SIS raising funds for trafficking awareness, prevention

TIFFIN — Sisters in Shelter, a nonprofit organization that supports survivors of human trafficking, will host their annual Freedom Rising fundraiser on April 16 at the Chandelier Community Event Center in Tiffin. Scheduled for 5-7:30 p.m., the evening features keynote speaker Brittany Joy Figlar, a survivor of human trafficking who now works as an advocate educating communities and professionals alike about trafficking and survivor support. Proceeds from the event will support Sisters in Shelter programs, including emergency safe housing, counseling, legal advocacy and other services for survivors of human trafficking. Figlar's story Jennifer Kinn, executive director of Sisters in Shelter, said she first heard Figlar speak during a training session and felt her story was the one that the community needed to hear. "I've heard many survivor stories, and each one is powerful in its own way," Kinn said. She continued, saying Figlar's experience highlights the impact that one person can have when they choose to listen and believe a survivor. "What stood out most was this: it only took one person. One person to believe her, one person to listen. That belief changed everything," she said. Figlar also confronted her trafficker and helped to secure a 172 years-to-life sentence, the longest human trafficking sentence in Ohio history, according to Sisters in Shelter. Attendees, Kinn hopes, will leave the event with a greater understanding of the resilience of survivors and the need for stronger systems and community awareness. "I hope people walk away realizing that this is not a distant issue," Kinn said. "It happens in communities just like ours, and it requires community-level solutions." "Through consistent advocacy, trauma-informed care and simply showing up every day, we were able to help her stabilize, connect her to essential services and begin rebuilding her independence," Kinn said.