Apollo 5K aims to raise awareness of human trafficking

It might come as a surprise to many just how prevalent human trafficking is in Westmoreland County.

The county is ninth in the state for human trafficking incidents, said Kristen Malone-Bodair, education outreach program manager for the Blackburn Center. The Blackburn Center coordinates the Westmoreland Human Trafficking Task Force, whose mission is to enhance education, identify victims and increase awareness to decrease the number of lives affected by human trafficking.

“A lot of people are surprised by that,” Malone-Bodair said. “Westmoreland is higher than Allegheny County. Pennsylvania is actually ninth in the country.”

And an upcoming run/walk in Apollo aims to bring awareness to human trafficking and the vulnerabilities that contribute to it.

The Agape Outreach Ministry of the Apollo Free Methodist Church will host a Run for Freedom 5K on Saturday, Sept. 28, at the Roaring Run Trail along the Kiski River.

“The premise behind it is to bring awareness to the human trafficking issue,” said Lexi Robertson, a member of the ministry. “We’re trying to bring together the local organizations and agencies available for resources in our tiny community of Apollo.”

People can sign up online at runsignup.com for $30. Parking is available at 315 Clifford Ave. in Apollo, and participants will be bused to the trail.

The race will start at 9 a.m.

Robertson said the event aims to raise funds for nonprofit organizations, locally and nationally, that provide information and resources about human trafficking, as well as advocacy for vulnerable populations, including the homeless.

Those agencies include the Blackburn Center and Westmoreland Human Trafficking Task Force; Alice Paul House; Armstrong-Indiana-Clarion Drug & Alcohol Commission Inc.; Damsel in Defense; Jen Zimmerman of RISE; HAVIN: Helping All Victims in Need; The Asservo Project; and The Hands and Feet Project.

“It’s not solely focused on human trafficking, but the vulnerabilities surrounding it,” Robertson said, referencing domestic violence, homelessness and poverty. “We know that our community has a number of these vulnerabilities, so that’s why we thought it would be perfect.”

Malone-Bodair suggests the interstate system in Westmoreland could be behind the high rate of human trafficking in the county. Other vulnerabilities include homelessness, substance abuse and the internet.

According to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, there have been 8,751 reports of human trafficking in Pennsylvania since the agency’s inception in 2007. In 2023, 220 cases were identified, and 469 victims were involved in those cases.

Robertson said the church’s goal is to spark a larger conversation around the issue of human trafficking and to spur action in the community through service and education.

The church also set a $5,000 financial goal for the organizations.

It’s the first year the church is hosting such a run, and Robertson hopes it will become an annual event.

Malone-Bodair said her organization will provide information on human trafficking at the event.

“Our main goal is to call the community to action to end human trafficking violence,” Malone-Bodair said.