Thanks to everyone who came out on May 11th to Planting Hope in Michigan!

The weather was certainly not in our favor, so we need some help in selling the last of the planters from the event.

If you weren't able to make it out and still want to help with the cause, IT’S NOT TOO LATE! Leftover plants can be found at Vite Greenhouses at 2610 Redbud Trail Niles, MI 49120 beginning on Friday, May 17th. You can also make a donation to Planting Hope by writing out a check to “Planting Hope in Michigan” and mailing it to 9319 Lauer Road Berrien Springs MI. And of course, more information can be found at our website at plantinghopeinmichigan.org.

Thanks again for your continued support in combating human trafficking right here in our own backyard! 

A Fundraiser to Raise Awareness and Combat Human Trafficking

Did you know that human trafficking – a form of modern-day slavery in which people profit from the control and exploitation of others – is at work right now in Michigan? While there are over 27 million people enslaved throughout the world, slavery is also thriving in the United States and practiced in many forms in places where you would least expect it. One of these places is the state of Michigan. Within the past 10 years, both Michigan and the United States as a whole have passed legislation to protect victims who include men, women, and children, but there is still much work to be done.

To join in the battle against human trafficking, Stonehouse Nursery and Lemon Creek Winery will be holding an event on Saturday May 11, 2013 to promote awareness about human trafficking. This event – “Planting Hope” – will not only have presentations and tables with information about human trafficking, but also incorporate the sale of plants and local products. The event will unite Michigan businesses, producers, farms and people to raise awareness and support efforts to combat the tragedy of human trafficking in our own back yard.

Human Trafficking: In Our Own Backyard

Facts and statistics brought to you by the U.S. Department of State and the Polaris Project:

There are two types of human trafficking:

• Sex trafficking occurs when a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such an act has not attained 18 years of age
• Labor trafficking is the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services (these can include agricultural, industrial, and domestic servitude work, for example)

Human trafficking is the third largest criminal enterprise in the world, only succeeded by illegal drugs and the sales of guns. However, considering it is the fastest growing, it is soon expected to be in second place.