NEWSLETTER

Mitakuyapi - Friends and Relatives, 

Happy Women's Herstory Month -- here's our story for January and February.

January is always extremely busy for us since it is National Human Trafficking Awareness Month. This year we held our Second Annual Online Fundraising Auction, we also held a “Lunch and Learn” community awareness event, and a movie night showing the “Sound of Freedom” movie, in addition to taking care of the center and the safety and needs of the survivors staying with us.  

First, our online auction update. 

We are happy to announce that with your help we raised $1,400 this year.  Our goal was to exceed last year’s amount.  Unfortunately, we fell short.  But we are very grateful to all those who donated, placed bids, and won auction items.  100% of these funds go to the survivors at Pathfinder Center and we sincerely thank you for participating.  And again, congratulations to all the winners!  

Side Note: We may hold another online auction this coming summer so be sure to follow our emails and our social media (linked below) for important updates and information.

Our “Lunch and Learn” community event, held at Lower Brule Tribal Cafeteria, was a success.  This event helped us build community engagement and provided information on ways to protect our Oyate (family & friends) from traffickers among us or those infiltrating our communities.  During this event, we asked participants several questions about things they had seen in the community regarding trafficking and talked about how to recognize trafficking and preventative measures.

During our discussion at the “Lunch and Learn” the movie “Sound of Freedom” was mentioned. Participants were asked if they were interested in seeing the movie since we had purchased the DVD and many said “yes!”  This movie was shown to a packed house on January 23rd with the Lower Brule Counseling Center providing free popcorn and beverages.  The audience watched the movie intently, which is based on real-life events of one man’s fight against human trafficking. After the movie, we held a Q&A (Questions-and-Answers) session where many engaged in the conversation with us. 

All in all, we learned a lot from each other at both events, and the participants stated their appreciation to Pathfinder Center for providing sex trafficking awareness and community engagement.  If you would like to schedule a showing of the “Sound of Freedom” movie in your community or learn more on how to organize a “Lunch and Learn – Q&A” event, please contact me and we can work out the details. 

February was more low-key for us, however, our staff kept plenty busy providing for the daily needs of survivors since we have been at capacity since January.  We are thankful that each survivor here with us is now safe and getting the help and healing they seek.

Following is a testimony from a survivor at Pathfinder Center.

Coming here brought me out of the dark place I was in and how I viewed the world. I have been helped with basic needs from hygiene to transportation to court appearances to doctor appointments. It’s a secure safe, alcohol and drug-free place. The dedication and efforts of the advocates are truly appreciated. I wish there would be more places of safety worldwide like Pathfinder Center.” - Survivor

Please keep the brave survivors and our awesome staff in your prayers for safety, peace, and healing, as we continue our services to them and bring more awareness to our Oyate.  It is going to take all of us to end sex trafficking in our tribal, rural, and urban communities.

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!

We are a 501c3 non-profit organization. Donations are deductible as allowed by IRS law.