“I couldn’t have imagined building these pathways for myself and my daughter without the support of REST. So thank you for making that possible. You can put your support behind many different worthwhile causes—but when you put your support behind REST, you make it possible for people like me and my daughter to find their pathway out of the sex trade. Thank you.”
Keynote speaker Tabitha Clifford, Survivor
Those were the concluding remarks of Tabitha Clifford, our keynote speaker at A Night of REST 2019, a survivor who once lived in the REST House—and now works for REST helping other survivors in the same program that she graduated from.
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.
Attendees got to explore the Pathways Exhibit, an experiential installation that depicted the stories of two survivors, Michelle and Michael, on their journeys out of the sex trade. Each room depicted a “chapter” in their lives, highlighting their childhood, entry into the sex trade, and where they are now.
Michelle explained in her story:
“This [REST] is what changed my life. This place. That’s really the truth. I’ve left a few times, but this one is different—I’m so broke right now, my dog needs vet care, I’ve got back rent—I’m struggling. But one thing that’s stopped me [from going back] is Thrive, the trauma counseling that [my advocate] recommended and connected me to, through the sisterhood here, through all the volunteers that want to be here—because they see us, and because we matter, I’ve changed how I see myself. I know now that what brought me into this life wasn’t my own doing, and the guilt and shame kept me in the shadows… I’ve changed so much. My personality is so loving, so helpful, and so kind—the way I’ve always been inside—but couldn’t be because you’d get eaten up in this life.”
A Night of REST Pathways Exhibit - Michelle’s Story
At A Night of REST, Amanda Hightower, our Executive Director, spoke of the dignity of each survivor during her speech, highlighting the hope and empowerment that comes with the journey out of the sex trade,
“Every single person who is being exploited is made in the image of a beautiful Creator, with inherent worth and dignity, with unique strengths and culture. And each one—girl, boy, woman, or man, should have the opportunity to find safety, to overcome the lies and shame that kept them feeling trapped in the sex trade, to remember the dreams they once had for their lives, and find their path towards healing and empowerment...
And this is why REST exists—to enter into these painful and dark places and provide pathways out of exploitation, to freedom, safety, and hope—because we believe that everyone deserves to be loved, and everyone deserves a life without exploitation.”
We are both honored and deeply grateful for the outpouring of support from our guests, sponsors, table captains, in-kind partners, volunteers, and speakers at A Night of REST. It is because of all of our supporters that we are able to continue to provide pathways to freedom, safety, and hope to victims and survivors of sexual exploitation.
We cannot do this work without you. Thank you.