Freedom 21 will hold its second annual 5K run, Oct. 19 at 8 a.m., but with a twist.
Freedom 21, recipient of the Davidson Bruce Foundation Grant in both 2012 and 2013, works as a Christian, non-profit organization raising awareness and funds to help end human trafficking.
"We knew we wanted to have an annual 5K," said Teresa Carden, Freedom 21 executive board member. "This will be its second year, and we were thinking, 'What would be fun?' We thought the Color Me Free 5K Run idea would be fun."
According to Freedom 21's mission, their goal is to mobilize as one body, in an unified mission to wage war against the epidemic of human slavery in our nation, in our world and on our watch.
"We want to focus on awareness in the community," said Lori Sewell, president of Freedom 21. "A lot of people know about human trafficking; you ask them what the definition is, and they're knowledgeable about it. But they do not know what happens in Auburn."
This issue is not localized to Auburn. It is a major issue across the nation.
In 2012, President Obama declared January as National Trafficking Awareness Month.
An approximated $32 billion industry, the Department of Justice ranks sexual trafficking as the second fastest-growing criminal industry with a reported 2,525 cases in 2010. An estimated 1,000 of those cases involved children.
Many organizations nationwide are fighting for this cause, including Polaris Project, which set up a national trafficking hotline to report cases.
Polaris Project also established a nation-wide network of safehouses for victims to recover medically, psychologically and mentally, in addition to helping them find jobs post-recovery.
Sewell said she hopes to open a similar type of safehouse here in the Auburn area.
Passion City Church in Atlanta also takes a stance on the issue.
Passion holds a yearly Christian fellowship conference for college students focusing on major issues of the world and what can be done to help.
Last year, the topic centered on the end of human trafficking and raised $3.3 million in donations.
"I went to the Passion Conference last year and saw how lives can be affected by human trafficking," said Jake Miller, freshman in business marketing. "I just want to do something to help people in situations like these victims are in."
The Color Me Run's registration costs $50 and money goes to Freedom 21's goals of raising awareness in the local area. For more information visit ColorMeFree.com or their Facebook page.
Sponsors included Chick-fil-A, Weichert Realty/Porter Properties, Prudential Realty and Charter Bank, among many others.
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