Lee University offers a variety of service opportunities for students to make a difference in the Cleveland community. One of these is Project Freedom, a club founded in the spring of 2023 with the goal to bring awareness to human trafficking.
According to the club founders, the main purpose of the club is to help raise awareness about human trafficking through posters, meetings, and conversations. In addition, the club hosts fundraisers to create opportunities for the Lee community to donate to the A21 campaign or other anti-human trafficking organizations.
A21 is an anti-human trafficking campaign that reaches, rescues, and restores human trafficking victims. All fundraising earned by Project Freedom goes towards their campaign to fight against trafficking.
“Back in high school, I would give to Christine Caine’s organization A21. Her organization was what first sparked my awareness and passion for fighting against human trafficking. Going into college, I no longer had the steady income I had from my high school job and started praying to ask the Lord what to do. Then was when the Lord revealed to me what it looks like to dedicate not just money but time and prayer. At that moment, I felt the call to do something about this issue of human trafficking and found out that there wasn’t already a club, so I decided I would make it! Spring semester of 2023 I started writing up a constitution and about halfway through the semester, we became an official club here at Lee,” said Product Freedom Founder and President Eva Nunnally.
Nunnally described the new club as an opportunity to become involved in a movement and community that “seeks to see an end to modern-day slavery.” The club strives to accomplish this goal through fundraisers, service projects, and worship services.
The club verse is Isaiah 51:14, “Soon all you captives will be released! Imprisonment, starvation, and death will not be your fate.” (NLT)
“Our desire is to bring awareness to the horrible reality of human trafficking. We aim to shed God’s light and love into a dark world, and this verse captures that idea while offering hope,” said Project Freedom Media Manager McKenna Kime.
“Isaiah 51 is all about God’s heart for Israel including his desire to see them free from captivity. I feel this heart posture Isaiah prophecies the Lord has for Israel is the same way the Lord feels for his children overall. The Lord desires to see his children free from captivity, which includes sex/human trafficking,” Nunnally said.
Project Freedom partners with Garland Oaks, a program of Street Hope, Tennessee. This organization seeks to bring awareness to human trafficking and provide a safe space for survivors. According to the Garland Oaks website, the organization was one of the first safe houses in East Tennessee for young girls ages 12 to 17 who are survivors of domestic minor sex trafficking. Garland Oaks offers education and counseling to survivors and strives to be a safe environment of healing, hope, and love. Project Freedom offers merchandise designed by the club’s chaplain, Chris Wilson, and all proceeds are donated to Garland Oaks.
“After planning a merch launch and creating our club logo, we were searching for organizations in communities near us that were fighting human trafficking that we could help support…I found that Street Hope did so much for the community there and as far as raising awareness, prevention, restoration, and prayer,” said Nunnally.
Although new to campus, Project Freedom brings awareness to an evil within the world and shine Christ’s light upon it. The club hopes to help those who have been victims of trafficking through their partnership with Garland Oaks and also help Lee students understand the ways they too can help make a difference in their community.
To find more information about Project Freedom and their partnership with Garland Oaks, follow their Instagram @leeu.projectfreedom.
