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with the Center for Violence Prevention to
see if there was a similar need for women
coming from abusive situations.
As the director of The Tower, Mississippi’s
only shelter for adult victims of human
trafficking, Kristina is well acquainted with
the needs of the women affected by this issue.
Sandy and Kristina suggested that Emma’s
project be focused on serving these victims,
for whom there are scarce resources available.
“Most people think that human trafficking is
a problem mainly in big cities—not here in
Mississippi,” Emma says. “It’s not that people
don’t care, they just don’t know how many
women and children are actually affected in
our state.” Armed with this information and
the desire to make a difference, Emma founded
Mission Cinderella, “Because life is not always
a fairy tale.” The vision of Mission Cinderella
is simple: to provide basic hygiene items to
victims through “NextStep” bags and increase
awareness of this issue throughout the
community and state.
The first step in getting Mission Cinderella
off the ground was to educate the community
about the needs facing trafficking victims in
our state. With the support of the Center for
Violence Prevention, Emma reached out to
churches and other organizations all over
Mississippi and offered to speak about the
effects of human trafficking and what the
community can do to help. Through the
generous donations of several churches and
organizations, she was able to put together the
NextStep bags, which were then distributed
to law enforcement agencies through the
Center for Violence Prevention. Over 200
bags have been distributed so far and Emma
has had the opportunity to speak to many
organizations throughout this project. She also
attended the AWARE 2019 and Mississippi
Human Trafficking Summit events to learn
more about human trafficking in the state.
The impact of Mission Cinderella has not
gone unnoticed by those Emma has worked
with on the project. Executive Director Sandy
Middleton says, “The Center for Violence
Prevention is grateful for Emma’s project, as
it’s indicative of how much one person can help.
Emma’s an impressive young woman, and her
efforts benefitted victims, as well as our law
enforcement partners, in our quest to make a
difference for victims of human trafficking.
Since Mississippi has little funding for these
victims, every contribution helps. Her project
also raised awareness as to the prevalence of
human trafficking in our state.” The Honorable
Chad Lamar, U.S. Attorney for the Northern
District of Mississippi, also recognized
Mission Cinderella as a “model project” for
those who want to make a direct impact on
their communities.
Reflecting on her work, Emma says,
“When law enforcement officers are able to
meet the physical needs of trafficking victims
through the NextStep bags, it becomes an
important first step in giving victims the
courage to leave their traffickers. I found that
although there are limited resources for victims,
Mississippi is full of people wanting to help
their community. Mission Cinderella gives
both young and old an opportunity to be a
part of an issue our state has prioritized as a
community problem.”
______________________________________________
For more information on how you can participate in
the work of Mission Cinderella, contact Emma Suggs
at marysuggs87@gmail.com
24 • JULY 2020