The Joy Smith Foundation is determined to educate parents alongside the community as well as help survivors of human trafficking right here in Canada.
"We have now had the honour and privilege of working with over 7,000, and we're actually coming close to 8,000 files now, of human trafficking survivors, and their families," says the President and CEO of the Joy Smith Foundation, Janet Campbell. "We've worked with individuals right across the country, from every background and community."
The Joy Smith Foundation believes that knowledge arms parents and community members with the best defence against their children being trafficked. This is one of the reasons they put on their Joy in Action event each year.
"It's such an important event and it helps in many ways. First and foremost I think it's really important that everybody knows about human trafficking, what it is and how it happens. This event is an opportunity to elevate the profile of this issue right in your own community. Number two, all of the fundraising helps for us to deliver the programming that we do."
The Joy in Action event invites members of the community, including whole families, to run, walk, or bike in Bird's Hill Park on August 17, starting at 9:00 a.m.
"When we go into schools, when we work with survivors of human trafficking, we provide that service to no cost to them."
During the Joy in Action event in 2023, while people were walking and holding a sign, passersby engaged in conversation as the effects of human trafficking had touched them.
"We had a group out walking in a rural area, they had put together posters and were walking down the main street in this community. They were approached by this elderly couple. They were emotional as it turned out their granddaughter had been trafficked. This couple was inspired to know there were other people out there doing this kind of work."
Anyone interested in registering for Joy in Action 2024 can do so here.
Tue, Jul 2, 9:00 AM
Full-time, Labour
Featured