Saturday, April 29th, marked Dressember’s race against human trafficking.
At 9:30 a.m., Ambassador for Dressember Hannah Laughery and Missy Walcott prepared the Vayhinger Loop for the Dressember 5k fundraiser. Anyone who paid a $5 entry could participate. The proceeds funded Dressember’s fight against human trafficking.
Music blared and chalk painted the sidewalk, indicating the direction for the runners to go.
Laughery and Walcott both volunteered to host the 5k, marking Dressember’s established day to run to raise money and to promote awareness.
Laughery said she had concerns about the event turnout, but 24 participants came on Saturday morning. With support from the Taylor community, $137 went to Dressember on Saturday, April 29th in the fight against human trafficking.
Individuals can join Dressember and help people who are endangered or have been rescued from human trafficking by raising money through different means like the 5k fundraiser. Or fundraising by wearing dressy clothes for the 31 days of December, hence Dressember. All funds Dressember receives go to victims for the following: medical aid, supply toiletries and clothing, counseling and internships to give the survivor hands-on work.
Because Dressember has grown, the nonprofit organization has expanded to host a 5k every year. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the 5k has gone virtual. Laughery and Walcott decided to host an event themselves to raise funds.
On the Dressember website, it said, “Dressember equips the public to fight for the dignity of all people, leading to the protection and freedom of millions. Since 2013, we’ve raised $18MM USD toward this fight, impacting tens of thousands of victims, survivors, and at-risk communities.”
Walcott said she hoped that people would take advantage of the opportunity to meet others and have fun. Just as Laughery had shared her passion with Walcott, they both shared Dressember with others.
“I guess I'm just hoping that people have fun, that you can meet each other. I love meeting new people,” Walcott said. “So that's always a good thing … and then just to raise awareness.”
