Bridge to Freedom Foundation, celebrates Light the Way GALA – JAN 11

Bridge to Freedom Foundation (BTFF) was founded only a few short years ago and while we are still very much a start-up organization, we are growing every day.

Baby Steps: We began with a vision in 2008, and in 2009, it became a dream as BTFF was born on paper. Then in 2010, that dream began to gel into a reality. In January 2010, BTFF took its first baby steps to let the world know its mission to help survivors of modern day slavery lead thriving lives. That first public step was creating a Facebook group inspired by myself and a fellow activist living in California, Syke Li, for National Global Human Trafficking Awareness Day (NGHTAD), Jan. 11. No previous vehicle was available to connect activists and citizens and bring attention to this vital day and mission.

The Toddler Years: Moving forward, we are slowly but surely walking now and have been privileged to produce a poster each year since that start. 2014 will mark our fifth year bringing awareness to the cause and NGHTAD.

We will host a 2-day event -DISCOVER: Expert Speaker Panel, WITNESS: Film Screening (George Washington Law School on Friday, January 10th) and ACT: Light the Way Gala at the SunTrust Headquarters in Washington, DC on Saturday, January 11th.

But today, we present our next awareness poster for the 2014 National Global Human Trafficking Awareness Day. This year Lisa Kristine, world renowned humanitarian photographer, has donated the rights to use one of her human trafficking images on our poster. Awakening compassion and igniting action to a worldwide audience with powerful images of courage and tender, intimate portrayals, Lisa elevates significant social causes such as ours — fighting to eliminate human slavery and uniting humanity to address the mission. Lisa has gained broad recognition for collaborating with the NGO Free the Slaves. This breathtaking body of work, illuminating human enslavement, is brought together in the book, Slavery, published in 2010. Lisa has received global attention for shining a light on contemporary slavery across media platforms, including CNN and Reuters, speaking at TED events, museums, NGO’s, business conferences, colleges and universities.