will be present to provide information on opportunities to RESPOND to the fight for freedom.

For more information please contact Ziggy Duerksen at 905-685-4062 or duerksensigried@aol.com.

Please note: This movie is rated PG13  Parents Strongly Cautioned. Some Material May Be Inappropriate For Children Under 13.

A fellow abolitionist friend of mine, Timea Nagy, runs a fantastic organization (Walk With Me) that helps victims of human trafficking in Canada.  Walk With Me has a safe house and they need your support to keep it going next year!  The goal is $20,000 – a small price to pay for the restorative work done through that place.  Walk With Me is hosting a fundraiser dinner on Sunday November 13 in Hamilton. There will be a gourmet 4-course meal, Silent Auction, inspiring survivor stories, and entertainment featuring many fine Canadian artists.

Location: Carmen’s Banquet Hall, 1520 Stonechurch Road East, Hamilton ON (MAP)

Tickets: $50.00 per ticket or $450.00 for a 10 seat table.  Purchase them at Carmen’s Box Office at 905 387 0007 or at Westtown Bar and Grill (214 Locke St. South, Hamilton)

Find out more information here.  Monday November 7 is the last day to buy tickets, so don’t wait!

Michelle Brock

I am super excited that Nefarious: Merchant of Souls, a film about sex trafficking, is being screened in Ontario this month! Check out this trailer and see the event info below.

Screening Information:

CITY: Toronto ON
WHEN: Friday, October 21, 2011
WHERE: Catch the Fire Toronto, 272 Attwell Drive Toronto, ON M9W 6M3
WHAT TIME: 7:30-10:30 pm
EVENT CONTACT: Catch the Fire website

 

CITY: Ottawa ON
WHEN: Tuesday October 25, 2011
WHERE: Dominion Outreach Centre, 8A-2016 Ogilvie Road, Ottawa, ON K1J 7N9
WHAT TIME: 7-9pm
EVENT CONTACT: Rachel Steele at 613 749 5050 or email info@newrenaissance.ca.

CITY: Stratford ON
WHEN: Saturday October 22, 2011
WHERE: Jubilee Christian Fellowship, 707 Downie St., Stratford ON N5A 1Y8
WHAT TIME: 7-9pm
EVENT CONTACT: Church website

If there is an event here I missed, please send me all the details and I will add it! Those of you in the US, here is the whole list of screening dates.

This movie is going to be absolutely incredible, so I hope all of you in the GTA/Ottawa area can make it!

Michelle Brock

Get more details here!

Michelle Brock