I'm not just one woman. As a Mary Kay Consultant, I'm part of an army of strong, smart, passionate women. Together, we can do this!
San Diego, California (PRWEB) June 12, 2014
More than 300,000 children under the age of 18 are trafficked in the United States each year. The majority of these innocent victims are young girls who have been coerced or forced into prostitution under threats to their lives or the lives of their loved ones. Most are beaten into compliance on a regular basis. Many are starved and tethered like animals. All are praying for a way out.
When Veronica Perkins of San Diego first heard these dire statistics, she knew that she had to do something to help. As a Senior Independent Consultant with Mary Kay, she was always encouraged to believe that one woman can make a difference. But how?
"At first, I was overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of the problem," Veronica explains. " I couldn't imagine how one woman could possibly combat an atrocity as horrific and wide spread as child trafficking. And then it occurred to me -- I'm not just one woman. As a Mary Kay consultant, I'm part of an army of hundreds of thousands of women across the US. Strong, smart, passionate women who want to make the world a better place. Together, we can do this!"
So Veronica reached out to Gridlock Ministries (http://www.gridlockministries.org), an Illinois nonprofit organization that exists to create gridlock in human trafficking and eliminate roadblocks to recovery. When Veronica learned that Gridlock Ministries had recently acquired 100 acres of ranch land in northern Nevada as the future site of the first-ever national recovery center for survivors of human trafficking, the plan fell into place.
"I was so impressed with their work!" says Veronica. "They go into the darkest shadows of US cities and physically rescue victims of human trafficking, most of whom are underage girls. These young girls are brought out of a world of fear and hopelessness, and they are given shelter, warm meals, counseling, medical care, college scholarships, and even entrepreneurship training. They are literally transformed!"
Now Veronica is using Mary Kay's online consultant forum and social media to invite every Mary Kay Consultant across the country to donate $1 toward Gridlock Ministries' national recovery center building fund so that severely traumatized survivors will have a sanctuary where they can live, be safe, be loved and heal for as long as necessary.
Interested Mary Kay Consultants can learn more about the recovery center and how to donate by visiting http://www.gridlockministries.org/Pink.html. All consultants who donate $1 will have their names imprinted on a laminated page of a book that will be prominently displayed in the lobby. Additional giving options are also offered, including the opportunity to have your name or message etched in a brick walkway, a floor tile, or a garden bench.
For more information, please contact Veronica at "iwearpink(at)marykay(dot)com" or visit http://www.gridlockministries.org/Pink.html.