Since 2014 Saved In America has been out there putting in the work and saving lives. Specifically, the lives of missing, runaway, and trafficked children, the most vulnerable among us. During that time, the organization has assisted in the investigation and recovery of more than 270 children nationwide. Fortunately, they recovered 60% before being trafficked.
Saved In America Works to Locate Missing, Runaway, and Trafficked Children
As I am sure you can guess, this is not an inexpensive task, and Saved In America does it at no charge to the families. They do it because it is the right thing to do. Not only does SIA help locate these children, but it also assists in procuring legal representation, safe housing, and rehabilitative therapy for victims of sexual exploitation. In addition, they aid high-risk juvenile shelters to protect children from further exploitation by pimps and predators.
The fastest-growing crime in the United States is child sex trafficking. According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), it received 37,872 reports of online enticement in 2020. NCMEC indicates that 98% of victims didn’t know the offender online. Likewise, there were also 17,000 reports of child sex trafficking.
“The atrocities of child sex trafficking must end. The statistics are grim and speak loudly. The recovery of these children is our calling,” stated Joseph Travers, founder of Saved In America. “Our reward is the look we receive in the eyes of the parents when we recover their child.”
Saved In America is doing more than talk, it is walking the walk. The non-profit organization is made up of volunteers who are former law enforcement, Special Operators, and Navy SEALs-turned licensed and insured private investigators.
SIA To Host Fundraising Dinner During SHOT Show
To help cover the expense of running operations, Saved In America will be hosting its 2nd annual #ChildSavedNotSold fundraising dinner. The dinner will feature real-life testimonies from a grandmother and 15-year-old Nevaeh, who was a victim of a 20-year-old sex trafficker. Additionally, the dinner will feature keynote speaker Mark Morgan.
Morgan was appointed by the President of the United States in 2019 to serve as the acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). In addition, his credentials also include Acting Commissioner of the Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Border Patrol, served 20 years as a Special Agent with the FBI, Los Angeles Police Department Officer, and a 10-year veteran, active duty and reserve, of the United States Marine Corps. Likewise, he is a Visiting Fellow at the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) as well as Heritage.
In his keynote, Morgan will address how open borders directly affect increases in criminal activity in the United States. This includes illicit drugs, labor and child sex trafficking, cartels, sexual predators, gang members, and human smugglers entering our country. In fact, Nevada is usually number two in the country for child sex trafficking. Correspondingly, 3 of 4 victims are U.S. citizens.
“Criminal organizations will exploit every gap and loophole made available through weak, ambiguous, and faulty U.S. policy. They are masters at exploitation. Strengthening an organization’s capacity to facilitate one criminal activity expands [its] ability to facilitate other criminal schemes such as human trafficking, drugs, and smuggling of gang members and criminal aliens into the U.S. Make no mistake – criminal organizations are paying close attention to what’s happening at our borders and the dramatic shift in U.S. policies,” stated Morgan.
How You Can Get Involved
Saved In America will complete its sixth #ChildSavedNotSold operation in the Las Vegas region, looking for seven missing, runaway, and trafficked children. This marks the seventh total operation for the organization in Nevada since 2019.
Funds from its fundraising event will help to cover operational costs and bring these children home to their families.
The dinner will take place on Thursday, January 19, 2023, at the Red Rock Casino & Spa. Mark Larson of JUSI News and iHeart Radio will be the Master of Ceremonies. During the event, SIA will also honor Governor-Elect Joseph Lombardo for the #ChildSavedNotSold Award.
The cost of tickets for the dinner is $125 per person. However, if you are interested in doing more, sponsorships range from $1,250 – $50,000. As mentioned, the money goes to more than just the cost of saving these children, it also goes to aftercare. For example, in the case of Nevaeh, who will be speaking at the dinner.
Saved In America helped locate a long-term rehabilitation center in Reno, Nevada, and worked with the grandmother to structure Nevaeh’s recovery plan. Additionally, Nevaeh will receive the “Brittanee Drexel” #ChildSavedNotSold Scholarship to assist with continued education.
“Thank you so much for everything you have done for me and for all of the time you have spent. You never gave up on us, helping me all hours – night and day. You truly deserve a medal for everything you have done for us,” stated grandmother Marijane. “I wish I could help save all of them. Nevaeh and every child are worth saving.”
Let’s show the world that it has the wrong impression of the gun industry and show it what we’re about.
For more information, please visit SavedInAmerica.org.
