Tara Browne

Blackbird Episode #1 Meet Hollie Daniels with Reaching for the Shining Starz "A kind gesture can reach a wound that only compassion can heal." Steve Mariboli. Hollie Daniels is the Executive Director and President of Reaching for the Shining Starz; a non-profit on a mission to extend “a hand of love to women caught in addiction and prostitution on the streets of Columbus.” On a regular basis, Hollie and her team hit the streets with hygiene bags, food, and clothing. She keeps an eye out for the women she calls sisters. Hollie is a survivor of the sex trafficking industry and is now a formidable activist, working not only on community-level outreach but also with major Ohio politicians. One such politician being Senator Robert Portman (R-OH). In 2018, Hollie sat down with Sen. Portman to discuss the on-going fight against sex trafficking in Ohio. As of June 2018, Ohio ranks fourth in the nation in human trafficking (National Human Trafficking Hotline, 2018), with the overwhelming majority coming from sex trafficking (DeWine, 2018). At the time of their meeting, Sen. Portman had already introduced the “Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act” which had passed in a bipartisan landslide vote of 97-2. He and Hollie spoke about the importance of reducing demand as a means of shutting down sex trafficking. Notably, Sen. Portman and Sen. McCaskill (D-MO) led the investigation and subsequent shut-down of Backpage.com; a notorious site which all but openly proliferated sex-trafficking (Portman, 2018). Hollie is currently pursuing her undergraduate degree and plans on continuing her higher education until she achieves her master’s degree. Her goal is to use her education to further help her sisters on the street and be a resource to them when it comes to earning a degree; a key Hollie knows can break the cycle of poverty and abuse. Hollie’s vision for the future is to expand her organizations reach across Columbus and provide transitional housing for women seeking to escape the sex trafficking industry. How You Can Get Involved: 1) Donate your time, money, and/or items for the hygiene kits (travel size shampoos, conditioners, deodorants, etc.) 2) Volunteer and hit the streets with Hollie and her crew to minister to the women of Columbus. 3) Host a Beauty Day: Run a Business? Hair Salon? Nail Salon? Spa? Host a Beauty Day and help a struggling woman understand her value and beauty. 4) Spread the Word: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, Tumblr—You name it—Repost. Re-Tweet. Keep the conversation going. It’s hard to address a problem if people don’t know there is one. Help spread the work of Reaching for the Shining Starz as well as educate yourself, your friends, and your family to understand the warning signs of human trafficking and how to…. 5) Take Action: Report. View the statistics on Human Trafficking and how to help be a part of the solution at https://humantraffickinghotline.org/ or https://traffickingresourcecenter.org/. To report suspected trafficking or get help please call the National Human Trafficking Hotline-. If you want to learn more about Hollie and her work with Reaching for the Shining Starz, please contact her at-or -. To find out more about Reaching for the Shining Starz and how to get involved, you can visit their webpage at http://shiningstarz.net or visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pg/carlysbagsforfreedom . Three Little Birds Takeaways: A small act of kindness can help break the cycle of abuse, poverty, and human trafficking. Hollie didn’t think anyone would want to donate or help the trafficked women of Columbus. Through asking for donated items and monetary donations for Reaching for the Shining Starz, she realized how many people want to and will help, given the opportunity. You never know the support you’ll receive until you ask. Have a dream or an idea but don’t know where to start? Just do it. Reach out. Connect. Build a network of people who are interested in the same causes as you are. Update: In our interview, Hollie mentions her biological sister’s struggle with addiction and to get out of the sex trafficking industry. As of the launch of this video interview, her sister has been sober and out of the industry for over 13 months. Hollie credits Amethyst Inc. and CATCH Court for her sister’s continued success. Amethyst Inc. is an addiction recovery program based out of Columbus, Ohio. CATCH Court is also an Ohio-based program which works in the court systems to help break the cycle of exploitation and abuse that ensnares so many women in the sex trafficking industry. You have the power to make real change. You are not alone. We’re in this Together, For Good. References Anon., 2018. The National Human Trafficking Hotline. [Online] Available at: https://humantraffickinghotline.org/states [Accessed 27 December 2018]. DeWine, M., 2018. The Ohio Attorney General's 2017 Human Trafficking Commission Annual Report, Columbus: Ohio Attorney General's Office. Portman, R., 2018. Portman Praises U.S. Department of Justice’s Indictment of Backpage’s Owners & Executives. [Online] Available at: https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=71F0DF2F-B8B-55630CE20856 [Accessed 28 December 2018]. Portman, R., 2018. Portman, Blumenthal, McCain, McCaskill, Cornyn, Heitkamp Praise Senate Passage of Bipartisan Bill to Help Stop Online Sex Trafficking. [Online] Available at: https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=press-releases&id=C73DC8BA5FFF-4357-9B1F-D3D7D24126E4 [Accessed 27 December 2018].