CareSource, Rescuing Hope and the Atlanta Hawks unveil human trafficking prevention signage at State Farm Arena

Organizations partner to expand training and educate about human trafficking in Georgia

ATLANTA (CARESOURCE) – CareSource, a nationally recognized nonprofit health plan serving more than 450,000 Georgians, unveiled new signage today with partners Rescuing Hope and the Atlanta Hawks. CareSource funded the signage which is displayed at the State Farm Arena Sapphire parking deck to alert and educate Georgians on what to do if human trafficking is suspected. The signage is in both English and Spanish and includes important hotline information.

“The victims of human trafficking blend into society and often times go unseen and unheard," said Jason Bearden, president of CareSource Georgia. “By collaborating with Rescuing Hope and the Atlanta Hawks, we are empowering individuals in our community to recognize signs of human trafficking, protect at-risk populations and actively contribute to stopping this crime.”

Since 2007, the national human trafficking hotline has identified 11,038 victims in Georgia, which has the 7th highest human trafficking rates in the nation. The Federal Bureau of Investigation named Atlanta one of the top 14 cities with abnormally high rates of human trafficking, making human trafficking a critical issue in Atlanta and across the state.

“CareSource has been instrumental in supporting our mission to enlighten Georgians about human trafficking, educate potential victims and empower advocates and survivors,” said Susan Norris, founder of Rescuing Hope. “The signage will raise awareness about the threat of human trafficking and provide hotline information for those in need. This collaboration will truly make a difference in the fight against human trafficking.”

“We know the importance of our platform as we team up with CareSource and Rescuing Hope to raise awareness on this important issue,” said Hawks and State Farm Arena’s Senior Vice President of Safety and Security and former Atlanta Police Chief (2010-17) George Turner. “We find it very important for our staff and the community to be able to properly identify signs of human trafficking, safeguard underserved groups and play an active role in preventing this crime.”

As part of this partnership, Atlanta Hawks employees received special training from Rescuing Hope to help identify and take the appropriate actions when human trafficking is suspected.

Those interested in supporting the mission of Rescuing Hope can visit rescuinghope.com for more information.

About Rescuing Hope

Rescuing Hope is a Georgia 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose vision is to eradicate sex trafficking. Since 2015 the team remains focused on the mission to enlighten the public about sex trafficking in America, educate potential victims and first responders, and empower advocates and survivors. The founder, Susan Norris, is a nationally recognized leader in this movement, and is a member of First Lady of Georgia Marty Kemp’s GRACE Commission and the Georgia Statewide Human Trafficking Task Force. For more information, visit www.rescuinghope.com.