Lifeboat Project

Sporting Events Attract More Than Spectators

Jill Cohen Founder and CEO presents Know The Hero Award to Tatiana Malcolm from Publix

Chad and Leslye from Magic 107.7 co-hosting Yacht Rock Night at the Alfond Inn to fight human trafficking Connie Gilbert, Gail Bittman Board Chair of the Sharing Center and Mike Bittman from Nelson Mullins

Florida is a mecca for golf tournaments, super bowls, college games, professional basketball, baseball, football, and soccer. All drawing collectively millions of visitors to their gates. This is what makes our economy in Florida thrive with tourist dollars and allows us not to have a state income tax. 100,000,000 visitors a year to this great state share our sunshine and 180 miles of coastline. 80,000,000 of those visitors come to central Florida to visit Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, the Arnold Palmer Invitational, and everything else we have to offer. We also attract a very specific group to the greater Orlando area. Human traffickers. The bigger the event the more they thrive. Bringing in young girls ages 12-14 who don’t want to be here. They are coerced, forced, and threatened with their lives if they don’t perform with whatever their trafficker’s demand. Think about it. Do you have a daughter, or granddaughter that age. Florida ranks third in the nation in human trafficking behind California and Texas. Orlando is third in the nation in calls to the Human Trafficking hot line in 2021. Third. Scary, isn’t it? For many we are not the “the happiest place on earth”. Far from it. In 2021 human trafficking was a 150-billion-dollar industry worldwide only second to illegal drugs. Forty million victims annually around the world are trafficked. It’s a staggering number and growing at a rate of 20% a year. So here are some myths: it’s not all illegal aliens coming across the Rio Grande. In fact, 80% are Americans. US citizens. Runaways, aged out of foster care, trafficked by their own families at early ages of 9-12 handed down generation by generation. Kidnapped at malls, major concerts, raves, lured over the Internet in chat rooms and groomed. Some of the social media sites are well known as Bumble and Snapchat but there are many that take you your kids to the dark web like Best State Representative Ana Eskamani with Ed Gilbert and Kathy McLain from the Lifeboat Project at Yacht Rock Night

Secret Folder, Calculator%, Whisper etc. All of these have traffickers lurking like they are someone else. Ready to engage your children. I am the current Board Chair of a 10-year-old charity called the Lifeboat Project. We help survivors with the healing process by offering free housing, mental health counseling, clothing, food, education for them and their children, and assistance getting back into the workforce when ready. Currently we are focusing on mothers and children because no one else in Central Florida does. November 17, we completed our second annual event called ‘Yacht Rock Night” sponsored by IHEART Media, Clear Channel Outdoor, Advent Health, Park Jewelers Lake Mary, Audi North Orlando and 5/3 Bank. We raised over $100,000 and it all goes back to the survivors and their needs. If you would like to get involved, go to our website www.thelifeboatproject.org or contact me directly at ed@thelifeboatproject. org. You will be glad you did.