GitGo & The Set Me Free Project Partnership:
Several months ago, I approached the leadership team at GitGo and shared something that had been tugging at my heart for quite some time. It is important to me GitGo has a broader reach and impact beyond what we “do” on a day-to-day basis. I want GitGo to stand for something bigger than ourselves, bigger than the service we provide, and the business value we offer. I want our business, our team, our collective to contribute to society and the greater good of our communities we serve.
As a mother, it is painful for me to hear countless stories of human trafficking incidents and scares occurring right in our own communities. The stories create fear, concern, and hopelessness. Every time I heard a story of a mom and her child being followed in a store, I felt this overwhelming frustration and absolute need to DO SOMETHING.
So, I shared this with my team with a few stipulations on finding the right partner who would align with our values at GitGo and what we stand for. That major stipulation was that this organization needs to be PROACTIVE. They need to not just “talk and chatter” about the statistics and the problem. They need to educate, teach, and empower communities to PREVENT trafficking. You see, at GitGo we strongly believe in empowerment. We believe we are all co-creators – we each have the power to create change and the ability to make a difference. We are here to spread light to our hospitality partners, vendor partners, families and communities!
As a small business in Nebraska, it was important to find a local organization committed to the community around our headquarters. After all, change must start somewhere, so why not here! The Set Me Free Project was created and started by Stephanie Olson. After just one meeting with this incredible woman, I knew this was the right partner for us. Not only do they educate parents, educators, and community groups, but their curriculum also reaches the youth of the community. They believe in empowering children and young adults by “teaching them to understand their intrinsic dignity and value.” They provide the tools to help protect from the evils of trafficking.
It is just the beginning of our work alongside Set Me Free. In all transparency, there is still much to define with how we will mold this partnership, but I know that we align in this very key area of empowerment and prevention. I know when positive, proactive and creative forces collaborate… anything is possible!
If you’d like to join us in this effort, please connect with me.
Set Me Free needs to be affecting communities – nationwide and worldwide. Their message must be heard by ALL schools, hotels, places of business, communities, corporations, children, parents, young adults, etc. There are so many myths of what trafficking looks like, and how it works. Educating on the truth is critical, and then we do the work creating communities that will not tolerate, will not be manipulated or misled, and will DO the work to prevent anyone from being affected by this evil treatment of life.
