Making a difference in the world can be as simple as wearing a dress. In Colorado, two moms came together to campaign against human trafficking with a fundraiser called Dresses for Justice, wearing dresses every day during December and posting on social media to raise awareness and funds.
As Valentine’s Day approaches, we want to express our love and gratitude for the generous givers who make our work possible! Sometimes it’s the simplest actions that make the biggest impact in our world.
Seeds planted
Andrea Drake and Rionna Bussey met through a homeschool co-op three years ago, forming a friendship that eventually led them to join forces against injustice. But Drake’s passion for the cause began even earlier, when she first heard about human trafficking and began fundraising.
Drake was introduced to human trafficking through a church that partnered with another organization to help trafficking survivors kickstart businesses.
“[It] kind of planted the seeds,” she said. “I didn’t really have a lot of places that were put in front of me, aside from that one, that were like, ‘here are ways that you can help.’”
Some time later, she came across another fundraiser for human trafficking that simply involved wearing dresses.
She recalled thinking, “I think that I could do this. It’s just such a simple idea. There’s not a lot to it. Let’s just see how it goes.”
With that simple “yes,” an annual fundraising tradition was born.
Taking action
The first year Drake fundraised, wearing dresses every day was fun and exciting. She invited her kids to join in too—her daughters, now 12 and 8 years old, wore dresses to help human trafficking victims, with an age-appropriate understanding of the issue. It became something they did together as a family, and the kids were excited to see donations come in.
“Just the idea that you can do something so simple and raise awareness of human trafficking and have people donate was mind-blowing,” said Drake.
After a few years, Drake became more focused on ensuring the money she raised would have the greatest possible impact. Her mother-in-law suggested fundraising for Love Justice instead, having heard about the organization at her church.
Around the same time, Drake invited Bussey to participate with her daughters. Bussey’s husband researched several anti-trafficking organizations and determined that Love Justice would be a reputable choice. They liked the preventative nature of LJI’s work—stopping people from being trafficked rather than rescuing them after the damage was done—and were especially impressed by the low cost to intercept and LJI’s overall values.
With renewed confidence in the impact their fundraiser would have, the two moms set out to fundraise together with their children—wearing dresses, sharing facts and photos online, and inviting others to make a difference with them.
Opening doors for conversation
Bussey’s three young daughters, ages 10, 7, and 5, joined in. Even one of Drake’s two sons participated this past year, wearing ties every day!
“Our world here is kind of small in what we do and where we go, and so it’s important to teach them and expose them to things that are going on,” said Bussey.
Drake and Bussey found that fundraising opened up conversations about human trafficking not only with their kids but with other friends and family as well.
Bussey found opportunities to share with family members––her dad asked her girls why they were doing this, and the children were able to share what they understood about it, even at such young ages. Her dad expressed how proud he was of them all.
Drake was at a holiday party this past December when someone invited her to share why she was wearing a dress. Suddenly, she had the opportunity to introduce a group of moms to both the crime of human trafficking and LJI’s preventative solution. Many of them didn’t know that preventing human trafficking was even possible.
Toward the end of the month, Bussey and Drake were surprised by a generous donation from a friend who gave from her birthday money.
“We were both shocked because it’s just amazing to see how God pulls those [things] together and really fun to be a vessel for it going in that direction. It means something to us, and she decided because of that, it meant something to her too,” said Drake.
Simple actions make a big difference
Both women shared how the simplicity of the fundraiser allowed them to participate in something bigger than themselves while managing their busy lives as mothers.
“It feels insignificant, I guess, because it’s such a little thing to do, and yet, if it gets people to be aware, and that’s the amount that I’m able to give right now, then it’s at least better than not doing anything,” said Drake. “Rionna would be so good to remind me that you know, we have our place that we can do things right now, and we get to be home, and this is a way that we can chip in.”
Bussey added, “The very least we can do is wear dresses and post photos and statistics on social media. It’s the very least we can do at this point, at this season in our lives, and so I think the hope would be that as we get older and our bandwidth grows, that we’d be able to contribute in other ways.”
Both this past year and the year before, Dresses for Justice surpassed its fundraising goal. Altogether, they have raised over $5,200, helping intercept at least 34 people to stop them from being trafficked and protect them from a life trapped in slavery!
This is a significant impact—all because two busy moms allowed injustice to move their hearts, propelling them from brokenhearted awareness into action with a simple realization: it is better to do something rather than nothing.
Thank you!
We are so thankful for these kindred hearts who fight injustice alongside us. Never underestimate the impact you can have by simply saying, “Yes, I will.”
Happy Valentine’s Day, Love Justice family! We are so grateful for each of you and for your partnership with us in bringing freedom to the vulnerable.
Feeling inspired to host your own fundraiser? Click the button below for some ideas to help you get started!
*All data and statistics current at the date and time of publishing. Some names and specific locations excluded for privacy and security purposes. Bottom photo courtesy of Carys Watt.
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