Putnam County Rotary Club to host human trafficking awareness program

The Putnam County Rotary Club will host Human Trafficking – A Real and Present Danger at 6:30 p.m. Thursday June 6, at LJ’s Garden Cafe, 114 N. Chicago St., Magnolia.

Right here in central Illinois, even here in the Illinois Valley, there are instances of human trafficking of domestic workers, profiteering shops, sex workers and others who are deceived into relationships driven by financial manipulation, forced dependency, physical threats and abuse. How do you recognize the danger? How can our youth avoid alluring offers that sound too good to be true, finding out only too late how untrue they are?

These are subjects of concern shared by many organizations including Rotary Clubs, here and worldwide. Putnam County Rotary will host Toni Lucas, a speaker who advocates for men, women and children who are victims of human trafficking. She will share insights into the massive and growing scope of human trafficking and what we can do to be more aware, and to prevent or report instances within our local communities.

Lucas has worn many hats over her past years and several careers, including more than 40 years as a legal secretary in the Illinois Valley, office management in England and presently as pastor of the United Methodist Church in Albany, Illinois. Among her community work and activism, Lucas organized Rotary’s District Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force and is a member of the global, online Rotary Club to End Human Trafficking. Her passion for justice has led her to actively participate in her Church’s Anti-Racism Task Force, and in Civil Rights pilgrimages to many communities in southern states.

The stories of human trafficking shared by Lucas are true, not merely statistics out of a magazine. The event will be open to the public on a first-reserved basis. The dinner and program begin at 6:30 p.m. Dinner will cost $15 a person. To reserve a spot, text 815-866-1975 or email to PutnamCountyRotary@gmail.com by June 4.