Dear John,

Twenty-five years ago today, the United States made a promise to take human trafficking seriously. 

When the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) was signed into law on October 28, 2000, it marked the beginning of a national effort to prevent trafficking, protect survivors, and pursue justice. It was a historic promise — one Polaris was founded to help carry forward.

But a promise is just the beginning. It takes connection, trust, and support to make freedom possible.

For more than two decades, we’ve been there when survivors reached out. We’ve built programs deeply informed by survivor experience, strengthened the safety net that helps people rebuild, and fought to ensure systems respond with dignity and care.

And while the need is growing, funding is vanishing.

In just the past month, thousands of survivors lost critical access to services due to federal funding cuts. Providers across the country are closing their doors. And still — survivors are reaching out.

To meet this moment, a group of Polaris donors has pledged a $100,000 challenge match — available for 30 days only, through Thanksgiving Day in the U.S., November 27th.

Your gift will be doubled to strengthen the constellation of support that surrounds survivors — so people rebuilding their lives can access safe housing, trusted care, legal help, and real pathways to healing.

I’m one of the survivors who needed this kind of support.

My trafficking experience didn’t start violently or dramatically. It started with vulnerability. I was a single mom with dwindling options to support myself and my children — that’s when a trafficker stepped in, offering what looked like help.

What followed was exploitation. What came after that was the long, difficult fight to heal and rebuild.

I didn’t get out because of a single rescue. I got out because the right support showed up at the right time: 

• A family member who let me stay with them until I could secure housing.
• A landlord who would rent to me despite a criminal record and a poor rental history.
• A professor who helped me get a scholarship to go back to school.

A few open doors. Slowly, the stars aligned — that’s what made freedom possible for me.

That’s what Polaris is working to protect and strengthen. Every day. 

And today, you can help someone else find that same constellation of support.

Because when the right support shows up, it can change everything.

The future we’re building isn’t hypothetical. Survivors have already told us what it should look like. Now we need your help to bring it to life.

Double your impact now »

Help the stars align — on purpose — for survivors of human trafficking.

With gratitude,