After helping two German travelers find Lufthansa for their boarding passes, Walt was handed a purse by another passenger who found it on the floor. Realizing it belonged to one of the women he had just assisted, Walt paged them and hurried—“carrying the purse like a football”—toward Lufthansa. He caught up just as they reached the counter and reunited the grateful traveler with her missing bag.
Laura called 211 looking for help with escaping human trafficking. She had been trafficked for the past six years but was experiencing health issues that impacted how much money she was bringing in for her traffickers. The previous night, she had been taken to a dangerous motel where she was beaten and told they’d start trafficking her daughter to make up the lost revenue. Laura knew it was time to reach out for help.
The Human Trafficking Care Coordinator at the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay connected with Laura and together they developed a plan to get her to a safe location. The care coordinator worked with United Way to secure a one-week stay at a local hotel. The coordinator also worked with the Sexual Assault Services team to schedule an Uber to pick up Laura and her daughter and safely transport them to the hotel. While escaping, Laura fought with her traffickers, injuring her hand in the process and forcing her to leave her belongings behind.
Once safely at the hotel, the coordinator provided Laura and her daughter with clothing, hygiene items and gift cards to purchase food and other basic necessities. The next step would be getting Laura scheduled for counseling services. She is very excited to start her new life and knows she will never go back to her old one.
TAI Member Upward Transitions broke the fundraising record for its client programs at the organization’s annual gala on May 9, the key event celebrating UT’s 100th anniversary in 2025.
“We are so grateful to you for your support and participation in our mission to serve the most vulnerable in the Oklahoma City community,” CEO Periann Pulliam said. “The funds we raised are incredibly important as we work to prevent generational poverty through community collaboration, emergency relief and empowerment, therefore inspiring hope with our neighbors experiencing housing instability.”
Chickasaw Nation Governor Bill Anoatubby (pictured and with Periann and Chickasaw Nation Secretary of Health Dr. Charles Grim) received UT’s “Inspiring Hope” award at the gala. During his tenure, the Chickasaw Nation has focused on providing essential services to those in need, including expanding healthcare, offering educational scholarships and creating economic opportunities for marginalized communities.
Daystar Life on May 15 officially launched its new Little Bites of Hope Children’s Resource Center and unveiled its refreshed name and logo.
The center will provide healthy snacks and enrichment activities for children while their parents receive services at Daystar, which include a healthy food pantry, clothing provisions, hygiene essentials and emergency financial assistance.
With regular programming featuring story time, arts and crafts and engaging learning activities, the children’s center “is a joyful and meaningful step in our mission to support the whole family — with care, compassion and dignity,” said Daystar Executive Director Heide Cornall. “Our new logo really reflects what we do: we take our hands and, with these hands, we lift our hearts towards the sun, and we lift our community from the darkness to the light.”
Travellers Aid Australia (TAA) staffer Anja offered a shady seat to a couple who were visiting the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show in late March.
Jill and Ron from Gold Coast, Queensland, were delighted to see Anja and teammate John in their TAA uniforms. Jill shared her memory of a long train journey with her mother and sisters in 1945. Then just seven years old, Jill recalls traveling from Brisbane and being greeted by friendly TAA staff, who directed them to a café for breakfast. There the youngster was astounded and impressed to find Kellogg’s Rice Bubbles after missing out on such treats during the war.
Jill told Anja she’d been reflecting on that very occasion on the trip to the show, one of the many events at which TAA provides access and inclusion services. So far this year, TAA has assisted at the Australian Open (tennis), the F1 Australian Grand Prix and eight other festivals and events.
