As 2014 comes to an end we look back and see what we have done this year.  It has been the birth year for HOPE.  We have started the local organization for the A21 campaign to join in the fight against human trafficking.  A small but awesome group has formed around the cause and has done many things.  We have a website www.bvhope.org, and email buenavistahope@gmail.com, instagram BV_A21_HOPE, and of course this blog.  We have joined the chamber of commerce for Buena Vista, CO and have our flyers and business cards there. We now have our own HOPE letterhead. We had a Freedom Walk in October and had 100 people attend!   We have had the opportunity to talk to two of our local schools about human trafficking and how to be safer.  We have presented the A21 curriculum to the local schools and some of them will be using parts of it to teach students about human trafficking.  We have talked to the Buena Vista town council about the increasing threat of human trafficking and the need to increase awareness in our area and had great support.  We had a booth at the Christmas Fair and talked to many people about human trafficking and handed out informational flyers. 2014 has been a huge success for HOPE.  We are looking forward to 2015 and many more awareness and fundraising events.  Please join us!  Check out our website and calendar to see where you can plug in and make a difference in the fight against human trafficking. If you don't have time to join us make an end of year donation to enable us to continue the work of HOPE.

We are amazed how many Fair Trade and Anti-Human trafficking organizations there are!  Our core group learns of a new one almost daily!  So instead of overwhelming our website (bvhope.org) with all of them we are going to blog about the new ones we learn about instead.  So here is the first organization I want you to know about.  What is amazing is it has been around since 1946.  They were way ahead of their time and now on the cutting edge of Fair Trade retail.  It is Ten Thousand Villages.  Their website is www.tenthousandvillages.com.  Here is the first paragraph of their story, go to the website to see the rest and shop. 
 "The global fair trade movement began with the founding of Ten Thousand Villages more than 60 years ago through the visionary work of Edna Ruth Byler, a pioneering businesswoman. Byler was struck by the overwhelming poverty she witnessed during a trip to Puerto Rico in 1946, where she was moved to take action. The seminal contribution of Byler ignited a global movement to eradicate poverty through market-based solutions."
 Ten Thousand Villages has been named one of the "World's Most Ethical Companies" by the Ethisphere Institute and Forbes Magazine.2008-2013

Let us know if there is an organization you want us to let others know about.Our email address is buenavistahope@gmail.com.

Fair Trade for the Holidays

Well the Holiday season is really almost here! We all become so much busier and many are still trying to buy the last few gifts they need.  Remember those who are in slavery.... they won't have a celebration.  Even though we cannot help them directly at this time we can do things that will work toward a better world without slavery!  When you purchase gifts, look for Fair Trade options. The A21 Campaign has a store online and there are many stores listed on our website, bvhope.org, that you can get beautiful fair trade gifts from.  Also, ask at  your local store if they have any fair trade items.  Many stores now do and if not, you can educate them on why they should!   

Talk at DPCA

Today we had a great morning at Darren Patterson Christian Academy teaching the Kindergarten through 6th graders about slavery.  We educated them about the definition of slavery, the history of slavery, that there is still slavery in the world and how we can help.  We especially spent time on how they could be safer where they live and did funny skits to reinforce the concepts. We met our goals, to increase  awareness which will keep our kids in Buena Vista safe!