AHT Committee Update
The committee urges you to read the article entitled “Beyond the Wire” in the August 2026 Rotary Magazine. It describes how the Community Action Against Human Trafficking (CAAHT) initiated a project to help women break the cycle of repeated incarceration once released. The article details how one woman, Jodi Whitt, broke the cycle of “the revolving door of incarceration for over 20 years” and helped the CAAHT club develop a project to help other women break their cycle. The “Intersection to Care” project began in 2022 with the support of a Rotary Foundation global grant. This grant helps women who have been released from jail to have a fighting chance for future success. Prior to this initiative when women were released there was no support system and they were frequently picked up by their traffickers and forced to reenter the same downward cycle. CAAHT club members, led by Patti Mellard, Kristen Shook, and Jodi Whitt, developed a mentorship program to help women in jail develop a new attitude of self-worth and plan a path to success after release. The program continues to grow by offering additional self improvement programs and housing support. Recently over 75 women have been provided secure housing after leaving jail.
We hope your club will help us spread the word that human trafficking occurs throughout the U.S. and can happen to anyone anywhere - including your city in District 5710. If your club does not have an Anti-Human Trafficking Committee or representative, members of our committee can help you form one and provide educational materials. Please contact me at nettles.steven@gmail.com if you have any questions or comments.
