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Nonprofit provides voice for children suffering from abuse
Spirituality
33
April 2015
BY MEGHAN MCCOY
A Gilbert nonprofit organization helps area abused youth who have been silenced by fear by giving them a voice and resources to help them improve their lives. “I am a Valley Realtor,” said Starbright Foundation Vice President Lori Regnier, who works for Glass House International Real Estate. “Over 50 percent of the volunteers I have are from the real estate industry. I am not just selling a home to a person. I am selling a community and a lifestyle. I want to say, ‘your children will be safe here.’ I want to show we can protect our children and we won’t stand for people hurting our kids.” The Starbright Foundation began five years ago because sex trafficking was at its highest point in Arizona. That said, Phoenix was named the second highest hub in the country for sex trafficking. Something needed to be done to help children through age 17, Regnier said. “We are seeing a huge increase in pimps and predators,” Regnier said. “The crime is increasing in our own backyard. We really just felt that somebody has to be a voice for the children. Little ones can’t speak for themselves. We have to be their voice. We can all pitch in a little bit and make a change for these kids.” The foundation offers free counseling, a safe house and clothing for the children, food and education for the community. She says they hold large training events through the year to educate the Valley’s parents and children to keep them safe. The foundation has helped 400 to 500 kids a year. “We are reaching out to children who are hurting,” she said. She added the foundation offers a hand in finding children who have gone
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missing, so they are found before the traffickers get to them. Regnier said, for example, she used one of her resources in California to help bring a girl home from that state. “Whenever we are out there being the eyes, hands and feet, we will post ourselves in the park and make sure the kids are safe,” she said. With the use of technology increasing, Regnier said predators are reaching kids through their smartphones, video games and online chat rooms. She added the Internet can be a good thing, but it can provide access to children. “Parents are not quite as savvy as the kids are,” she said. “Predators solicit our children on these devices. A 9- or 10-year-old doesn’t understand the dangers.” Parents also put their kids in dangerous situations by dropping them off at malls—especially those located off freeways near hotels. “You can’t say any ZIP code is safe because they are in our own backyards—in every ZIP code,” Regnier said. For more information, visit www. starbrightfoundation.org.
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