A Walk in Their Shoes

On Friday, February 26, relink.org was honored to have an information table at “A Walk in Their Shoes” event at Compass North Church in Akron, OH. interact with the community and hear some incredible survivors speak about their experience with recovery. Five individuals who have struggled with Substance Use Disorder and/or had been victims of human trafficking spoke about their journey and how finding a foundation in God and their faith helped them out of their darkest times.

The stories were heartbreaking, but incredibly inspirational. The strength it takes to overcome such trauma or addiction on its own is unimaginable, but to then lead others towards God’s word and demonstrate to others the power of His love is even more honorable. 

At the information table, before the event and during intermission, we demonstrated the capabilities of relink.org to those who passed by, discussed the goals of the search tool, how it can be of help in many situations and all of the data we have collected. 

It was a blessing to be apart of such a memorable evening. 

February Hope Day

February 27th was a beautiful morning to serve in the Clark-Fulton neighborhood on the westside of Cleveland. Cleveland Hope Exchange partnered with Journey Church to present Hope Day for the month of February. Hope Day is a monthly food-drive event that serves the Clark-Fulton area and a food-delivery event for residents of Fairview Park. The Cleveland Hope Exhcnage provides resources for many issues including hunger, human trafficking and homelessness. Hope Day takes place every 4th saturday of the month. To volunteer for the next one, click here.

Human Trafficking Summit

Ohio Senator, Teresa Fedor, held her 12th annual human trafficking summit February 22-26 virtually. Fedor serves the 11th district of Ohio and is considered the preeminent legislative voice combating human trafficking in the state. Throughout the week there were many stories told by survivors, informational speeches, advocates from around the county, and each day began with a special keynote speaker. 

This year’s highlighted topic within the summit was “the history of the fight to end child sex trafficking.” The entire week was incredibly informational and worthwhile to pop into the different zoom webinars to listen to the experiences of these survivors and the goals of the legislators.