Showing up, changing lives

One thing this role has taught me is that growth and showing up for others is never linear, but always rewarding. No matter the day, advocacy always turns into us advocates meeting our clients exactly where they are.

I think of *Maya. Her crisis call came late one evening. She was out of town, miles away from any sense of familiarity, alone in a city where she knew no one at age 16. Maya had a significant history of running away—the system had failed her too many times before. Five years in foster care had taught her one thing: trust no one. When I arrived, she was curled up under a table, tears streaming down her face, shaking. She wouldn’t speak, wouldn’t look up. Every time someone tried to get close, she shrank back further into herself. But as the night progressed, the walls she had built began to crack. I sat on the floor near her, not pushing—just present.

That night wasn’t the end of her journey, just the beginning. Even after she returned to her home city, I stayed consistent, showing up when so many others hadn’t. I helped her reestablish her home base, working tirelessly to find her a support system that wouldn’t let her slip through the cracks again. I even traveled to see her, ensuring she was connected with an agency in her area that could continue what we started. Slowly, she let her guard down, realizing that maybe, just maybe, this time was different. Now, Maya has a stable place to live and is taking steps toward healing—because someone finally showed up for her, time and time again.

It’s an honor to get to meet these kids right where they are and show them, little by little, through a lot of consistency and patience, that there are good people in the world and hope is possible.

*To preserve and protect the identities and dignity of the young people we serve, Traffick911 may substitute certain details and will always utilize pseudonyms.