ALTON – A local nonprofit is working to support survivors of human/sex trafficking.
Tigerlili Resources offers a three-pronged approach to help survivors and their loved ones. Based in Alton, the nonprofit is asking community members to consider donating to their cause so they can fund their programs, including a new retreat center that will provide a safe space for families to heal together.
“There’s just not enough services for these kids in the whole Midwest,” said Tigerlili Resources founder Meredith Seithel. “We’re local. A lot of people think it happens so far away, and there’s such a need here. The more you know, you can’t unknow it. The more you see and learn, you can’t unsee it. You’ll start seeing it all over the place.”
Seithel noted that January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month. She understands that many people want to help but feel the issue is so overwhelming, they don’t know where to start. Supporting Tigerlili Resources is a step toward supporting survivors locally.
FRESH serves as their headquarters in Alton, where Tigerlili Resources provides trainings and amplifies community awareness. The office is a major focus for the organization right now as they finalize construction.
In Jersey County, Heaven’s Home is an emergency placement for children who have been identified as survivors. Seithel believes it’s “just not okay” to allow a child to sleep at the police station or in somebody’s office while the “people that be figure out that child’s next move.” Instead, they can come to Heaven’s Home, where they are in a home-like environment for a few nights at a time until they are reunited with loved ones or placed with a foster family.
The organization is also eyeing 25 acres to transform the space into Kingdom Come Mission Retreat Center, a “glorified Airbnb” where families can stay for a few days to facilitate their reunification and healing. Donations are needed to allow Tigerlili Resources to purchase this property and prepare it for guests.
You can learn more about Tigerlili Resources and their work at their official website. Donations go a long way toward helping them support survivors. You can donate online via their website or through Venmo, CashApp or PayPal at @TigerliliResources.
Seithel noted that this work to combat human trafficking is necessary everywhere, including locally. According to her, a child is sold into sex trafficking every two minutes in the U.S.
She stressed that everybody is at risk, and she urges adults to be vigilant and do what they can to protect kids.
“Nobody is exempt from it,” she said. “A lot of people feel like, if they’re in more of a rural area, they’re insulated from outer crime and all of that. They’re not exempt from it at all. Suburban, even upper-class, you’re not exempt from it. If anybody has a phone, if any child has a phone or any type of a chat group, whether it’s Roblox or anything like that, they are susceptible. Predators know how to find them. They target them very easily. They’re very slow and calculated. They build trust. It happens under our noses. So many people don’t even know.”
To learn more about Tigerlili Resources, including how to help or how to receive assistance, visit their official website at TigerliliResources.org or their official Facebook page.
