Hope Inspire Love hosts Freedom Walk event to raise awareness in eradicating human trafficking and sexual exploitation in Pennsylvania

Heather Castellino, Deputy Chief Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Human Trafficking Division, speaks at the Freedom Walk event.

Saturday, October 5, 10am – Musser Park – Lancaster, PA

LANCASTER, Pa. , Sept. 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Hope Inspire Love, an anti-trafficking nonprofit, will host the Freedom Walk to raise awareness about the crime, cruelty and violence that women, men and children have suffered from exploitation and have been victims of human trafficking and sexual exploitation in the communities of Lancaster, Reading, York, Lebanon, Lititz, Manheim, Myerstown, Norristown, Harrisburg and Philadelphia.

During the Freedom Walk, individuals can learn more about human trafficking by visiting a “Trafficking Story,” an immersive experience to learn about a human trafficking story and informational tents. Several lines of people will fill the local streets and sidewalks of Lancaster City with a message that cannot be ignored: human trafficking exists, and we are here to help put an end to this heinous crime. Attendees will silently walk a 2 mile radius around the city, holding signs, reaching out to people in the community with the message about the horror of human trafficking, and letting the community know that they have the power to make change happen.

In addition to the nonprofit Hope Inspire Love, several other anti-trafficking nonprofits will be at the event, highlighting the work and services they provide in the community to combat sex trafficking.

QUOTE: “Sex trafficking is happening right here in our own backyard, and this walk provides a tangible first step to making a difference in our community,” said Amy Thurston, president and CEO of Hope Inspire Love. “Through our trauma-informed mentorship program, we are giving sex trafficking survivors the opportunity to thrive and prosper. We are doing this walk for the one victim, the only survivor. The work we do and the awareness through this walk is all about transforming of lives and providing opportunities for prevention education and recovery services.”

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For more information about the Freedom Walk, visit HopeInspireLove.org/walk

ABOUT THE DAY’S EVENTS: The morning will begin at 10 a.m. with an opening statement about the walk and its impact on anti-human trafficking in Pennsylvania. There will be a live rendition of the story through music, recounting an actual human trafficking situation that led to the creation of the nonprofit Hope Inspire Love. The walk starts in Musser Park with a power charge and a Declaration of Freedom, then takes a 20-mile walk around Lancaster City. The walk ends back in Musser Park, where representatives from Hope Inspire Love will talk about the work being done in our local community to combat human trafficking.

A human trafficking story will also be featured, where the audience will learn more about human trafficking in our community.

About Freedom Walk
Freedom Walk is a local awareness event that brings together hundreds of people taking thousands of steps with one goal: walk for freedom, stand for freedom and fight for freedom. This awareness event brings together change makers and takes action, as an outward expression of the inner desire to see human trafficking abolished.

About Hope Inspire Love, Inc.
Hope Inspire Love, Inc. is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that exists to eliminate human trafficking and sexual exploitation. It started in 2017 with a three-part solution to combat human trafficking: awareness, prevention education and mentorship. Through these initiatives, Hope Inspire Love equips communities with anti-trafficking tools and resources, partners with organizations and community members to fight for vulnerable people, and disrupts human trafficking through targeted awareness campaigns. As hosts of the Freedom Walk in Lancaster, Hope Inspire Love believes that if people show up locally, there will be a global impact. Step by step, Hope Inspire Love searches for its community and world without human trafficking.

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SOURCE Hope Inspire Love Inc