News

Lee University alumna Kelsey Yoder (’21) will host Freedom Gallery, an art gallery to support sex trafficking prevention.

Freedom Gallery will take place on Saturday, April 23, 7-9 p.m., at The Together Café, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Friday, May 20, 7-9 p.m., at Mercy Road Church Northwest, in Indianapolis, Indiana.

“Freedom Gallery will be a night of awareness and hope,” said Yoder. “It will give people the opportunity to make a difference and be a light for kids they may never meet, which I think is amazing.”

Freedom Gallery’s mission is to raise awareness of the realities of human trafficking, empower survivors, present hope, and raise funds.

In 2018, Yoder made a pledge to raise $25,000 for anti-sex trafficking efforts in Thailand, and she has raised $8,000 thus far. Through the nonprofit Remember Nhu, these funds will help open a children’s home.

According to its website, Remember Nhu is committed to ending child sex slavery through prevention by moving at-risk children to safety and meeting physical, educational, emotional, and spiritual needs. Theyurrently have 117 homes for children in 16 countries and have prevented over 2,500 children from being sold.

“I have personally seen a Remember Nhu home in Cambodia, so I know the incredible work this organization does,” said Yoder. “I want to help raise awareness and bring freedom to more kids who are vulnerable to sex trafficking.”

The art on display will be sold at a set price, in silent auction, or kept for continual awareness. All funds raised will go toward the $25,000 goal. Yoder hopes to have the remaining $17,000 raised by the end of Freedom Gallery’s series on May 20.

Several Lee University students and other alumni are participating in the event by creating original art pieces that depict both a reality of trafficking and the hope that is possible for those impacted, according to Yoder. The student participants are Evan Diaz, Avery Engles, Sydney Giaquinto, Marianna Harper, Anya Newell, and Sophie Ramseur. The alumni participating are Payton Hayman, Grace Manning, Lydia Owens, and Ellie (Sikes) Whitener, among others.

Other Lee representatives who have helped Yoder with the gallery are Zach Camp, graduate student at Lee and Freedom Gallery’s promotion videographer; Larson Church, student; Olivia Haugan, alum; and Riley Henry, student.

“I hope people come to this event and learn more about the reality of human trafficking around the world and locally, but I also hope they walk away knowing they can make a difference,” said Yoder.

Yoder’s fundraising and awareness efforts in the past have included a prayer event, a “Push for Freedom” pushup challenge, and an interval marathon.

While at Lee, Yoder played on the Lady Flames soccer team and was the team representative for the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). She was also a member of the Cleveland Against Sex Trafficking (CAST) club and vice president for the National Nursing Association for Lee. She was on the Gulf South Conference honor roll, a Sigma Theta Tau International Nurses Society member, a National Athletic Honors Society member, and graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in nursing.

The attire for the event is formal, and Yoder asks guests to wear black, red, or white.

The Together Café is located at 801 S Orchard Knob Ave. Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Mercy Road Church Northwest in located at 9511 Angola Court Indianapolis, Indiana.

Tickets for Freedom Gallery are $15 for general admission and $5 for students. To purchase tickets, visit eventbrite.com or scan the QR code.

To learn more about the fundraiser visit classy.org or email Yoder at [email protected].

For more information about Remember Nhu, visit remembernhu.org.