HEATHER MCDANIEL
MEDIA PITCH
Ms. Julia Grochowski
Alpharetta Herald
Subject line: Suburban Sex-Trafficking Victims Speak Out
Ms. Grochowski,
Sixty-five percent of sex trafficking in the Atlanta area happens outside of the Atlanta perimeter, including in Alpharetta. Sally and Miranda are North Fulton County victims of sex trafficking. When both women were teenagers, they were lured by online predators, held against their will and sold for sex multiple times each day every day.
You can interview both women at the 5K March to Avalon on Oct. 19. Representatives from five nonprofits that fight sex trafficking in and around Atlanta will also be available for interview. Over 200 people will march the sidewalks of Alpharetta to the high-end shopping center.
Will you share the story of these victims who want to stop sex trafficking in our high-class suburban culture? A community that is unaware is a community that cannot protect its people. A story like this would be a great fit for the Alpharetta Herald, which takes responsibility for informing its citizens of hidden dangers. I would be happy to speak with you further about the details of this opportunity.
Heather McDaniel
Public Relations Specialist
770-896-2589
@Makeitknown on Facebook
Makeitknown on Twitter
OP-ED
‘Silent on Sexual Slavery’
These days, sex is no longer a taboo subject. In fact, pornography is a multi-million-dollar industry and it isn’t going away any time soon. Another industry not going away is sex trafficking. Sex is “sold” everywhere, quite literally. According to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, “Sex trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery in which individuals perform commercial sex through the use of force, fraud, or coercion." Sex trafficking continues to exist because America thinks that slavery ended years ago and that this sort of activity only happens in other cultures.
Not only does sex trafficking happen in the United States, but it also happens in every state and almost every city. My Sister, a social justice blog, explains that “the reality is that commercial sexual exploitation takes place everywhere- from Las Vegas to rural Wisconsin.” The Georgia.gov website reported that “in 2017, there were 3,698 female victims and 607 male victims.” Sex trafficking doesn’t discriminate by race, class or gender. Parents even choose to sell their own children. We aren’t doing enough to stop or talk about this horrific crime. Children are vulnerable to grooming techniques by strangers or people in their very own care. Students need to be educated in our schools. We can teach them about safe sex and stranger danger, so there shouldn’t be an issue of talking about how to prevent being a victim of sex trafficking. We have plenty of information out there about the topic. According to The Polaris Project, “Sex trafficking occurs in a range of venues including fake massage businesses, via online ads or escort services, in residential brothels, on the street or at truck stops, or at hotels and motels.”
The first thing that a person can do is educate oneself online, or by attending a community event. Educating our communities about sex trafficking doesn’t have to be a scary thing. There is much more to learn, like how you can get involved and how sex trafficking happens, or what progress has been made in the criminal justice system. You can learn more about this tragedy that we have in the United States and that is only growing every day. Criminals can make 20 to 30 times more in one day on a girl than they can with just one bag of cocaine. What are you doing to help end the silence on sex trafficking in Atlanta? If we don’t educate ourselves and talk about this issue, we are only helping more criminals steal our children and destroy their entire lives.
References:
Humantraffickinghotline.org
Polarisproject.org
Georgia.gov
Mysister.org
FACT SHEET
What is Sex Trafficking:
Sex trafficking occurs when an individual is forced or coerced into participating in commercial sex. Additionally, anyone under the age of 18 engaging in commercial sex is considered to be a victim of human trafficking, regardless of force or coercion.
Sex traffickers often target victims who are economically less fortunate, who have been abandoned or bullied, or who are seeking relationships. They promise a better life, luxury items and happiness but then use violence, threats and other forms of manipulation to keep their victims involved in the sex trade for their own profit. Even though sex trafficking may feel like a distant industry, it’s happening in our country, cities and suburban neighborhoods.
Georgia’s Numbers:
54 percent of victims go to the predator to perform a sexual act. Atlanta has been identified as one of the cities with the highest incidences of child sex trafficking (FBI, 2005; Urban Institute, 2014)
Approximately 65 percent of men who purchase sex with female children in Atlanta live in suburban areas outside the I-285 perimeter (The Shapiro Group, 2010)
Traffickers in Atlanta make an average of $33,000 per week (Urban Institute, 2014)
Over 7,000 men purchase sex from a minor every month in Georgia, accounting for 8,700 sex acts (The Shapiro Group, 2010)
91 percent of victims in Georgia were enrolled in school at the time of their exploitation (Georgia Cares, 2016)
The average age of a child who has been sexually exploited is 12
Approximately 100 adolescent girls are exploited each night in Georgia
Approximately 200 – 400 adolescent girls are sexually exploited each month in Georgia
Adolescent girls in the sex-trafficking trade are sexually exploited by an adult male an average of three times per night. This number drastically increases if there is an event held in the city that draws large crowds. Victims have reported that they have been required to perform up to 10 or more sexual acts in one night
The FBI names Atlanta one of 14 U.S. cities with the highest rate of child prostitution
PERSONALITY PROFILE
Alexandra Woodford, a sparkling and focused young black woman, lit up with excitement when talking about graduating in May of 2020 from Kennesaw State University. College is something that makes her and her family proud. Even though she has high expectations of herself, her path wasn’t very clear most of her life.
Woodford grew up in Macon, Georgia, and is the first in her family to go to college. She is also the firstborn of her siblings and the first to break away from home. Woodford couldn’t wait to be out on her own. Although she had a good childhood, “some relationships were toxic,” she says. Toxic relationships were an underlying factor for her leaving for college. Ending one chapter to start something new is no problem for her. In fact, she welcomes it. She couldn’t wait to graduate high school.
Woodford says she is the type to “stick to the plan” and “takes pride in her innocence.” She has not yet had a romantic date for the reason of staying focused on doing well in school. If she did, however, she would like to go out to eat so she could talk and get to know someone. Italian food is her favorite.
Woodford doesn’t want to have kids right away. In fact, what bothers Woodford the most is when people have children without being able to give them a “good life,” as she puts it. She says, “I am the voice of reason because most of my friends said I act like their mother.” Friends would describe Woodford as analytical, protective, problem-solving, and caring.
Woodford’s plan is to get an internship, but if she does not have a public relations job and a place to live when she graduates, she may choose to start her master’s degree right away to give her more time. In five years, she hopes to have better finances, a fulfilling career, and to be serving the community. She also wants to get back into the church community.
Beauty fascinates Woodford. She enjoys the way makeup can make someone look and feel and wants to make a career from it. Something else that fascinates Woodford is high-style entertainment. One of Woodford’s most exciting experiences was traveling with her friend from Macon to Atlanta to see One Direction in concert. Woodford says she would never want to be famous because the expectations put on famous people are too high. It does not look like they have a well-balanced life. But, Woodford says, “That concert was an amazing experience that I will never forget.” This young woman has a great mindset and a bright future ahead of her.
NEWS RELEASE
Gibbs Gardens
Gibbs Gardens Amateur Artist Photography Contest
Win Cash and Get Noticed for Worthy Works of Art
Heather McDaniel
Public Relations Specialist
Gibbs Gardens
770-478-4897
hmcdani8@students.kennesaw.edu
Ball Ground, GA., April 15, 2019 – Gibbs Gardens will host an amateur photography contest. The first-place winner will receive $200, the second-place winner will receive $100, and the third-place winner will receive 4-Season Memberships for two people. Photographs will be posted on the Gibbs Gardens website and Facebook page and will be displayed at the Waterlily Festival Oct. 3 -11.
Contest categories are:
Flowers and foliage; includes individual or groups of shrubs and trees, annuals, perennials and bulbs.
Landscape scenes; includes plants and water or buildings, bridges, streams, sculptures, and gates.
Waterlilies; includes individual or clusters of waterlilies.
Fauna; includes birds and insects in the gardens or on plants in the gardens.
Guidelines for entries are as follows:
Limit of 12 entries per person; amateur photographers only (an individual’s income, no matter how small, cannot come from their work as a photographer); Winners agree to provide electronic versions of their photographs; Deadline for entries is 5 p.m. on Sept. 20; Photographs must have been taken between March 2017 and Sept. 2019; Photographs must be taken at Gibbs Gardens and be the original work of the entrant (They should not include pets or people).
The full contest rules are available at gibbsgardens.com/contest.
“This is the second year of our ‘Works of Art’ Amateur Photography Contest. Our first-year contest had some really great talent, and this year I expect that the competition will be pretty fierce,” said Gibbs.
About Gibbs Gardens: Gibbs Gardens, located in Ball Ground, GA., was designed and developed by Jim Gibbs of Gibbs Landscape Company. Gibbs opened the garden in February 2012 after more than 30 years of planning and development. Gibbs Garden hosted 16 flower festivals and 18 music performances during the year and consists of Japanese Gardens, Monet Water Lily Gardens, the Arbor Crest Manor House Garden, and Daffodil Gardens. Admission fees $20 (adults age 18-64); $18 (seniors); $10 (children age 6-17); free (children five and under).
PRESS RELEASE
Sex Trafficking in the Suburbs and True Stories of Victims
Contact: Heather McDaniel
Public Relations Specialist
hemcdani8@sunriseministries.com
837-387-3922
ATLANTA, Feb. 10, 2019 – Sex- trafficking victims will give interviews in Alpharetta. North Point Community Church and Sunrise Ministries will raise awareness of sex trafficking in the Atlanta suburbs with a 5K march to the Avalon shopping center. A community event will kick off the march with plenty of food, music, art, and volunteer information. Interviews will be available from 2 p.m. – 3 p.m. in the church parking lot.
Most people who are aware of sex trafficking believe that it only happens in a big city. The Atlanta Business Chronicle stated in a recent article that, “in fact, 65 percent of men who purchase sex with children in Atlanta live in suburban areas outside the I-285 perimeter.”
On Sat, Oct. 19, from noon to 4 p.m., North Point Community Church and Sunrise Ministries will host an event in the church’s parking lot featuring nonprofit booths, food, and arts and crafts vendors. Thirty percent of all proceeds will go to the charities in attendance, with the remains going to the vendors. Marchers will gather at noon to prepare to walk from North Point Parkway to the Avalon shopping center on Old Milton Parkway and back.
“We want the public to understand that we have a duty to protect our children and that we can’t protect them when we are oblivious to the victims and criminals that pass us on the streets and in the halls every day,” said event spokesperson Heather McDaniel.
Organizations that will attend include Sunrise Ministries, Wellspring Living, Atlanta Dream Center, Street Grace, Georgia Cares, and Operation Liberate.
About: This is a great opportunity for the community to come together for a great cause. Fulton County has not had an event like this in the past. The purpose is to educate the community on sex trafficking in the suburbs, as well as to have a chance to hear first-hand from victims how situations like this happen in our community.
More information about Sunrise Ministries can be found by visiting sunriseministriesga.com and on Facebook at facebook.com/sunriseministriesga/.
PRESS RELEASE
Kate’s Club 16th Anniversary Bowling Bonanza
Family, friends, and special guests will come together in celebration of the 16th anniversary of Kate’s Club nonprofit organization that provides support for grieving children who’ve lost parents
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MEDIA CONTACT
May 15, 2019 Heather McDaniel
259-758-6987
Hmcdani8@students.kennesaw.edu
ATLANTA, Ga. - Kate’s Club is having a 16th anniversary bowling bonanza, in honor of grieving children who have lost their parents. Current and former members, surviving parents and siblings, volunteers, and special guests will be provided three hours of free bowling, drinks and snacks. Special guests will be in attendance and available for interviews, including Calvin Ridley of the Falcons, Kate’s Club founder Kate Atwood and the six original attendees of the first-ever Kate’s Club outing.
When: June 22, 2 - 5 p.m. EST.
Where: Bowlero, 2749 Delk Rd., Marietta, GA., 30067
“We are so excited to meet with some of the original folks who got this organization in motion! I can’t believe it’s already been 16 years of making peace and joy in so many broken-hearted children,” said Atwood.
About: Kate’s Club is a nonprofit organization that supports grieving children who’ve lost their parents. The club was founded in 2003 after six children came together in a bowling alley with similar experiences of grief. In more than 16 years, over 1,000 children and families have been impacted by the club. There are over 200 members that provide social, recreational, and emotional support. Kate’s Club is located at 1190 W. Druid Hills Dr. NE, Atlanta, GA., 30329. More information can be found at katesclub.org.
MEDIA ADVISORY
***MEDIA ADVISORY: HUNDREDS EXPECTED TO MARCH FIVE MILES TO AVALON SHOPPING CENTER TO SPREAD AWARENESS OF SEX TRAFFICKING IN THE SUBURBS***
WHAT: Media are invited to interview victims of sex trafficking at the kickoff Sex Trafficking in the Suburbs Awareness Event. Jaylen, who at 15, was abducted by her boyfriend to work for sex without pay for four years is now here for an interview. Over 20 nonprofit organizations will be in attendance. More than 300 people are expected to march five miles from North Point Community Church to the Avalon shopping center, both located in Alpharetta.
WHY: This is the first event in Atlanta including speakers who are victims of sex trafficking, a charitable walk, nonprofit organizations, and food, arts and crafts. Vendors are donating 30 percent of their earnings to the charities in attendance. This event will bring awareness and community together so that people can learn how to get involved where they live to prevent, rescue, and restore victims of sex trafficking.
WHERE: North Point Community Church Avalon
4350 North Point Pkwy. 400 Avalon Blvd.
Alpharetta, GA, 30022 Alpharetta, GA. 30022
WHEN: Saturday, Oct. 19, 2019
Noon – 5 p.m.
12:30 p.m. interviews
2 p.m. march
HASHTAGS: #sextraffickinginthesuburbs
#georgiasnotbuyingit
CONTACTS: Alpharetta Relations Officer
Heather McDaniel, 404-879-1236