In this powerful episode of Retire in Texas, host Darryl Lyons, CEO and Co-Founder of PAX Financial Group, is joined by Sarassa Inglis, Executive Director at Ransomed Life, and Roger Stukkie, Financial Advisor at PAX and a board member at Ransomed Life. Together, they shed light on the realities of child sex trafficking and exploitation happening right here in our local communities, and how Ransomed Life has been providing hope, healing, and mentorship for the past ten years.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
The truth about human trafficking in San Antonio – and why it’s not just a border issue
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How Ransomed Life’s mentorship and counseling programs help victims rebuild their lives.
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Ways that listeners can volunteer, donate, or become mentors.
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Details about Ransomed Life’s 10-Year Celebration at the Witte Museum.
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How purpose and service can transform your “second chapter” of life.
To learn more about Ransomed Life or to get involved, visit http://www.ransomedlifetexas.org.
If you benefitted from today’s episode, feel free to share it with your family and friends!
Transcript:
Darryl: Hey, this is Darryl Lyons, CEO and Co-Founder, PAX Financial Group, and you’re listening to Retire in Texas. Thanks for tuning in. This information is general in nature only. It’s not intended to provide specific investment, tax or legal advice. Visit PAXFinancialGroup.com for more information. So, I want to do another guest today. We’ve got Sarassa Inglis here. So, thank you so much for coming today with Ransomed Life.
I really, really want to share, what they are doing at Ransomed Life. So please stay tuned because what they’re doing in the community, you need to be aware of. And if you’ve heard anything about human trafficking, you need to stay to the very end. I also have Roger Stukkie with me. Just kidding. Roger Stukkie. So Roger’s one of the partners, he’s been on the show before, so I get to mess with him a little bit.
But we’re going to jump right into it and, you hear us a lot at PAX talk about charitable giving. I’ve done many episodes on charitable giving, not only what it can do for you personally, but also just being engaged with the ministry, understanding what they’re doing, how they’re doing it. And you can play a role in making this world a better place.
Ransomed Life is one of those organizations in the community that we’ve been affiliated with and help support for a while. Roger’s on the board. But I wanted you to hear firsthand about Ransomed Life. So could you share a little bit about what Ransomed Life is?
Sarassa: Yeah. So Ransomed Life. We are a faith-based nonprofit in San Antonio. And really, we’re fighting child sex trafficking, sexual exploitation, both upstream as well as downstream. So, we do that through prevention education and then our client services, which are counseling and mentoring for 11 to 24 year olds and their family members. And we have been around for ten years.
This is our 10th year. And so really just started out of a need of a young lady that was trafficked in San Antonio, and her mom and counselor got together and formed Ransomed Life. Just out of that response to do something. And so, we originally started with a mentor program, as well as trying to raise awareness to the issue of what was going on.
Darryl: So we’re in San Antonio. People listen all across the world, frankly, here. But, since we’re in San Antonio, is this a child trafficking, human trafficking spot? I heard it is.
Sarassa: Yes. It is very much a local issue.
Darryl: Like, is it proximity to Mexico. Or what is it?
Sarassa: So, no. Yes and no. So human trafficking as a broad whole topic. There are trafficking cases going on at the border for sure. What we’ve seen at Ransomed Life, we actually have never served someone from the border at Ransomed Life. Not to say that we wouldn’t, but that’s just hasn’t been the reality.
It’s all our local kids in our backyards. And really, across the U.S, that’s what it is. No matter what state you’re in, what city you’re in, it is local kids that are being trafficked and exploited.
Darryl: I don’t want to go too dark here, but just to paint a picture. Can you give me an example of maybe somebody that you helped? Obviously leaving out information, but a child in their situation and how you might have helped them?
Sarassa: Yeah. So I’ll give you one, I guess. So, she was involved in the foster care system. And her original parents didn’t want her. Then she was with kinship, family, a relative. And then there was a lot of turmoil in that house, a lot of fighting. She ended up getting involved in the juvenile justice system, which is where we get a lot of our referrals from actually.
And then she was exploited online. So, she had gotten into a relationship with someone. Pictures were exchanged, exploitation happened. And then eventually she got paired up with us and our counseling and our mentoring and her mentor really has been basically the only person in her life now that is walking alongside her and supporting her.
Because she got caught up in all of this stuff and in the foster care system and removed and placements and all the things. And so, her mentor has been like her rock in her life, which has been encouraging to see.
Darryl: So how many mentors are there?
Sarassa: So right now, we have 12, we’re on a smaller number right now, but we actually need more mentors.
Darryl: Okay. Good to know.
Sarassa: Yes. So, we are getting more referrals into our mentor program. And so we’re actually about to launch a whole mentor recruitment.
Darryl: I don’t know if that’s good or bad. That just means that I mean, I know you’re solving problems, but the problem is not going away either. So do you need more mentors?
Sarassa: Yes. Yeah. We joke all the time at Ransomed Life that we love to work ourselves out of a job. Rather not have a job. But because it is good that they’re getting paired with someone that they can trust.
Darryl: Roger, tell us how you, got involved with Ransomed Life. And what do you do?
Roger: Yeah, well, you had mentioned earlier that I am on the board, which really stemmed out of we have a heart at PAX that we are involved in our local community. I think almost every advisor here is on a board. And so, it was actually you initially connected me to Ransomed Life for that opportunity. So, I’ve been on the board there for a little over three years now, which is, it’s been a journey, just watching how we have grown in just those three years, but just the knowledge of better, even understanding what the problem is and what we’re fighting.
I mean, you had mentioned something just about, like, the border or, I think people still have this imagery that human trafficking is somebody getting captured and taken away or kidnaped. And the reality is, the majority of the stuff that is happening is coming from the phone that you hold in your pockets. People are establishing relationships and connections to people who they think they know, but they don’t.
And then pictures get exchanged, as Sarassa had just mentioned in that one scenario. And then once they have something on you, then, they begin to leverage you for money and different things like that. And that’s what we’re seeing more of this stuff happening is.
Darryl: Yeah, I always think of it, somebody is thrown in the back of a pickup and taken across the country. Right. But it’s whatever’s happening and from a cyber, like a cyber issues. So yeah. Thank you for resetting that. So, Sarassa, how did you get involved with this to begin with?
Sarassa: I got involved originally, I guess in college was when my eyes kind of were open to child sex trafficking in America, which really was through a research project that I chose the topic of which, for people that know me would kind of laugh about that because I am the person that I don’t I don’t want to go watch serious, sad movies.
Like, I just, I would prefer not to, and so for me to choose that topic specifically kids in America that are being trafficked, I thought it was an international issue. I didn’t know what it looked like in America. And so really, it was through that research that I felt like God was asking me to step into the lives of kids that have been trafficked, and I had no idea what that meant, what that looked like.
I felt like I didn’t have anything to offer. I felt like I hadn’t been through anything nearly as traumatic as that. And so, I actually ended up getting connected with one of our founders, and she was like, we’re going to be launching Ransomed Life, and we’ll be doing mentoring. Would you want to be a mentor? And it was like that next week or something that they were having the mentor training.
And I went to it and was one of the first, I think there were four mentors that graduated from that class. And so just started out as a mentor, and that relationship changed my life.
Darryl: So y’all need more mentors. So, it’s a good point. So, you don’t have, like tell me a little bit. Maybe there’s some people who listen to me that want to be a mentor. You’re talking about like the San Antonio area though, right?. Yeah. Okay. So maybe just a little brief breakdown of what you’re looking for. What profile of a mentor, what that looks like.
Sarassa: So, our mentor program is really, specific to, I guess, the need of each kid. So, whenever we’re looking for mentors, we’re looking for people that are strong believers, and that are going to love this child like the love of Christ really is what we’re looking for. It does not have to be anything more specific than that.
As long as they’re over the age of 21, we have a very extensive training program that we put them through, background checks, all of that. Just trying to equip them for what that relationship could look like. And then once they’re in their relationship, we ask them to commit to at least one year. Our goal, obviously, is for that to extend past the year in that relationship to continue.
But the commitment is a year. And really what that looks like is they’re meeting twice a month in person. And then they’re staying in contact on a weekly basis and trying to just really encourage them, set goals with them, help them reach those goals is really what the mentor program.
Darryl: That makes sense. You know, we have a lot of people that are retiring, or we often say pivoting into the next chapter. And so, I was doing research yesterday and just, the need to have purpose in the second chapter of life for many people. So those that are listening that feel called a mentor, reach out to Ransomed Life.
Sarassa: Yeah. And can I add one more thing?. I just, I think I was in this boat and I want to encourage anyone that’s listening that might be thinking something similar to what I was thinking of. I don’t have anything to offer. I haven’t been through this. And really, these teenagers are just looking for someone to support them and love them.
And so, if you can offer support and love, you don’t have to have a certain qualification or have gone through a similar traumatic event to be able to connect to it.
Darryl: That’s how I would think, like, okay, I haven’t experienced that, so I don’t really know how to relate, but I would hope that you’d be able to give somebody like me who doesn’t have that experience, some of the talking points and the training and coaching.
Sarassa: Yes, the training.
Darryl: What’s the prevention education that you all talk about?
Sarassa: Yes. So that is just as important as the client services that we offer. We are trying to get in front of the issue to prevent it from happening to our kids. So really our prevention education, we have different presentations and trainings. The focus of that is for the youth. So, we have an elementary presentation and we have a middle school and high school presence.
Darryl: Do you go to the schools?
Sarassa: We go to the schools. Yes. Or any organization working with you. Churches like youth groups, anyone that has a captive audience of kids, we will come and.
Darryl: Help them understand. Like who? They’re a target. And here’s some things to look for.
Sarassa: Yes. So we talk about grooming and how it happens. Our elementary age presentation is very,
Darryl: Like, Fortnite or Roblox based.
Sarassa: Yes. So even talking about like, the internet and talking to people on the internet, how do you know it’s actually that person. So, our elementary age presentation is kind of laying that framework. And then our middle school and high school presentation goes into a lot more details of how you can be groomed. What that looks like, sharing pictures if you should do that or not, you know, all of that.
And then if that has happened to you, what do you do? Do you have a trusted adult in your life, who are trusted adults? We go through all of that in the presentation.
Darryl: Many of these kids and young adults have experienced trauma. So, do you all have, a kind of, a specific way that you address the trauma? I mean, I know there’s something called like trauma support counseling services that y’all offer, but I don’t know really what that is.
Sarassa: Yes. So, our counseling program is essentially where we address all of the trauma. And that is with licensed mental health professionals that are on staff with us. And so, they have very specific techniques that are geared to helping the client walk through that trauma, but in a safe way, obviously, to be able to find healing on the other side.
So, they have lots of different modalities that they use in order to address that trauma. And we encourage our mentors that that’s not their role. That’s the professional counselor’s role.
Darryl:. Okay, good. Because if I was meant to be like, I don’t know if I can handle that.
Sarassa: No. Yeah. That is our licensed professionals. And so, that’s why I love how our program kind of intertwines, because if they are in counseling and mentoring, they’re getting that very specific trauma focus to help them heal. And then the mentor is able to just wrap around and support them and walk them through their goals of wanting to be healthier, wanting to get their driver’s license or anything like that.
Darryl: Yeah, and it makes sense. I was talking to somebody just the other day who is helping a young lady, coming out of the foster system as a mentor, independent of the program. So we’re having lunch, and he was really excited, but, you know, hyper focused on just simply teaching this young lady how to drive. So, yeah, I think that, you know.
Sarassa: It’s like everyday things. Yeah.
Darryl: Everyday things. I want to talk money because that’s part of what I think about and turn it to Roger. But I want you to chime in as well. So how do you get money to make this whole thing work? And I know that’s part of your role to certain degree. You want to share a little bit of the economics of the organization?
Roger: Yeah. I specifically, I serve as the treasurer for our board, so looking through all the numbers. But I would say the money comes to us through, depending on how granular you want to get, I’ll say three main sources. Grants are a huge thing. And so those come from different places. We have, you know, grants that we get from the office of the governor that helps support the cost of salaries for the counselors she was talking about.
Then you get grants from foundations and other organizations that are out there, and they’re trying to help non-profits. So that’s a that’s a big space and probably is the majority of the space. And then you can break down the other two things into, really comes through donations from people and corporations. And that happens either on one off an ongoing basis or through different events and things that we would do throughout the year.
So, one thing that we, a lot of nonprofits will do, like a gala, a gala, however you say that. And we do something called a prayer breakfast. And we get together once a year on that, have a presentation to help educate people on what this whole thing is about. But that’s one of the main ways that we would do a fundraiser in the year.
Darryl: Any other ways that people can help and get involved. Because again, we have a lot of listeners that have a heart and even maybe even have the economic means and we just know, read it over and over again.
You know, if we give our time and our finances, we tend to be just happier people. So, the challenge for a lot of people is just not knowing where to go. And so, can you remind us or just reinforce or maybe give us new ideas on how the community listening can be engaged with Ransomed Life?
Sarassa: Yeah. So, I’ll start, I guess, on the volunteer side. So, like I mentioned, our mentors are volunteers. That is one area that people can give back their time. That is not for everyone. We know that we also have so our prevention education team, we have two staff members for prevention education and the rest is also volunteers.
So, these are, we have retired teachers, we have retired nurses, people that don’t mind speaking in front of people, that are willing to go out in the community and share about this issue and what people can do. And so, if you love to talk and be in front of people, we would love to have you on our prevention education team.
And then we do have a, I guess, a smaller subset of volunteers that help with like the prayer breakfast and stuff. So, volunteers that are helping us set things up and tear things down and centerpieces and, you know, stuff for events. And then financially, we love people to partner. So, either one-time gifts or monthly gifts. Yeah.
We, like Roger mentioned, get grants and foundations. Those are not always guaranteed from year to year. And so that can be really difficult. And all of our services we offer at no cost to the kids and their families. And as I’m sure most people know, counseling is very expensive.
Yeah. And so, trying to cover that costs constantly. We have people that donate to us monthly, which is a huge blessing being able to kind of depend on that coming in as well as like the grants and stuff. So financially, there’s lots of areas that people can contribute to, whether they want it specific to a program or just wherever it’s needed.
Darryl: Yeah, this went by fast. And I know we just kind of touched on everything. But again I want to reinforce, our heart at PAX is to really connect our community with nonprofits that that, you know, in some way God has tugged at somebody’s heart to serve.
And so if this is pinging you in any way be sure to swing through on that, and find a way to get involved. And at the very least, it’s, you know, volunteering for one year. Seems like a way to find a way to just learn more and kind of be involved always.
You know, at church, I always think church is much more enjoyable when you serve. I’ve always found that church is enjoyable when you serve, when you don’t serve, you’re always complaining about stuff. But when you serve, you just serve and you find yourself, you’re bumping into people. And so, when you find an organization, you want to really get to know it, you, you get involved.
And then kind of then it starts to become real. So, thank you again for coming today and just kind of blowing through this pretty quickly. Roger, thank you for your insight.
Roger: You’re welcome.
Darryl: This was a wonderful time that we spent together this, Friday afternoon. And I look forward to sharing it with the world. And remember, everyone who’s listening. You think different when you think long term. Have a great day.
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