Tonight from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., the Red Thread Movement will be hosting a fundraiser at Beltway Coffee Co. to raise funds and awareness for human trafficking.
Melanie Collazos, senior nursing major from Greenville and secretary of Red Thread Movement, said although this is the first fundraiser of its kind, they hope to grow their reach through more fundraisers, chapels and guest speakers.
The Red Thread Movement started in 2010 when Brittany Partridge, an ACU student volunteering with Eternal Threads, wanted to integrate student life with standing up for children who have been rescued from human trafficking.
Their goal is to raise awareness and funds for women and children who have been rescued from human trafficking, mostly in Nepal.
The bracelets are made by women who live in safe houses in Nepal, and are sold for $5. Fundraisers are used to help raise money to send back to the women so they can have a means of income for whatever they need. During the Beltway Coffee Co. fundraiser, any profits made within the time frame will be completely donated.
“Our goal is to expand and get more involved in different ways,” Collazos said. “This is just like the first step. We’re excited about it. We’re ready to see how it goes.”
Their next step, Collazos said, is inviting speakers to come and talk about their experience with human trafficking. Alisa Jordheim, who started the Justice Society and wrote “Made in the USA: The Sex Trafficking of America’s Children” has already agreed to speak at ACU.
Gabi Ramirez, a member of the Red Thread Movement, will be singing during the fundraiser.
“Having a fundraiser at Beltway Coffee with live music is a really awesome way to make learning about the issue of human trafficking more accessible to students,” said Ramirez, junior Advertising and Public Relations major from San Antonio. “Social issues like human trafficking tend to be really intimidating to people because they don’t know how to approach these issues, but it’s events like these that educate and empower students.”
