Our church is joining with Chains Interrupted to fight human trafficking in the Cedar Rapids area.

Chains Interrupted is a local nonprofit that fights human trafficking through Awareness, Prevention, and Advocacy. They are there for survivors when they are ready and able to come out of a life of trafficking, with advocacy and support as they heal from complex trauma. Because Human Trafficking is happening right here in our community, raising awareness is critical. By raising awareness, we may be able to prevent it from happening to one more of our precious young people, who are greatly at risk.

July 30th is World Day Against Human Trafficking and Chains Interrupted will be raising awareness about human trafficking by partnering with the Red Sand Project.

The Red Sand Project is an on-going, worldwide collaborative effort to raise awareness of human trafficking. Participants fill sidewalk cracks with red sand which signifies the 98% of people victimized by human trafficking who fall through the cracks. That’s over 40 million people.

Red Sand Sunday is a way for our church to help Chains Interrupted kick off their Red Sand Event by filling the cracks in our sidewalks and driveways with red sand. This is opportunity to start a conversation with those we love about the reality of human trafficking in our community. It will also raise awareness through social media to everyone in your sphere of influence which can educate them and ultimately help prevent others from falling prey.

We encourage you to mark your calendars and plan on picking up a red sand kit in the Gathering Space July 24.  Take the sand and sidewalk chalk home –pour it in cracks of your sidewalks and write the suggested messages on your sidewalks.  Post it on social media with the hashtag #redsandsunday.

You are also invited to join Chains Interrupted for the Red Sand Project on July 30th beginning at 10am in Newbo where they will also be hosting speakers including a survivor of human trafficking.