July & August Activities! |
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Mitakuyapi - Friends and Relatives, |
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Where did July and August Go? We were mighty busy, to say the least. Here are our highlights. July 26th – Lisa Heth was interviewed by Keloland TV about the Sturgis Rally and preventing sex trafficking. The Sturgis Motorcycle was held from August 4th - Aug. 13th. This annual event draws thousands of people from all over the world. Since 2020, authorities arrested 23 people on charges of human trafficking during this Motorcycle Rally. The majority of the victims are underage girls. In Lisa's interview, she said “We are one of a kind because we specifically provide culturally sensitive services to Native Americans. Although our doors are open to anybody, we don’t discriminate, and they can stay up to 24 months." There were several groups who handed out information about trafficking at the rally and put up signs in hotels and campgrounds. Read More or watch the news video below. |
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Sturgis Rally awareness graphic shared on social media. |
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Thank You First Dakota National Bank! |
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Also in July, Pathfinder Center was thankful to be chosen by the First Dakota National Bank as a recipient of their Blue Jean Fund proceeds. Chad Pinkleman, Business Manager presented Lisa Heth with the cash award. Thank you to all the employees at the First Dakota National Bank, and those who contributed. |
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"Only with the collective participation of all our communities will our missing, murdered, or trafficked relatives and friends no longer be invisible." – U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland |
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On July 26th, in Billing Montana, through the Department of Interior, the "Not Invisible Act" Commission held a tribal consultation session to take testimonies on what is needed in Indigenous communities for the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples crisis. In 2020 the Not Invisible Act was signed into law. This law is to increase coordination in identifying and combating violent crime within Indian lands and against Indians in response to the historical trauma and the ongoing crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous peoples, including human trafficking. The Not Invisible Act Commission was established to gather testimonies and information and to submit a final report to Congress by October of this year. The report should have recommendations on how to improve intergovernmental coordination and establish best practices for state, tribal, and federal law enforcement to combat this epidemic of violence. Shaynna Wounded Knee, Crow Creek Tribal member, attended the meeting in Billings and gave a powerful testimony about her cousin, Garrett Hawk, and how he was murdered on July 1, 2023 in Ft. Thompson, SD. Shaynna and her family need answers for closer. Someone knows something! After Hawk's murder, the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe and other forces took action to organize "Night patrols" to help combat violence in their communities. Read more about these efforts Here. You can watch Shaynna give her testimony in the video below or on our YouTube Channel Here. |
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"Sound of Freedom" the Movie! If you haven't seen this movie yet, please do - take a friend or family member with you. It is eye-opening. |
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On August 1st, two staff and one survivor attended the "Sound of Freedom" movie, which is based on a true story about one man's mission to end child sex slavery. It's a must-see. We stayed after the movie was over and handed out pamphlets and information to people who were coming out of the theater. We talked to some of the people one-on-one and answered questions they had. In South Dakota, there are still so many people who do not think that human trafficking happens in our State, or even in small rural towns for that matter. But it does! |
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Black Hills Bound! August Activities: Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and a Human Trafficking Workshop |
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Also on August 1st, Chrissy Beving and her husband, Jeff Hunter, from Tea, SD, stopped by Pathfinder Center on their way to the Sturgis Rally to do outreach there. They surprised us with beautiful gift baskets for the women and one child housed at Pathfinder Center. We sent Chrissy and her husband pamphlets and our swag mirrors that have the local numbers for people to call that go to the South Dakota 24-hour Hotline: 1-888-352-8511 or 211. |
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Communities United: Anti-Trafficking Workshop |
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Lisa attended the Communities United: Anti-Trafficking Workshop for South Dakota hosted by: Prairie Hills Transit in Spearfish, SD on August 29th and 30th. "I am truly honored to speak on this panel with many other professionals working in the field to end human trafficking," Lisa said. Those on the Aug. 29th morning panel with Lisa were; Hollie Strand, Forensic Examiner, Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, Mary Jackson, Survivor, Victim Advocate, Tess Franzen, Freedom’s Journey, Inc., Kristen Joyner, Transportation Industry and Moderator. |
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Left to right: Mary Jackson, Lisa Heth, Kristen Joyner, Tess Frensen, and Hollie Strand. |
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Later in the afternoon Lisa presented "Strengthening Our Advocacy for Sex Trafficking Victims" to a packed room of participants who travelled from all over the State to attend. |
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Lisa spoke about who Pathfinder Center is and about the Trauma Informed Care we do to help survivors heal. She advised the audience many of whom were women's advocates, health professionals, and first responders to take time for self-care, too. “Being in this line of work, I couldn't do it without prayer and my spirituality,” she said. |
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We still have a long way to go in educating and providing awareness of human trafficking in our communities. Invite us to your community, your church, school, organization, or business to provide education, awareness, and ways to prevent human trafficking of your loved one. Contact us HERE. |
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God bless each one of you and please keep Pathfinder Center staff and survivors in your prayers. Thank you all for your support in helping survivors to heal from their traumas and find their God-given purpose. Sincerely, Lisa Heth
Pathfinder Center, Executive Director |
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Pathfinder Center is a 501c3 non-profit and all donations are tax-deductible. Please consider donating to help a survivor in need. Donations can be made online through our website at www.pathfindercenter.org/donations or by a check mailed to Pathfinder Center, PO Box 49, Fort Thompson, SD 57339. Thank You! |
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We are a 501c3 non-profit organization. Donations are deductible as allowed by IRS law. |
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