Use today!

Right now, we have an opportunity to use today and do something that will matter.  H.R. 2283, the Human Trafficking Prioritization Act is headed to the house floor for a vote this week.  Call your representative and ask them to vote yes on this legislation.

What does H.R. 2283 do?  Here is a brief summary:

It will change the name of the TIP (Trafficking in Persons) office to Bureau, and it will change the title of the person who heads it from "Ambassador-at-Large" to "Assistant Secretary of State".

Why is this important?

The reason it is important is that by elevating the TIP office within the State Department it will allow the head of the office, Ambassador Lou CdeBaca, the opportunity to contribute into decisions that are made that affect the fight against human trafficking.  As it stands now, Ambassador CdeBaca is left out of the discussion when key decisions are being made concerning U.S. Diplomacy in countries where human trafficking exists.

It only takes a few minutes to pick up your phone and call your representative and ask them to vote yes.  You can find a script to use along with more information on the bill at this link

The Freedom Commons--IJM

Use your voice today to help those whose voices are all too often unheard.

Getting the Blog up Again

Blogging regularly, like any other habit, I suppose, has been a difficult discipline for me.  I have so many ideas floating around, but actually sitting down and typing them out is something that has been all to easy to get away from.  So, after nearly four months away from my blog, I am back and hoping to make a regular habit of it.

If you wonder what I've been up to in the meantime,I have been keeping pretty busy.  I have been training with the Red Cross as a Disaster Action Team volunteer.  And I have enrolled in 2 college classes (Cultural Anthropology and Microeconomics)  for the summer session to get me back in the groove of being a student for this fall.  I had an amazing meeting with the Midwest Coordinator of Volunteer Advocacy from International Justice Mission today and I am looking forward to sharing more about that in another blog post.

In any case, while I have taken time off from the blog, life has moved swiftly onward.  I just need to take the time to remember to pause and chronicle it.  :)