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Notre Dame College continues its support of the Sisters of Notre Dame, the Renee Jones Empowerment Center and the Cleveland Collaborative to End Human Trafficking in promoting Human Trafficking Awareness Month in January.

The College usually co-sponsors and hosts the Northeast Ohio National Human Trafficking Day Conference that promotes awareness and prevention of the sex trade and forced labor. Informational events are taking place virtually this month because of the pandemic. Instead of the one-day conference, the Collaborative is sponsoring a free webinar and a live stream town hall, both in January.

“The attention to those marginalized and often without voice has been key to the work of the Sisters of Notre Dame as part of their mission and the College mission. The Sisters continue to sustain annual attention on this national tragedy as they sponsor their yearly event at Notre Dame College, typically on site but virtual this year,” said Sr. Carol Ziegler, Ph.D., SND, executive assistant to the president and executive director of the College’s Abrahamic Center.

In partnership with the Canopy Child Advocacy Center the online presentation, “Keep Our Children Safe,” will take place Wednesday, January 20, from 7-8 p.m. The livestream town hall, “Human Trafficking and the Pandemic,” is Thursday, January 28, from 6:30-7 p.m.

Registration is available online for the “Keep Our Children Safe” webinar featuring Jennifer Johnson, executive director of the Canopy Child Advocacy Center, and Wendy Mark, from the Collaborative to End Human Trafficking. They will explore ways to protect children from online predators, which may be of particular concern now that many youth are attending classes virtually during the pandemic.

Monica Robbins, WKYC-TV Cleveland senior health correspondent, will moderate the town hall panel discussion specifically addressing human trafficking and the pandemic. Speakers are expected to include Kirsti Mouncey, LISW-S, LCDCIII, president and CEO of the Collaborative; Sgt. Jim Mackey, director of the Cuyahoga Regional Human Trafficking Task Force; Karen McHenry, LISW-S, LCDC, Bellefaire JCB homeless and missing youth program director; Kathleen Hackett, MSN, RN, SANE-P, pediatric Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner program coordinator at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital; and Keyna Smith, MSSA, LSW, director of anti-human trafficking and advocacy at the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center.

Details on how to register for the webinar or to access the livestream are available on the Collaborative’s website at CollabToEndHT.org.

This year, the Collaborative also supported a Human Trafficking 101 program on Tuesday January 12, featuring Sr. Anne Victory, HM, executive director of the organization. Victory shared information about sex and labor trafficking and how community members can get involved in helping fight the crime.

January 2020

About Notre Dame College

For almost a century, Notre Dame College has educated a diverse population in the liberal arts for personal, professional and global responsibility. Founded by the Sisters of Notre Dame in 1922, the College has grown strategically to keep pace with the rapidly changing needs of students and the dramatic changes in higher education. But it has never lost sight of its emphasis on teaching students not only how to make a good living but also how to live a good life.

Today, the College offers bachelor’s degrees in 30 disciplines plus a variety of master’s degrees, certification programs and continuing and professional development programs for adult learners on campus and online. Notre Dame College offers NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletic programs for men and women and is located in a picturesque residential neighborhood just 25 minutes from the heart of Cleveland. Hallmarks of the Notre Dame experience include stimulating academics, personalized attention of dedicated faculty and staff, and small class sizes.

Notre Dame College is located at 4545 College Road in South Euclid. For further information, contact pr@ndc.edu.