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A Note from the Executive DirectorWe are deeply grateful to all of you who supported our efforts to fill a vital space in the fight against CSEC in Atlanta. Your support enabled some remarkable accomplishments in 2009 - but we believe this is just the beginning. Street GRACE has gained invaluable experience and is poised to make significant strides in 2010. We are on the verge of launching a major citywide awareness and advocacy campaign that we believe will mobilize hundreds of thousands of individuals, churches and corporations. We truly appreciate your partnership with us as we work together to end the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in our community. Sincerely, Cheryl DeLuca-Johnson | |
Announcements
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LOBBY DAY: OVER 400 STRONGOver 400 college students, church members, community partners, and other interested individuals rallied together on February 1st at the Georgia State Capitol to provide a unified voice against CSEC in Atlanta!
The crowd gathered in the South Wing Rotunda in their black shirts and white rose stickers as the morning kicked-off with a press conference including Dr. Scott Weimer, Senior Pastor of North Avenue Presbyterian Church; Cheryl DeLuca Johnson, Executive Director of Street GRACE; Representative Wendell Willard; Senator Renee Unterman; and Mary Frances Bowley, President of Wellspring Living. After the press conference, the group divided into breakout sessions and was briefed on the legislative process and how to approach their legislators. The group was charged to find their legislators and talk to them about the issue of commercial sexual exploitation of children in Georgia. Outside the House and Senate chambers, the hallways were lined with citizens expressing their concerns to their legislators and speaking with one unified voice about the importance of protecting Georgia’s children. 350 white roses were distributed to legislators to represent the number of girls who are sexually exploited every month in Georgia. It was a successful day at the Capitol and we thank you for your support! Stay tuned for legislative updates and next steps.
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WORKING TOGETHERYanni Iliadis The Origin Network Just over a year ago I returned from a visit to Liberia, Africa. When I opened my email, I saw that one of the messages was an invitation for Origin to get involved with an event called Lobby Day. We went and the experience was incredible; college students got to be a part of making a difference in their community - which is Origin’s focus. 2009 was a great year of partnership with Street GRACE in the fight against CSEC. We have seen college students awaken to the reality of major injustice in their community. I have seen how students desire to engage in redemptive stories such as the fight against CSEC; actually most people we encounter do. All they need is an invitation and a simple way to get involved. We have seen hundreds of college students on campuses all around the Metro Atlanta area gather together for advocacy events, trainings, workshops, and, of course, lobby day. We long to inspire change in the world around us through acts of compassion, and our friends at Street GRACE have given us a great avenue to do that. This year, we were able to interact with thousands of college and university students across 8 different campuses and invited them to Lobby Day 2010. The response has been more than positive, and we cannot wait for the months and seasons to come. My prayer is that through incredible organizations like Street GRACE, the Kingdom of Heaven would actually come on the earth, and that we could play a part in the great redemptive story of God breaking the chains of oppression. I am humbled and honored to play a part in this. Thank you. | |
CATALYZING IMPACT: PARTNERING WITH CHURCHES TO ADDRESS CSECTroy Bronsink Abbot, Neighbors Abbey Street GRACE has been a huge help in forming our church’s DNA! Neighbors Abbey is a young, nimble, urban church plant of the Presbyterian Church (USA). Our location, just 1 mile SW of the Capitol, is fraught with crime and injustice, but also filled with hopeful, creative activists and loving parents and grandparents. In the midst of this diverse community, sex trafficking is a fact of life. Members from our congregation live within walking distance from corners where under-aged girls stand night after night. Our vision as a church in this part of town is two-fold: we want to collaborate with all sorts of neighbors in SW Atlanta to create life-giving opportunities, as well as outfit people from all walks of life to follow Jesus in their own neighborhoods. Street GRACE has helped us to transform these commitments into realities. Early on, one of our leaders, Anne Chance, became active in the prayer ministry of Street GRACE. As Street GRACE informed her of the scope of this problem, specific agencies working to restore victims of commercial sex exploitation, and the legal reform needed to protect the victims, Anne was diligent to keep these issues at the fore-front of the church’s mind. Before long, with the support of Street GRACE and a Compassion grant from our presbytery, Neighbors Abbey was able to host local prayer meetings and art installations where our advertisements helped get the word out about CSEC and mobilize interested neighbors. Later, at one of the Street GRACE monthly meetings, we learned about GOAL, a life skills curriculum for girls that we could use to serve our local middle school. After much help from Street GRACE and the Juvenile Justice Fund, the Abbey initiated a pilot program with 15 girls at Sylvan Hills Middle School, with plans to expand this to the entire sixth grade class next year! Future plans include launching a complimentary mentoring program that matches women in our community with at risk neighborhood girls. It would appear, instead, that God’s Spirit is bringing people together within and beyond this neighborhood to be a part of building that promised “new creation.” And Street GRACE is making this possible in a shorter amount of time than any of us would have imagined. Thanks! | |
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