Nikole Babb
nbabb@cherryroad.com
The El Dorado Soroptimist Club and the El Dorado Rotary Club are teaming up with the City of El Dorado to host an informational seminar over the effects of human trafficking on March 25.
The seminar will be open to the public and for the public to learn more about human trafficking and the various ways it happens around the country, in the state of Kansas and even in Butler County and Wichita. Two guest speakers will be at the event to offer an insight into the difficult but important subject.
Stephanie Uhlik will open the evening with comments. She works for the Kansas Department for Children and Families office in El Dorado serving Butler, Elk, Greenwood, Cowley and Sumner Counties.
Jennifer White, Founder and Executive Director of ICT SOS will talk about her role and experience while touching on the numerous ways human trafficking happens. ICT SOS is a non-profit organization founded in Wichita with a mission to end human trafficking. The team and volunteers utilize prevention and awareness education, advocacy for survivors and act as a bridge between direct service professionals and community volunteers.
The idea to create a seminar series came after Soroptimist Board President and Rotary member, Bebee Thomas, took a course through El Dorado Soroptimist Club titled, “Empower Her”, which included a class of human trafficking. Around the same time, the El Dorado Rotary Club hosted Jennifer White as a guest speaker where the group learned more information on human trafficking, such as forced labor and more.
“The message just spoke to me,” said Thomas. “So, it made me want to share this information with a lot more people within the city. I invited Rotary to help then the city then the police department and now we have a room full of people planning this!”
The planning group consists of El Dorado Soroptimists, El Dorado Rotary, City of El Dorado, El Dorado Police Department, Department for Children and Families, ICT SOS, Sunlight Children’s Services, Child Advocacy Center and the Butler County Times-Gazette.
“This seminar will open people’s eyes to what human trafficking is because it’s not just someone being snatched off the street,” said Carol Moore, El Dorado Soroptimist Executive Board Delegate. “It’s much bigger than that. It’s just one part of it.”
Resources are dedicated within Butler County to fight human trafficking in all forms. Due to the location of the county, it’s easily accessible from large cities around the United States and has five major highways to enter and exit on including HWY 400, K-254, U.S. 77, (north and south), and Interstate 35, leaving it vulnerable to trafficking.
“Our goal as Soroptimists is to increase awareness to the community that this problem exists and that there is help for those experiencing any type of human trafficking,” said Debi LaForge, Soroptimist Board Secretary.
The human trafficking seminar will take place on March 25 at the Civic Center located at 201 E Central in El Dorado. The doors will open at 6pm with the program running 6:30-7:30pm. Light refreshments of cookies and drinks will be provided by the El Dorado Soroptimist Club.
