The Van Wert County Courthouse

Friday, Mar. 29, 2024

YWCA schedules Glow Bowl fundraiser

VW independent staff and submitted information

January is Human Trafficking Awareness month and the YWCA of Van Wert County invites the community to join them in bringing awareness to this crime and in providing assistance to survivors of human trafficking in our area.

The statistics that surround human trafficking and its victims are sobering. There are three types of trafficking that victims could experience with the most prevalent being sex trafficking (73 percent) followed by forced labor (14 percent) and finally a combination of those two. Many people believe human trafficking is an international problem when the reality is that 80 percent of trafficking victims in 2011 were American citizens. Nationally, Ohio ranks 4th in Human Trafficking incidences.

In 2016, an estimated one out of six endangered runaways reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children were likely child sex trafficking victims and the average age of girls who are forced into sex trafficking is 12-17 years of age. (Statistics from Polaris and National Human Trafficking hotline.)

The YWCA of Van Wert County’s mission is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all. Human Trafficking, at its core, strips people of their dignity and freedom, treats victims as commodities for purchase to the highest bidder and subjects them to abuse by their captors and others who exploit them.

Save the date – Sunday, January 30, for Glow Bowl at Olympic Lanes in Van Wert

In its crusade to bring help to those who suffered at the hands of traffickers, the YWCA has planned a family friendly Glow Bowl event (bowling under black lights) to raise funds for those residing at the YWCA who are human trafficking survivors. Those who are rescued are in need of therapeutic services and transportation, as well as emergency and long term housing.

Glow Bowl will take place Sunday January 30 from 1-5 p.m. at Olympic Lanes, Van Wert. A silent auction will also be held featuring Dayton Dragon tickets, and gift certificates to Fire Keeper’s Casino, Proximo, Baker Street, Hoppy Gnome, a dessert of the month package, and other great items.

“We hope to see many people from our community at Olympic Lanes for Glow Bowl,” Julie Schaufelberger, YWCA Outreach Coordinator said. “Not only is it a family friendly event and fundraiser, it gives us an opportunity to increase awareness about this specific topic as well as our overall mission”

Additionally, the YWCA is using various social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram) to encourage followers to “click it” and learn more about human trafficking with short videos highlighting accurate information and dispelling certain myths about trafficking.

“Social media can perpetuate myths about trafficking,” Jamie Evans, Director of Survivor Services said. “We want our community to join us in the fight against human trafficking with accurate information that they can safely share in conversations and on social media with others,”

The YWCA is partially funded by the Van Wert County Foundation and the United Way of Van Wert County.

POSTED: 01/14/22 at 4:42 am. FILED UNDER: News