On May 25, NUUF met for service at the Legion in Nisswa; this was a comedy of errors that turned out just fine. The library, our usual meeting place, was locked, so we asked if we could use a room at the Legion, and they kindly gave us space.
Our program was presented by Amanda Schwarzkopf, coordinator/advocate for Sexual Assault Services in Brainerd. She shared information on sexual assault and human trafficking in MN, one of the leading states where this occurs in epidemic proportions. The FBI ranks MN as the nation's 13th largest center for human trafficking of children; between 8,000 and 12,000 women and children of all races are involved in prostitution on any given night. (source: US Dept of State.) There are local agencies working in a multidisciplinary approach to address these problems which encompasses runaways, the homeless, drug addicted, mental illnesses, and an array of problems culminating in this population of vulnerable people. For more information, contact Amanda at North Central MN STOP Coalition, Sexual Assault Services, at 218-828-0494, or the National Human Trafficking Resource Center, 1-888-373-7888.
Here is a thought: The UU congregation in Bedford MA has developed a gun buyback program, along with the local police chief, with a small seed fund, paying$50 for unwanted/unused guns that might cause accidental shootings This was in response to the Newtown incident, and was modeled after other UU programs in New Jersey and elsewhere....
Our next meeting is on June 16, a Sunday, for a picnic in the Pine River park, pot luck....hopefully a sunny day....see you there!
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