LETTER FROM THE BOARD
Having had the privilege to serve North Star Initiative as a Board member over these past years, I am in awe at the handiwork of God.
Looking at the growth of North Star Initiative (NSI) in the past couple of years alone--from supporting the Task Force, to acquiring F.R.E.E., to the growth and development of our staff and the women who are receiving restoration and an education, then graduating from our program to enter the workforce--my heart is overwhelmed. As an organization, NSI faces frontline battles every moment of every day. Until I became involved as a Board member, I did not fully realize what those battles were.
To say that it is an honor and a privilege praying for and serving as a Board member of North Star Initiative is a major understatement. We have the gift of standing in the gap, fighting on behalf of those who, until now, did not have a voice.
North Star Initiative is restoring souls and equipping women to find their individual voices!
I look forward to the upcoming years and the trajectory that God has our organization on. I can only say: “Hold on to your hats, folks…..the best is yet to come!!”
Claire Chivington on behalf of the Board
Motivated by the love of Jesus, we work to end trafficking and empower survivors to reclaim the lives they were created to enjoy through healing their whole person.
We envision a community that is trafficking-proof because the vulnerable are loved, equipped, connected, and healed.
Claire Chivington
Kelly Gooch
Kristine Sauder
Dan Schmierer
Melanie Rankin
Emma Gutierrez
LETTER FROM THE CEO
Dear friends,
2024 was a year in which we took giant strides towards a future where our communities are trafficking-proof and victims are thriving neighbors.
This summer, at the invitation of F.R.E.E., we gladly took on the privilege of stewarding our restoration program at a second location in Reading, investing our team’s expertise in trauma healing to serve more women. We launched Florissant Collective, a new social enterprise, and opened emergency housing to serve victims in the most vulnerable circumstances.
This year we deliberately focused on improving outcomes for survivors. Rather than settling for an average retention rate around 35-40%, we set an audacious goal to reach a 60% retention rate. We improved our program, systems and processes to serve survivors more effectively. We developed
new therapeutic modalities and invested in the team’s core competencies. We listened intently to survivors’ dreams and needs and customized the program to support their individual healing. The majority of survivors are able to stay on-course to graduate, equipped to pursue their dreams.
In this report, you will read about the outcomes of your support, as brave survivors embrace change every day. As we also demonstrate the vulnerability needed to grow, courage to change, and humility to do it together, we will see more survivors overcoming the dark to walk in the light.
Thank you for standing with us to shine the most brilliant light against the darkest places!
For freedom,
Melinda Clark Chief Executive Officer
Because of the dedication of our Board and team, we reached a retention rate of with residents in our restoration program in 2024! 87%
CONTINUUM OF CARE IN HER JOURNEY OF HEALING
North Star Initiative is closing the gaps in the continuum of care so that women can sustainably live in light and freedom.
STAGE 1
Emergency Access: A place to land
A safe place to land offers immediate safety and stability for survivors, access to critical resources and a path to long-term support. Without it, survivors risk exploitation, homelessness, and returning to harmful environments.
STAGE 2
Restoration: A place to heal
Once she rescues herself from the Life, a survivor has the chance to consider what she needs to pursue her dreams and goals. A clinical focus on the whole person is essential to provide survivors with the specialized supports they need to heal from trauma and rebuild their lives.
STAGE 3
Transitional Care: A place to build sustainable rhythms
Transitional care is vital after leaving a restoration program because it bridges the gap between structured support and independent living. Survivors can access continued guidance, sustainable housing, and timely access to resources, ensuring they don’t face vulnerabilities like homelessness or exploitation. Emergency access was unavailable across multiple counties in Pennsylvania. We opened emergency access housing. Why?
F.R.E.E., a non-profit in Berks County, needed a clinical program to provide the best care to survivors.
Because she deserves a safe place to land.
We partnered with leaders of F.R.E.E. to acquire the program and expand services. Why?
Because she deserves to experience healing in her whole person.
Aftercare support programs providing sustainable housing and ongoing care did not exist in Lancaster or Berks counties.
We have a new transitional housing program. Why?
Because she deserves to thrive as a valued member of her community.
STAGE 1: EMERGENCY ACCESS
A place to land
Emergency Access Housing offers immediate safety and stability for individuals escaping dangerous and exploitative situations. The women experience advocacy, resources, and a trauma-informed community, laying the foundation for long-term recovery and freedom from trafficking.
To close the systemic gap, North Star opened emergency access housing. Ours is the first program to offer crisis placement with skilled, around-theclock support from trained staff.
With the support of North Star’s emergency shelter, we have even more options to ensure a victim’s safety and wellbeing. Our task force has been a success because of this collaborative effort between law enforcement agencies and victim service agencies.
Heather L. Adams District Attorney, Lancaster County
Her first step of FREEDOM is worth investing in.
Why?
Because she deserves access to a place where she’s safe.
View from NSI’s new emergency shelter
STAGE 2: RESTORATION A
place to heal
Criminals collaborate to exploit more people and generate profit from their slavery. What could it look like if faith-based, anti-trafficking organizations came together to multiply our impact?
Collaboration is one of our core values, and we have been grateful to partner over the years with Freedom and Restoration for Everyone Enslaved (F.R.E.E.), an antitrafficking organization in Berks County. They worked to raise awareness and invest in survivors’ healing journeys. At their request, we started envisioning what we could achieve if we joined forces against trafficking.
In June 2024, we expanded our impact by absorbing F.R.E.E.’s programs under North Star’s umbrella, doubling our reach across two counties. This integration ensures that survivors receive exceptional care with a clinical component, which remains our highest priority.
At 2 locations we now provide comprehensive services to survivors, inviting them to heal from the inside out.
The team grew by 167% over the past two years. Our staff is the core of our program, modeling loving, stable relationships with tenacity and excellence.
Survivors can build the lives they were created to enjoy through:
• case management
• identification paper recovery
• mental and physical wellness programs
• academic and vocational training
• trauma processing and specialized therapies
• social experiences
Her holistic healing should receive the best we have to offer.
Why?
Because she deserves the life she is intended to have.
STAGE 3: TRANSITIONAL CARE
A place to build sustainable rhythms
2 graduates
9 residents
1,542 hours of therapy to support residents’ healing
Residents’ average length of stay in the restoration program increased by
109%
4 residents acquired employment 100% of survivors successfully maintained sobriety
2,978 volunteer hours
5,639 Individuals trained on anti-trafficking awareness
80% of those affected by trafficking will be revictimized.* We prevent that from happening with effective wraparound services.
*Statistic from Safe House Project
88 awareness presentations to community groups
1,765 hours of staff training through the year
Her sustained independence is our highest priority.
Why?
Because she deserves the freedom to pursue her dreams until they become her reality.
HER SUCCESS IN HER WORDS
I am a million miles past where I even thought I’d make it and have my heart set on a happy future. A future like that means doing my all time best to lead a happy, healthy life, and do justice to the gifts North Star has given me.
Graduate
I learned I am an AMAZING human being. I am WORTHY of whatever I put my mind to. I am LOVED.
Graduate
I’m committed to not returning to the Life. I have several reasons not to go back down that road that leads to the destruction of self. I deserve to be treated with respect. I am more than just a body but a person with worth and value. I have a passion for helping people. I am interested in pursuing a career in social work.
Graduate
The amazing thing that the women do at North Star, is they give you a new life. They taught me that I was worth a life of sobriety. The most amazing thing that North Star gave me is getting custody of my children again. They helped me get insurance, get my teeth fixed, they taught me how to go to the doctor and all of the things that people who are not trafficked or don’t struggle with substance abuse disorder just learn how to do growing up. I learned how to grow up there and it was the best decision I ever made.
Graduate
Equipping overcomers to grow their dreams
North Star Initiative launched Florissant Collective - a social enterprise that provides overcomers with essential soft skills, meaningful work experience, and a path to financial independence. Through Florissant, women earn a dignified wage in a trauma-informed environment, empowering them to reenter and flourish in the community with strength and resilience.
www.florissantcollective.com
LOOKING FORWARD Strength and Stability
MISSION
North Star Initiative advocates for and supports survivors of sex trafficking by providing physical, psychological, emotional, educational, and spiritual development through a Christcentered focus.
BUILDING THE FUTURE
This journey is far from over. With our roots firmly planted, we are dedicated to nurturing a strong, resilient core so that the fruit of this labor can truly transform lives. Together, we are building strength for a future where healing and freedom are not just possible but inevitable.
After a year of rapid expansion, our focus is on increasing North Star’s strength and stability. We added programs, staff, and more residents, and we will now strengthen the framework around them so we can continue to grow sustainably and serve more survivors with excellence and intention. In the coming months, we anticipate growth in our emergency shelter, social enterprise, and restoration program. Your ongoing support touches survivors at every stage of their journey. Thank you!
JOIN HER JOURNEY:
• Become a monthly donor
• Volunteer at events
• Host a donation drive for program supplies
• Join our prayer team
• Volunteer your professional services:
- Occupational therapist
- Nutritionist, wellness coach
- Teach art, music or handcrafts
- Fitness instructors (boxing, strength training)
- Board member
• Provide internship and work opportunities
• Host an awareness presentation at your workplace, church or school
• Share our social media posts for awareness
• Help with cleaning and organizing projects
• Provide snacks and treats for staff meetings
• Donate experiences to survivors (gift cards, tickets, events)
• Purchase needs from our Amazon wishlist
• Help with lawn care
• Make a purchase from Florissant Collective
We’d love to hear from you. Scan the QR code to connect with our team.
North Star Initiative residents walking through an orchard.
FINANCIAL REPORT
*In 2024, North Star Initiative acquired F.R.E.E.’s programs. This number does not represent the assets transferred in the acquisition.
I have been given the opportunity to ”do life” on a weekly basis with the special women who are in the process of recovering, healing, and restoring their lives through the program at North Star. I have seen good days and bad days, tears, anger, and laughter. As they work through the process, Jesus is renewing and transforming them through His grace and power. This is love; this is their success story!
Shelly Lutz Volunteer at NSI
PO Box 315
Lititz, PA 17543
IN HER WORDS
“I’ve learned how to express myself in a healthy way. I was in a very dark place when I entered NSI. I learned how to love myself again. I now know how to apply the healthy life skills I have learned while being here in NSI.” - Survivor
“I feel safe because you’re always the same with me.” - Survivor
“I didn’t know it would be like this to have people caring about me. If I knew this many people would help me, I would have left the Life a while ago.” - Survivor
“North Star gave me the time to heal and grow. It has been life changing.” - Survivor
“This is the first time I’ve had people believing in me.” - Survivor
“I never imagined that I could make it this far. I’m proud of myself.” - Survivor
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“Before I wanted to die to get out of the situation I was in. Now I’m so happy to be alive.” - Survivor
“I’m proud of the job I got. It’s the first time I have a job, and it happened because of North Star.” - Survivor
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Empowering survivors on their journey so women can sustainably live in light and freedom.