A Humble Hero on a Very Important Quest!

Sarasota, FL—On Tuesday night in the chilly stands at Amalie Arena, home of the Tampa Bay Lightning hockey team, Laurie Swink was honored in front of all the hometown fans. In an über swank and comfortable room at the community hero suite hosted by Jabil, Laurie, along with her colleagues, celebrated her accomplishments as the cofounder of Selah Freedom, an agency dedicated to eradicating human and sex trafficking based in Sarasota, Florida.

Selah Freedom, established by Swink in 2011, is a nonprofit based in Florida with the mission to end sex trafficking and bring freedom to those who have been exploited. Selah implements five programs: Advocacy & Awareness, Prevention, Outreach, Consulting and a Residential home for survivors.

Elizabeth Frazier, EVP of Community Development and Social Impact and Executive Director of the Lightning Foundation commented, “The Lightning Foundation was thrilled to provide a $50,000 Community Hero grant to Selah Freedom to celebrate the tremendous work and impact of Laurie Swink. We recognize the challenges our community has with human and sex trafficking and fully support Selah Freedom’s dynamic programs to work toward the goal of eradicating this issue.”

Laurie was visibly moved by the ceremony and was so happy Selah Freedom’s story made it to the jumbotron. She stated, "Being honored as a community hero was an amazing experience! I was brought to tears throughout the night, it is just so nice to be acknowledged for work that changes people’s lives. It is wonderful that the Lightning Foundation grant panel chose my application and values the lives of each survivor and that they care about protecting boys and girls from being abused. I will be forever grateful for all they did for us!"

Human trafficking is modern slavery and should not happen to anyone, so eleven years ago, when most of society was turning a blind eye to this issue, Laurie Swink was doing everything in her power to stop it. She has dedicated her life to ending this horrible epidemic and has not slowed down since day one. Sacrificing personally, professionally and financially, Laurie is determined to help victims of sex trafficking have a chance at a real life, one void of violence, crime and poverty. Put simply, Selah Freedom saves lives!

Selah’s Executive Director, Stacey Efaw affirmed, "We are so grateful to the Lightning Foundation for recognizing Laurie Swink, our cofounder at Selah Freedom, as a community hero. The event was so much fun and we loved the opportunity to get our message out to all the Lightning fans who attended the game. Selah Freedom has already started making an impact with this grant funding and we will expand our prevention program as a result of this support.

Sex trafficking is a horrendous crime greatly increasing throughout the entire Tampa Bay Region. The State of Florida ranks 3rd in the nation for incidents of sex trafficking. Unfortunately, Tampa Bay is right next to Miami for having the highest incidents within the state. The traffickers have billions of dollars behind them, sophisticated systems and they are targeting children as young as 12 years old as their next victims. The entire Tampa Bay community needs to be educated on this horrible epidemic and we need to join forces with local law enforcement to protect our children.

Andrew Gallo, Global Program Manager at Jabil stated, "It was an honor to meet Laurie and all the other outstanding individuals from Selah Freedom tonight who dedicate their time to help victims of human trafficking. I applaud the organization's community outreach programs designed to educate students and parents about early warning signs and risks."

In addition to staff members and board members of Selah Freedom, some supporters of Selah’s programs also attended the event. Tom Free runs a foundation that has invested in providing grant writing support for Selah Freedom as a way to help the agency build capacity and awareness. Happily, his investment has paid off as Selah has secured several grants in 2021-2023, including this one. Tom stated, "I am so excited Selah Freedom is receiving the attention they deserve for the great work they are doing in the Tampa Bay community and beyond. My foundation has been a big supporter of Selah Freedom since 2021 and the progress they have made is remarkable."

Selah Freedom’s programs are supported by grants and individual donors who believe in giving survivors of human and sex trafficking a chance at a better life. To support their daily efforts in eradicating sex trafficking, visit their website, https://selahfreedom.com, where it is easy to make a donation. Supporters can also subscribe to Selah's newsletter by going to their website, scrolling to the bottom, and filling in your email address.