“I got into the life because I was discharged from the foster care system and jail. I had nowhere to stay and nothing in my possession. I needed to get a safe place to stay and food plus clothes on my back.” - Candace

Becky came from a broken home. Her mother was a drug addict and was engaged in the sex trade—and her father was absent. So when a man entered Becky’s life when she was 18—she wanted desperately to earn and keep his love. He already had a plan for her, however. 

In the last decade, REST has grown into a critical local service provider, having engaged with over 2,500 victims and survivors of the sex trade. The survivors we’ve served have achieved thousands of self-identified goals as they’ve pursued their dreams and hopes for the future.

“I recall being confused at first what escorting was. I was in a situation where the man that I trusted and eventually loved molded me and told me how it worked. I did whatever he said.” — Kate

On Saturday, October 5, hundreds of REST supporters gathered to declare to the hundreds of victims and survivors of sexual exploitation that REST serves every year, “You deserve to be loved.” Together, they raised over $529,000 to provide pathways to freedom, safety, and hope—and to a life beyond the sex trade.