Dear Friend,

Every once in a while, you come across a story that makes a lifelong impact. For me, the parable of the river was one such story. 

The Parable of the River  

One day a group of villagers was working in the fields by a river. Suddenly someone noticed a baby floating downstream. A villager rushed out and rescued the baby, brought it to shore and cared for it.

During the next several days, more babies were found floating downstream, and the villagers rescued them as well. But before long there was a steady stream of babies floating down the river. Soon the whole village was overwhelmed, trying desperately to keep up with all the babies in need of rescue.  

Finally, a certain villager suggested: “Shouldn’t we go upstream to discover how all these babies were getting into the river in the first place? If we can find that out, we can stop the problem at the source, and no more babies will be in danger of drowning!”  

When I heard this story, I was struck with the sense that I had found my calling. My calling was to go "upstream," to stop the problem of sexual exploitation at its source. 

This is why NCOSE exists. We stop the cycle of sexual exploitation before it starts. Before victims are created. This is what we call primary prevention. 

While primary prevention is absolutely vital, compared to victim services it is less likely to tug at the heartstrings of people looking to donate to a good cause. Our hearts, rightfully so, go out to those who have suffered harm and we want to make things right for them. As such, organizations like NCOSE often struggle to secure adequate funding for their work. 

But if we stop the problem at the source, there will be no more broken lives, no more broken hearts. 

So I'm asking you today: Do you believe in the importance of stopping sexual exploitation at its source? Are you willing to give to support this cause? 

If you give now or by June 30th, your tax-deductible gift will be DOUBLED by a generous matching grant. Please take advantage of this opportunity to maximize the impact of your gift!