It was not just another Saturday night for members of the Women in Shipbuilding Enterprise (WiSE) employee resource group, who attended the Light Up the Night Gala in Virginia Beach earlier this month.
They heard about the Safe House Project, a national program led by founders Kristi Wells and Brittany Dunn. They work tirelessly to educate and empower communities to identify victims of sex trafficking, providing emergency services and placement to all survivors. The program also provides long term housing and holistic services to help victims heal.
Hundreds of thousands of children are trafficked every year in the U.S. and 99% are never identified. Of those who are, only a few receive long-term care, causing most to return to their traffickers.
“I am truly proud to work for a company that is part of such a phenomenal cause,” said Christina Wheeler, an attendee. “To hear their survival stories, to know Newport News Shipbuilding values making a change in our community, is very rewarding.”
Attendees were given a copy of “Eradicating Human Trafficking: A Transformative Approach through Collective Impact.”
