Liberty Outdoors Worldwide, Uniontown, Ohio, is taking a stand against human trafficking by joining forces with DeliverFund, a non-profit founded and run by former special operations forces including Pararescue, SEALs, Special Forces, and veterans of the CIA and NSA.
The teams use their specific skills and technologies to train, equip and advise law enforcement so they can arrest human traffickers at scale.
Liberty Outdoors, manufacturer and distributor of Little Guy Trailers, is positioned to engage its substantial following and community in learning how to identify and stop human traffickers as they have one of the largest social media presence in the industry.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, cases of human trafficking have been reported in all 50 states with the highest volume of those effected being school-age youth, particularly those with challenging family conditions. Victims are targeted primarily through social media. The International Labor Organization estimates that human trafficking is a $150 billion industry worldwide. In 2016, an estimated 1 out of 6 endangered runaways reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children were likely victims of human trafficking.
“As a family-owned company, we can’t think of a more important mission to support than one that protects children. With millions of people RVing across America, we know that the RV community has the potential to be a driving force in the fight against human trafficking,” says Liberty Outdoors Co-Founder and Managing Director Joe Kicos.
“I grew up RVing and have family that work in the industry so I know well the amazing people who are part of the RV community. When equipped with the information on what to look for as they travel the country, RVers can be the eyes of the American by-ways and literally save lives,” says Nic McKinley, founder of DeliverFund. Nic spent 11 years in Air Force Pararescue before being recruited into the CIA. During his time in both special and intelligence operations, he witnessed the epidemic of child trafficking and knew that with his specialized training and networks he could do something about it.
The Liberty Outdoors and DeliverFund campaign will be a mix of fundraising and education including written material in every Liberty Outdoors travel trailer sold; video creation and distribution through the Liberty Outdoors online platforms; dealer incentives for participation; information distributed at RV shows and calls-to-action throughout the year to bring awareness and funding to DeliverFund.
“I spend more than 100 days a year traveling the country, meeting RVers from every walk of life. The one common thread is a sense of community – having each other’s back. We know that when the millions of RVers in America learn what they can do to identify human trafficking in their travels, we will create a wave of action,” says Chris Baum, Chief Branding Officer of Liberty Outdoors. “This is a departure from traditional charitable partnerships in our industry but something that all of us at Liberty Outdoors agree will make the biggest impact with our time and resources. “RVers: We Are Eyes of America” is an opportunity for anyone involved to truly make a difference with their lives,” he adds.
For more on “RVers: We Are the Eyes of America” campaign, visit GoLibertyOutdoors.com
For more on DeliverFund, visit DeliverFund.org