New program aims to train Jacksonville workers to better identify sex
trafficking survivors,
help transition survivors to new career pathways
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., June 29,
2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Truist
Foundation announced a $225,000
grant to Rethreaded, a nonprofit focused on breaking the cycle of
generational trauma for sex trafficking survivors by providing them
with employment, career development and supportive services.
Rethreaded will use the grant funds to create a training program
within the various systems that survivors encounter while in a life
of human trafficking, including hospitals, workplaces, nonprofit
organizations, and the justice system.
The goal of the training program is to equip system workers with
information and tools to better understand and identify survivors
to create a faster, less traumatic exit from the life of human
trafficking and into new career pathways that sustain their
financial needs and allow them to develop marketable job
skills.
"Truist Foundation is devoted to partnering with organizations
that are making strides to fight the global issue of human
trafficking," said Lynette Bell,
president of Truist Foundation. "Rethreaded is doing critical work
in Jacksonville to help transition
survivors out of human trafficking and connect them to career
pathways that lead to financial independence. It is our honor to
help these survivors build better lives for themselves in
partnership with Rethreaded."
Truist Financial Chairman and CEO Bill
Rogers, Truist Financial North Florida Regional President
Emily Dawkins and Truist Foundation
Director of Governance Renee
Villanueva recently met with Rethreaded Founder and CEO
Kristin Keen and Rethreaded
President and COO Jason Jones to
make the grant, discuss its impact and tour Rethreaded's
facilities.
"This grant will have a ripple effect in touching the lives of
survivors, their families and our community as a whole," said Keen.
"Truist Foundation's investment is a catalyst for change and
together we can create more opportunities for women to reclaim
their lives, find their voice and thrive."
This training program builds on Rethreaded's Survivor
Development Program, which connects human trafficking survivors to
careers in fields such as retail, finance and fundraising, and
provides them with professional training and access to a
trauma-informed professional community. Rethreaded serves 300
individuals annually, and 85 percent of survivors who engage with
Rethreaded never return to human trafficking.
According to Rethreaded, Florida ranks third in the U.S. for reported
cases of human trafficking and Jacksonville ranks 48th of all
cities in the U.S. Rethreaded's mission is to harness the power of
business, time, and community to create choice for 500 survivors of
human trafficking by 2033, and Truist Foundation seeks to be an
active supporter of that mission.
About Truist Foundation
Truist Foundation is
committed to Truist Financial Corporation's
(NYSE: TFC) purpose to inspire and build better lives
and communities. Established in 2020, the foundation makes
strategic investments in nonprofit organizations to help ensure the
communities it serves have more opportunities for a better quality
of life. Truist Foundation's grants and activities
focus on building career pathways to economic mobility and
strengthening small businesses. Learn more at
Truist.com/Foundation.
About Rethreaded
Without a stable job, 85% of
survivors of human trafficking will likely be trafficked
again. Rethreaded was founded 10 years ago by
Kristin Keen to provide employment
to local survivors and help them rebuild their lives and remove the
barrier of employment. Rethreaded's mission is to
harness the power of business, time, and community to create choice
for 500 survivors of human trafficking by 2033. Rethreaded
has employed 74 survivors, contributed to the support of over
4,000 women globally, and collaborated with over 200
companies.
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SOURCE Truist Foundation