On Friday night Veritas had the privilege of hosting a benefit concert to raise money for a safe house and after care program for those who have been trafficked domestically. All the funds went to North Start Initiative, a non-profit here in Lancaster County that is fighting Human Trafficking and an organization that Veritas is looking at getting more involved with. Here is a copy of a news release about the event: A fundraiser will be held Friday for an organization working to create a safe house for human trafficking victims.
North Star Initiative has a house under lease, but co-founder Jen Sensenig estimated it needs at least $250,000 in renovations.
The group is targeting a late 2013 opening.
Human trafficking can include women forced to work in the sex industry or in other jobs for little or no pay, said Sensenig, 40, of Paradise.
She envisions the house serving a half-dozen young victims of domestic human trafficking.
It would provide shelter, counseling and life-skills training to help reintegrate them into society.
Millersville University junior and musician Christina Berg is behind the fundraiser. She did a benefit concert and auction for Tim Bradley, a North Star Initiative co-founder.
Bradley went on a four-month mission trip earlier this year to trafficking centers in Southeast Asia and Atlanta.
Bradley will discuss his experience at the fundraiser scheduled from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday at The Community Room on Prince, above the Prince Street Cafe, 19 N. Prince St.
The event will include musicians, a dance performance and refreshments.
Admission is by donation.
Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/459108_Benefit-for-victims-of-trafficking-set-for-Friday.html#ixzz1YP7x6bzE
So after it was all said and done we probably had close to 75 people come to the event and where able to raise over 800 dollars for North Star. It was definitely a realization of our dream as Veritas and our reason for renting the Community Room. We are excited about future possibilities of using the Community Room for events that connect two of our passions: art and justice issues. In fact the next benefit concert we will be doing is November 18 with Matt Haller, a student at F&M whose music, CD's and concerts go to benefit the Boys and Girls Club of Tuscaloosa, AL that was destroyed in a tornado in April.
Continue to dream about further means of using the arts and music to bless, serve and raise money for various justice issues in our world. Any ideas, would love to hear them.