Life To The Fullest
The bustle of summer sneaks up on us each year, and before we know it, we’ve blinked, and the kids are off to school. Pumpkins are already on the shelves. Suddenly we’re hit with this nostalgia that begs us to breathe deep and welcome a great shift in the atmosphere.
So we listen. We go apple picking. We add cinnamon to everything. We slip into the comfort of flannels and hats and well-worn boots. And as the days grow shorter and the gatherings around bonfires and banquet tables increase in number, we harvest the incredible abundance that life has to offer. The abundance that we get to share.
Together, we’re giving child trafficking survivors the freedom to experience more. More than survival. More than sustenance. More than the bare minimum.
This “more” lies in peaceful morning chats with mentors, intense intramural volleyball games, and cooking lessons from house mothers rich in spices and conversation. It’s in the planting of flowers for pure enjoyment and dinner tables overflowing with giggles and mischief. It’s in the forging of friendships filled with love and support.
As we walk into these days of painted leaves and sun-steeped afternoons, I hope you understand the light and life you’ve given the rescued kids. And I pray you soak up all the sweetness this season brings.
“Surviving isn’t living. Not really. I know because I’ve experienced them both.
Nine years ago, my sister went missing after slipping out of our shanty to use the bathroom one night. While she was alone, a group of men assaulted her and left her for dead. By the time I found my sister, she wouldn’t wake up. All I could do was scream and cry for help I knew wouldn’t come. However, against all odds, a man named Raj heard me and rushed us to the hospital.
The doctors said they wouldn’t help us because we were too poor, so Raj claimed us as his family. That made all the difference, and the doctors gave us the care we needed.
Thankfully, that’s not the end of my story.
I’ve felt the kindness of a stranger who nursed my sister back to health and gave us safety, community, and care. I’ve tasted the excitement of learning in school and discovering I was good at it. I’ve heard the power of the words, “I believe in you.” I’ve experienced the overwhelming pride of landing my first job and working my way up to one of the top salaries in the company.
I’ve also felt the delight of giving back to the program that saved my sister and me all those years ago.
Today, I am truly living, not because of the money I make, but because of the people I’m able to help. By giving back to Child Freedom Coalition, I’m giving kids like I once was the chance to discover what they‘re created for - the freedom to flourish.”
-Daya
*Instead of her full name, this graduate goes by the “Daya” to protect her identity.*
Joy Martin first heard about the rescued kids in 2014 when her son Jim visited The Children’s Home in South Asia and came back driven to make a difference.
She listened to story after story of the vocational training students and graduates that affected him so much. She watched him cover the walls of his business with photos of them and come alive in the conversations they sparked with his clients and employees.
Jim’s passion moved her so profoundly that Joy also fell in love with the kids and joined her son in giving and sharing their stories. Even throughout Jim’s diagnosis and fight against cancer, he continued championing the children he loved dearly and inspiring others.
After Jim passed away in 2017, he left behind a legacy. It lives on in the Jim Frith Vocational Training Center given by his company in 2019, in the graduates equipped by his generosity, in his mother Joy, and in the countless others he influenced.
This year, Joy honored Jim by funding five Vocational Training Scholarships for young women he met in South Asia back when they were just girls. And that’s not all; at 89 years old, Joy continues to tell the rescued kids incredible stories with others by sharing our quarterly Child Freedom Journals with her friends, doctors, and family.
Giving is vital in helping the rescued kids, but over the years, we’ve seen that donations aren’t the only avenue for changing lives. Your story is a seed you plant with every person you share it with. Its power is unmatched in its ability to impact others.
We strive to instill trust. To operate authentically both internally and externally. To be an organization you can rely on to bring you the information you want before you have to ask. To build a culture of honor where we celebrate ideas and wrestle with challenging topics together.
To commit to yearly public audits that keep us honest and on the path to far-reaching impact. To cling tightly to the 100% Model, sending every penny of every public donation to the kids so you can give with confidence.