NL- I have worked with Laura several times on projects, and talked to her often. She is helping Hollie Stevens & Raven Alexis with their battles with cancer. Truthfully I thought Laura did all she does personally, until she sent me an email with the address on it of her 501 org. I took a look, and I like what I see. I have/would trust Laura to handle my donation with care and honesty. (Although I don’t see anywhere on the site that she is even asking for donations) And I would certainly go to her if I was an industry worker who needed help.
I asked Laura about the lack of a place to donate. Here’s her answer-
Here is an overview of the site, although I cannot capture it perfectly because of the graphics used-
ENCOURAGE since 2008, we’ve partnered with men and women working within the adult entertainment industry. our objective is to meet immediate needs as well as set up each individual for long term success physically, intellectually, emotionally and spiritually.
from weekly visits to San Francisco strip clubs, peer mentoring and more, we continue to cultivate trusted relationships with each person we encounter as we help them recognize their worth, identity and purpose.
thanks to the generous efforts of our volunteers and donors, we offer:
– medical exams/visits with leading Doctors, Nurses and Physician Assistants in the Bay Area
– counseling services
– adult education assistance
– personal development/life skills
– recovery program assessment and referrals
– career counseling
…and more, totally free.
EMPOWER we strive to offer balance, peace and hope to those we serve. by helping each person uncover who they are and what their value and true worth is, a foundation is set in place for fresh starts and often times, transformation in all areas of their lives. each person is unique; however, the situations most sex workers find themselves in have threads of similarity that run through each story.
ENLIGHTEN so why do we do this? the answer is simple:
many of us have been in this industry. we’ve all experienced the honeymoon period of this gig and the rough times too. from phone sex operators, cam girls and guys, strippers/dancers, ‘models’, escorts, adult film entertainers and more…we get it. there is no other job like this and unless you have been in the industry, you cannot wholly understand what it offers you and what it does for or to you.
our belief:
LOVE GOD, LOVE PEOPLE we prefer to model our Faith. ultimately, actions speak louder than words.
NL-Take a look for yourself http://solacesf.org/
Thank you for posting this, Cindi.
Here is another promising quote from the group’s website:
“sex work offered by a consenting adult and sought out by a consenting adult, where both parties have made an agreed upon choice is NOT human trafficking. in no way should it ever be associated with the horrific suffering endured by children, men and women within the US and globally who are subjected to forced labor and sex against their will.”