- April 17, 2024
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This week you may notice the little black dress coming back into style, with nearly 100 Junior League of Daytona Beach members participating in their latest initiative to shine a light on some hard topics.
From Feb. 15 to Feb. 19, women across Volusia County will be wearing the same dress for five days in a row to bring awareness to the complete lack of possessions most human trafficking victims have when they are rescued. In addition to the dresses, the women will also wear pins that say "Ask Me About My Dress," and will be handing out educational materials designed to raise awareness and solicit donations. Within the first few hours of the initiative, the group already raised almost $500.
"We felt like a couple years ago we were one of the first people to talk about it," said Community Vice President Jennifer Elston. "So we’re glad people are taking notice."
The donations go to help JLDB fund backpacks filled with clothing, hygiene items, and a few extra personal pieces to local law enforcement to distribute to these victims so they can begin to rebuild their lives with basic necessities. A $30 donation can supply one backpack.
Currently there are an estimated 20-30 million slaves worldwide, but many people don't know that it's happening very close to home. In 2015 there were 43 cases of human trafficking of minors in Circuit 7, and 34 of them were located right here in Volusia County.
"It's our mission at the Junior League to start a conversation about theseuncomfortable issues," said President Darlynn Tacinelli. "We want to take it from an international level and advocate on a local one."
Visit JLDB.org/dress for more information or to make a donation.
