Truckers Against Trafficking Given $50,000 Matching Grant Opportunity

Starting today through the end of 2012, The Greenbaum Foundation will provide a dollar-for-dollar matching grant for any and all donations made to Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT), up to $50,000. Your $10 will be $20. Your $50 will be $100. If we reach $50,000, that will be $100,000.

TAT’s annual budget continues to grow as more and more individual truckers, trucking companies and state trucking associations come on board, and we supply them with materials, including training DVDs, wallet cards, brochures and vent window decals.

 In 2011, TAT provided 180,000-200,000 wallet cards and over 7000 DVDs, in addition to posters and vent-window decals. This year, the numbers are even greater, with state trucking associations like California, Nevada, Idaho, Colorado, Wisconsin and Minnesota coming on board (with others in the process), as well as the Iowa 80 truck stop group, and with the three trucking shows and numerous events and speaking engagements where we’ve handed out materials as well as filled individual requests for materials. And we’ve learned that our DVD is being used for training in 22 foreign countries as well.

In addition to paying for the materials we provide to everyone who asks, TAT also incurs hefty shipping costs, travel costs to speaking and training engagements and administrative costs.

But the money is well spent from the standpoint that:

  • The National Human Trafficking Resource Center is receiving more and more calls on possible human trafficking activity from truckers, and a significant percentage of those are actionable items where law enforcement has been involved.
  • The trucking industry is beginning to receive excellent publicity for the work they’re doing to fight human trafficking. They’ve already been featured in at least two national television news stories and more are in the works.
  • There is a growing awareness among members of the trucking industry about human trafficking and what they can do to fight it effectively.
  • What the trucking industry is doing in working with TAT is providing a model for other members of the transportation industry to follow in the fight against human trafficking.
  • New liaisons are being created between the trucking industry and law enforcement to engage in the fight against human trafficking together.

“I fund and work with many of the best nonprofit organizations throughout the world,” said Jim Greenbaum, founder and managing director of The Greenbaum Foundation. “Few accomplish so much with so little as does Truckers Against Trafficking. The work and accomplishments of Kendis Paris and her team are awe-inspiring. And, with sufficient funding, there’s no telling how much greater of an impact they will have in the fight against human trafficking.  I am delighted to make this matching grant offer for Truckers Against Trafficking.”

Please consider helping us match this $50,000 grant. Share this opportunity with others and make a donation on our website www.truckersagainsttrafficking.com by Dec. 31, 2012.

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