Sat 2/17 @ noon
The EILEEN FISHER Cleveland store in Woodmere will host “A Day of Giving” in partnership with the Hue Jackson Foundation, in an effort to bring awareness to human trafficking.
The event begins at 12pm, with guests enjoying nibbles and wine, a raffle and an opportunity to browse the store. A fashion show, emceed by Kristi Capel of Fox 8 Cleveland, will begin at 1pm. This event is free and attendees are encouraged to register. The first 50 guests to register will receive a complimentary gift bag. 10% of all sales will benefit Hue Jackson Survivors of Human Trafficking Residence, the foundation’s first initiative in its mission to raise awareness and assist those exploited by human trafficking.
Ohio ranks 4th in the nation for human trafficking, and thousands of Northeast Ohioans are enslaved in commercial sex and forced labor every year. These include children, teens and adults, male or female, of any race or ethic group.
“The Hue Jackson Survivors of Human Trafficking Residence will offer a safe environment for victims to heal and focus on their treatment,” says Hue Jackson. “It will include shared office space for law enforcement, healthcare and social service professionals who work with them. In partnership with the Salvation Army of Greater Cleveland, the Renee Jones Empowerment Center will utilize this office. The foundation believes that in order for survivors to break the trafficking cycle, secure housing is critical.”
Finding adequate and appropriate emergency and transitional housing where women are protected from their traffickers is often the biggest service-related challenge. Estimates show that there are less than 100 beds available nationally for an estimated 100,000 identified traffic victims annually. The Hue Jackson Survivors of Human Trafficking Residence will include beds for 12 women, a community gathering room, restrooms and office space.
So what is human trafficking? It is the crime of keeping a person in a commercial situation of severe exploitation through force, fraud or coercion. It reduces a person to a commodity to be bought, sold, exploited and abused, and forces people to engage in commercial sex or to provide labor or services against their will.
Human trafficking and slavery has been an issue that EILEEN FISHER has been keenly aware of for many years. Through their grant programs, they have supported multiple nonprofit organizations working on this issue. In addition, since 2011, they have put more focus on this topic in their supply chain human rights program.
The Hue Jackson Foundation is committed to empowering children, teen and adult survivors of human trafficking through the funding of organizations that champion for and serve as a voice for those who are exploited. The Hue Jackson Survivors of Human Trafficking Residence will offer a safe environment for victims to heal and focus on their treatment. The foundation believes that in order for survivors to break the trafficking cycle, secure housing is critical.
This event is rain or shine. There’s plenty of parking in the public lot.
[Written by Kendall Embrescia-Hridel]
Woodmere, OH 44122