Human trafficking is not an easy topic to think about. Some believe it is something that just happens in third-world countries on the other side of the globe. Unfortunately, it happens in every country across the world, including the United States, and sadly yes, in Oceana County.
Thankfully, since 2020, the Forward Human Trafficking Task Force (FHTTF) has formed and is working hard to draw attention to and fight against this crime against some of the area’s most vulnerable.
To bring more awareness and help to educate the community about human trafficking, the FHTTF invites the community to “Dinner in the Vineyard,” Saturday, August 16, at Pleasant Valley Farms, located at 522 N. 69th Ave., Hart from 4-7 p.m. Besides presentations from law enforcement and a trafficked survivor, the event will feature a catered dinner and silent auction. The cost for the dinner will be by donation only, however, organizers ask that individuals RSVP to the FHTTF Zeffy link (see QR code below) so they have a headcount.
“Our upcoming event, Dinner at the Vineyard, will allow our community to see all that is actually being done here locally to fight trafficking and advocate for survivors. Along with our team, we have law enforcement that will be sharing to the extent that they can. As well as a survivor, with ties to West Michigan, who will share her story, one that has many threads connecting to teens here in Oceana and Mason Counties,” said Sherry Motcheck with FHTTF.
“We are always excited to host these community events, where we can gather people together and provide a snapshot of the fight against trafficking in our neighborhoods. We focus on a tough subject in an engaging way. Anti-human trafficking is often viewed as a silent fight because, as a task force, we don't share a lot of details, especially when it comes to children. Our silence is for their protection; we don’t want to exploit those we are fighting for. It may appear that nothing is being done, or that we have nothing to fight for here in our hometowns, and that is the farthest thing from the truth,” Motcheck continued. “This is why we encourage the community to come out on August 16 and hear about what Forward has been doing.”
Motcheck and her husband have been fighting human trafficking for years by financially supporting other agencies and organizations that were doing it well. All that changed in 2020 when they learned that someone they loved and living in Oceana County had been trafficked.
“That's when we realized two things. The first was that we were completely ignorant of what trafficking truly was, and the second was that every dollar we were sending to other organizations never reached our hometown. That's when ‘Forward’ was born,” Motcheck shared. “From that day on, we threw ourselves headlong into learning how to keep the children in our community safe. Separate from what we do with Forward HTTF, I also travel the country working with law enforcement in big cities to locate the missing, exploited, and trafficked teens. I have brought those experiences back home to ensure we are doing all we can to keep our local children from being the ones we are having to locate. With the help of law enforcement, prosecutors, pastors, educators, and others, we are continuing to advance this fight here in West Michigan.”
For those not able to attend the fundraiser on August 16, donations can be accepted by visiting https://www.forwardhttf.org/#/ and clicking on the donate button. FHTTF also maintains an Amazon Smile wish list and Facebook page.
Any other questions can be directed to info@forwardhttf.org.
