As a realtor and podcast/video series host, I spend a fair amount of time talking, so it’s something with which I’m generally comfortable. However, some things are more difficult to talk about than others. Sex trafficking is one of them. It’s real, it’s a nightmare for those who experience it, and it’s happening right here in Colorado Springs.

This past weekend, I was honored to serve as the MC at a fundraising event for Reclaiming Hope (formerly Restore Innocence), an organization that provides mentoring and other support to victims of sex trafficking. As I stood before a packed house (or, more accurately, a packed barn), I felt the weight of what we were fighting. It gave me pause.

Fortunately, there was Annika. She was sitting at a table at the front of the room, right where I could see her, and I met her gaze. Annika was a teenage victim of human trafficking. You may have seen my video interview with her and her mentor. She flew into Colorado Springs from Los Angeles to speak at the event. In that moment, I thought, after all this woman has been through, if she can speak about sex trafficking, surely I can. I squared my shoulders, took a deep breath, and began.

Victims of human trafficking are too often invisible. Their stories are not heard, and many of us remain unaware of the ongoing problem. This past weekend in Colorado Springs, those victims and survivors were not invisible. The community rallied, and I couldn’t be more grateful, both to Reclaiming Hope and its supporters. This past weekend, with the help of so many generous spirits and overflowing hearts, we far exceeded our fundraising goals for the event.

Thank you.

To learn more about sex trafficking in Colorado and how you can help survivors mend their hearts and spirits, visit reclaiming-hope.org.

And to Annika: you were the evening’s true hero.