Let me tell you about pennies...
You know, the little copper coins you find in the most obscure places. They are rather cheap, usually dirty, and often overlooked.
In 2012 I had a lightbulb moment. I was sitting in a college class titled Human Trafficking in America. The professor compared pennies to victims of human trafficking. Just as pennies are stepped on and stepped over, so are victims of human trafficking. Pennies are left on gas station countertops for our convenience – we take one if we need one, and we leave it if we don’t. These copper coins represent the millions of victims across the globe.
I knew I would never see a penny the same again. I knew I wanted to help abolish this worldwide injustice. But I was one seemingly insignificant college girl from a small town in Alabama. What could I do to help bring freedom to MILLIONS in captivity around the entire globe?!
Doing nothing was not an option. We started making penny bracelets and donating the proceeds to A21. I would sell a penny bracelet to anyone, I mean anyone, who would buy one. If you knew me in 2013, you were more than likely tired of me begging (okay, maybe forcing) people to buy a penny bracelet.
A few months into selling penny bracelets to my friends and family, a rather unlikely turn of events happened. Singer/songwriter Kari Jobe reached out and asked if she could start selling these penny bracelets in her merchandise. I was shocked. It was a dream come true to have someone give such a significant voice to the pennies!
Kari picking up the penny bracelets is what turned this small-town dream into a nationwide movement. People all over America started buying penny bracelets and creating awareness of trafficking in their sphere of influence.
We donate proceeds from sales to A21 to do our part in helping end human trafficking.
No amount is too small. If a penny can change the world, so can you!
