Reno Christian non-profit Awaken recently received a $50,000 check from its church family to support their work related to sexual exploitation and trafficking. The contribution was also made possible by the Reno Christian Fellowship as part of its JUMP initiative.
“The statistics are scary for Reno in regard to the youth in this community involved in prostitution and human trafficking and for the majority [who] want to escape, it’s a challenging path,” Melissa Holland, founder and director for Awaken, said.
The purpose of JUMP is to raise more than $3 million toward three important initiatives: renew the Reno Christian Fellowship community, revive the community through a partnership with Life Action Ministries, and fund other local projects, including Awaken, Crisis Pregnancy Center, and Pathfinders Children’s Ministry.
“We are planning to staff a drop-in center in downtown Reno because we believe going downtown, where the heart of the exploitation takes place, will allow us to make an impact. The center will be a place where girls can escape what is happening to them. The $50,000 gift from Reno Christian Fellowship brings us within reach of making this happen.”
