Every year at Christmas, Living Water intentionally chooses to do less for ourselves and more for others. Our goal is to find a great cause that is helping bring the transformational power of Jesus to the lives of people locally and around the world. This year, we are partnering locally with Safe Harbor as they bring healing to girls ages 14 through 18 who have been rescued from sex trafficking.

The Christmas Give will support the finish of a 30-acre campus that will be the largest Safe House in the Northeast (United States) for girls. It will serve young women in need of emotional, physical, and spiritual healing from modern-day slavery by offering a stable, safe place to rest and be renewed. The hope is for every survivor to leave Safe Harbor as an overcomer, knowing her true value, regardless of where life takes her next.

Criminal enterprise in our nation, with Ohio ranking the 5th highest in cases. The solicitation of minors into this industry has invaded the security of almost every home. Children are at risk of being groomed through nearly every interaction app that is present on their phones.  

• 1 in 6 kids ages 9 to 12 have had romantic or sexual conversations with an online-only contact
• 1 in 7 minors are asked for nudes by a stranger online daily or weekly
• YouTube is the #1 platform where minors share explicit materials of themselves
• Only 6% of 9 to 17 yr olds turn to a trusted adult after receiving inappropriate content

Human trafficking is an industry that can result in coerced sexual exchanges, forced participation in pornographic content, manipulated drug addiction, and kidnapping. Even when rescued, these individuals have tremendous challenges overcoming the trauma and health effects, and there are very few after-care facilities dedicated to aiding people in the path of full recovery.  

• The average age a girl is lured or forced into sex trafficking is just 15 years old. — National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
• 16% of the children who ran from the care of social services and were reported missing to NCMEC in 2019, were likely victims of child sex trafficking.
• There are less than 600 beds available nationwide for child sex trafficking survivors’ long-term recovery from trauma.

Children who are victimized need the help of a large community that is committed to providing long-term recovery from complex trauma. By partnering with Safe Harbor we become a part of providing trauma-informed, holistic care for each girl. Tailored services will include:

• On-site medical and physical care provided by Springvale Health Centers
• Ongoing counseling and trauma therapy
• High school education through our partnership with Quaker Digital Academy
• Social and relational skills such as healthy conflict resolution and self-regulation
• Independent living and job-skills training

You can make an impact for generations. The girls who find hope and healing here will be forever changed – and restoration will flow to their children.

We want to have an ongoing partnership with Safe Harbor beyond our Christmas Give. There will be opportunities in the future to help with:
1. The construction of Safe Harbor by volunteering with Eight Days of Hope in the upcoming months
2. Planning and serving a weekend event at Safe Harbor

Please use the form below to let us know if you are interested in learning more as  opportunities arise: