On November 11, 2022, Give and Free a Girl came together for an amazing fundraising event.
Free a Girl’s mission is to end the sexual exploitation of children. They focus on the rescue, aftercare, and continuing therapy of the minor girls and women rescued. Free a Girl is committed to the healing and safety of every girl and know that once a girl has been rescued, the work continues.
During the event we were able to hear from so many great guest speakers including Founders of Give, Wright and Steph Thurston; Give CEO, Faith Thurston; Free a Girl Founders, Evelien Hölsken and Arjan Erkel; Operation Underground Railroad’s Director of Special Projects, Matthew Cooper; and Nerd United CTOs, Tom Karren and Travis Cook.
All guest speakers had such a great impact on our guests as they shared their stories and accomplishments. Guest speaker Arjan Erkel, cofounder of Free a Girl, shared his compelling story of captivity and how the influence of music helped him get through that traumatic time. Guests were immersed in his captivating situation as he painted his experience through songs as well as a visual representation of his small cell. He shared how he is now able to relate to the girls he helps rescue because of the fear he felt during his time in captivity.
Our guests were also able to gain education about Free a Girl and Give’s missions, accomplishments, and goals through interactive rooms. One of the rooms was an immersive VR experience where guests were able to walk through an empty brothel and see the dirty conditions that rescued girls are forced to live in. The Give room included statistics on the impact that Give has had in partnering with Free a Girl. Another room played an informative and eye opening TikTok video about sexual exploitation problems around the world. All rooms gave guests opportunities to gain additional insight into Free a Girl and Give’s ongoing endeavors.
In addition to the speakers and immersive rooms, we were lucky to have four amazing bands perform throughout the night as well as delicious food catered. A special thank you to all silent auction donations, volunteers, and guests that came to show their support. We were blown away by the generosity and love what we saw and felt throughout the night.
Over the course of the event, we were able to raise $648,000, all of which will help Free a Girl rescue 648 girls from human trafficking as well as aid in the aftercare of survivors.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts! We truly had a wonderful event.
Love, Your Give Team
