PHOTO: Courtesy of WLUK
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) — A Green Bay non-profit has secured a $20 thousand grant from Brown County to help combat human trafficking during the 2025 NFL Draft.
Awaken will use half of the funds for prevention training and promotional materials, while the remaining amount will go towards emergency services for survivors, such as food and shelter.
Businesses within the footprint of the NFL draft will receive the training, which will include information on red flags associated with human trafficking, signs to look for, and what resources exist they can reach out to if an individual is suspected of needing assistance.
However, Kasia Klaus, executive director of Awaken, says there are common signs everyone can look out for.
“Individuals that are evasive, or avoiding social contact,” said Klaus. “Also dominating individuals, so if there is somebody who is not letting the individual you’re trying to start a conversation with speak, or they’re trying to speak for them.”
Other signs can include individuals having a large amount of cash, multiple identifications, and the individual being unsure where they are.
Although Awaken has only existed in Brown County for two years, the organization has another location in Reno, Nevada. They held a similar campaign in 2011 with the Superbowl was in Las Vegas.
“We were able to be involved with facilitating survivors who were involved with the Superbowl in Vegas, and transported up to Reno,” said Klaus. “So we were the main point of contact.”
The 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay runs April 24-26.
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