Women’s Philanthropy of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona will hold its annual welcome and board installations on Tuesday, Oct. 14 at 7 p.m. at the Lodge at Ventana Canyon, 6200 N. Clubhouse Lane.
The event will focus on challenging sex trafficking in Arizona, as the state gears up to host the highly trafficked Superbowl. Presentations will explore the faces behind the issue. Melanie Gorelick, Community Relations Council director of the Jewish Federation of Greater Metro West in New Jersey, will discuss how that community went on the offensive, helping to form the New Jersey Coalition Against Human Trafficking before the 2014 Super Bowl.
Traffickers target not only young women “who think these slightly older men are after them as girlfriends” but also young girls, says Janet Seltzer, co-chair of the Women’s Philanthropy event with Dana Goldstein and Caren Newman. In fact, the average age of girls who become victims of sexual trafficking is 12-14; for boys and transgendered youth, it is 11-13.
Other speakers will include Kathleen Winn, director of community outreach and education at the Arizona Attorney General’s Office, and Savannah Sanders, training coordinator for the SAFE Action Project at the O’Connor House in Phoenix. A victim/survivor will present her story.
Hors d’oeuvres and dessert will be served. The cost is $25. There will be a no-host bar. RSVP by Oct. 7 to jscott@jfsa.org or 577-9393, ext. 114.
