Dahlia's Hope
Stories & News

​Join us at the Maverik Center on April 16 to watch the Utah Grizzlies play the Idaho Steelheads in support of Dahlia’s Hope!

We are so grateful to the Grizzlies for hosting us and helping us raise funds for survivors through ticket sales to this game. Click the link below to join us in cheering on the Grizzlies and raising awareness for Dahlia’s Hope!

https://www.fevo.com/edp/Utah-Grizzlies-vs-Idaho-Steelheads--Dahlias-Hope-m6sAYn8c

***Make sure to get your tickets through our link to ensure that a portion of your purchase goes to Dahlia's Hope!***

Today, United Nations World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, we have released our first ever Dahlia's Hope video, featuring Founding Survivor Faith, including her vision for Dahlia's Hope, what we offer, and testimonials from several survivors at Dahlia's Hope! Click the links below to join us in sharing this video, raising awareness of our holistic aftercare program, and perpetuating our message of hope and healing.
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Students from BYU Landscape Design Club, BYU Anti Human Trafficking Club, and the Landscape Management Program at BYU redesigned an area of the Dahlia’s Hope Therapeutic Animal Farm to create a healing garden for survivors. Volunteers donated labor and supplies, transforming a previously unusable area of the farm to make it functional and beautiful in two days of work! Volunteers also heard from founding survivor Faith, Senior Staff, and Founders at Dahlia’s Hope, who shared the inspiration for Dahlia’s Hope, what Dahlia’s Hope provides, and the types of healing that happen at the Therapeutic Animal Farm. 

Hannah Boyce, who came up with this project idea, heard about Dahlia’s Hope through an event last year with the Anti Human Trafficking Club where Cherstyn Stockwell, Founding Board Member at Dahlia’s Hope, introduced the organization. Survivor Advocates with Dahlia’s Hope and staff also spoke, sharing their stories and expertise. 

Hannah is passionate about fighting human trafficking and about plants and creating spaces through landscape design. One night she felt inspired to consider how she could combine these two passions and imagined creating a healing garden for survivors someday in her future. Several days later, the Landscape Design Club reached out to officers for project ideas. Hannah immediately reached out to Dahlia’s Hope and, within only a week, was sitting down with professor Greg Jolley to begin planning the project, considering what materials they could use and what they could accomplish in a day’s worth of work. As an officer in both the Anti Human Trafficking Club and Landscape Design Club at BYU, Hannah knows that human trafficking can be a heavy topic, but there are ample opportunities for those interested in making a difference to contribute through hard work. Hannah believes that opportunities to serve in a hands-on way, like this one, are exciting to students who want to have a positive impact on their communities by landscaping important spaces and fighting trafficking.

Students from the Landscape Design Club, Anti Human Trafficking Club, and students in the Landscape Management program at BYU came to participate with Hannah and Prof Jolley. Over 50 students came for a full day of volunteer work and about 15-20 returned for a day to put finishing touches on the project – in the middle of finals week! Professor Greg Jolley contributed his expertise by leading the project, which included bringing irrigation to the entire area, making multiple planning visits to the Therapeutic Animal Farm, and meetings with Dahlia’s Hope leadership to discuss survivor needs. Many of the students volunteering were practicing skills they had only studied for the first time, but worked with team leads to ensure that they met quality standards. Hannah hopes that “students feel like they were able to help make a small difference but a real difference in the community,” as she did. What was most exciting to her about this project was knowing that she would be leaving a mark on the community, making this project “honestly probably one of the most fulfilling things that [she has] done as a student at BYU”. 

After hearing Founding survivor Faith speak to volunteers, explaining the purpose of the Therapeutic Animal Farm and the ways that Dahlia’s Hope facilitates healing in the lives of survivors, Hannah said, “It was really an honor to hear her and know that we were helping to create a space that would aid her and other survivors, I think it was really special to have her there and a unique experience for a lot of students. . . I always think it's super powerful to hear directly from survivors. No one else can really talk about the issue the way that they can or with the same power”. At the project completion, Hannah reflected on the whole experience, saying, “it's just really an honor and it's been a huge blessing to be able to do this and this has motivated me and helped me want to continue to be involved.”

The entire Dahlia's Hope team is incredibly grateful for all the contributions made by Professor Jolley, Hannah, and each student who participated in this project and thrilled to open this new, healing space to survivors.

​Today is World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, a day that highlights the reality of human trafficking internationally. This year’s focus is on the first responders to human trafficking - people who identify, support, counsel and seek justice for victims of trafficking. Because human trafficking cases often go unreported and unidentified, it is virtually impossible to know how many people are suffering from this human rights violation in total. However, the current estimate is that between 20 million and 40 million people are victims of human trafficking worldwide. Human trafficking is also the fastest growing crime in the world. An estimated 71% of human trafficking victims are women and girls, while men and boys make up 29% of victims. In 2017 the International Labour Office reported that, in the sex trafficking industry specifically, women and girls make up 99% of victims. 

Human trafficking affects every country in the world, with the USA being one of the biggest consumers of sexual exploitation worldwide. Brook Bello, the founder trafficking organization More Too Life reports, “If you are trafficked in the United States, 85 percent of victims that are trafficked here are from here”. This is an issue that has affected your community, no matter where you are. So what can you do?


Use today to spread awareness both on the issue of human trafficking and the organizations that work to combat it. Dahlia’s Hope offers complete, holistic aftercare for survivors of sex trafficking, including clinical therapy, educational resources, life skills training, recreational therapy, medical attention, housing, and more. We help survivors through their transition from modern day slavery to freedom, peace, and self-reliance. As you share the realities of human trafficking with your circle today, it is imperative that you also share messages of hope so that survivors know they have resources, and so that your community knows how to support them. Human trafficking IS happening in your community. But so is awareness, so is empathy, and so are organizations like ours who are here to restore freedom to the people who have always deserved it and should never have been exploited. 


A great way to support our mission now is to support and share our 3-day online auction being held from Thursday, August 6th through Sunday, August 9th! You can help us raise funds for survivors’ aftercare by becoming a bidder and inviting your friends and loved ones to join, or by donating items to be auctioned off. Comment below if you would like us to DM you more information or email Heather@DahliasHope.org.

This June has marked the one year anniversary of Dahlia’s Hope!

Over the past year, we have provided aftercare in the form of clinical therapy, recreational therapy, equine therapy, animal therapy, housing assistance, education assistance, life skills training, medical and dental services, and essentials like food and toiletries to survivors of sex trafficking who need support as they rebuild their lives. 

We have also created a team of experts in their respective fields who work together and with their communities to provide survivors with the best care and opportunity for growth possible. Some of our team members include:

• Chris Anderson, Founding Board Member, CFO
• Cherstyn Stockwell, Founding Board Member, Development
• Caroline Marriott, Executive Clinical Director
• Steve Lindsay, Chairman of the Board, Interim Executive Director
• Layne Thompson, Board of Directors, Community Relations
• Sarah Shelden, Board of Directors, Public Relations Specialist
• Tessa White, Board of Directors, Vocational Specialist
• Matt Stockwell, Board of Directors, Development, and Community Relations
• Heather Lambert, Director of Development

Stay tuned on our social media channels and on this blog to learn more about our team and their expertise, as well as why they each work to support survivors of sex trafficking.

​We have also created an animal therapy farm, assembled a team of volunteer medical and dental professionals, built a team of over 100 volunteers, and increased the number of survivors treated by more than double in 2020 alone.

As we move into the second half of 2020, we are taking the month of July to focus on independence. Our ultimate goal is to help survivors of sex trafficking create the lives they dream of and deserve by providing them with holistic aftercare services that meet their needs as they work toward healing and independence. Each service we offer is designed to help survivors have the tools they need to effectively and consistently work toward this goal of independence.

Stay tuned to learn more about our team, the services we offer, and what we plan on accomplishing in year two! And thank you, sincerely, for fighting alongside us to provide survivors with the tools and support they need and deserve.

Sincerely, 
The Dahlia’s Hope Team