November 2010 (I think I should go back to my newsletter . . . )

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November 2010 (I think I should go back to my newsletter with all this news)  

• NOVEMBER 26, 2010: This is the link to an article called Hope in the City Lunch: Deborah’s Gate by Julie Burtinshaw. 
• NOVEMBER 25, 2010: This is the link to the Salvation Army HOPE IN THE CITY video, HOPE GIVER, that was shown at the Luncheon fundraiser held on Thursday, November 25, 2010 in Burnaby, BC. 
• NOVEMBER 23, 2010: This is the link to the article that was posted in World Wide Hippies - Taken: Jessie’s Story by Michelle Close Mills. 

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On Thursday, November 25, 2010, I attended the HOPE IN THE CITY fundraiser luncheon in Burnaby (Vancouver), BC. I was invited after one of the organizers of the event saw me at Professor Benjamin Perrin’s book launch for INVISIBLE CHAINS: Canada’s Underground World of Human Trafficking. She sent the following message:

Hi Glendene, my name is Jamie R. and I attended the reception and launch for Ben Perrin's book last Monday at the Chan Center, where Ben referred to your story a few times.

Every year The Salvation Army hosts an event called the Hope in the City Luncheon, which raises funds for our anti-human trafficking program and builds awareness. The funds support Deborah's Gate, which is our safe house for victims who are escaping trafficking Ben is speaking at the event for the second year, and we are really excited to build on the success of last years event.

One of the elements of the lunch that we are currently working on is a video. We have a project called Hope Giver that shares the story of people who were once hopeless who are now giving hope to other people. At the event your courageous spirit was so evident, as was your commitment to pursue your daughter and raise awareness around the devastating issue of trafficking. This spirit is obviously something that build hope in everyone who comes in contact with you.

I was wondering if we could talk about sharing your story in the video? We respect that this is a sensitive subject, so we could obviously discuss how the story would be presented to make sure you are comfortable. Thanks for your consideration!

Of course I said yes and so they sent Allison S. and David to my home in Kamloops to do the video, and then they made the arrangements for me to get to Burnaby (Vancouver) and back. I left Wednesday, November 24th, but the weather was not great. The plane left an hour late (booked for 7:20PM, left at 8:30PM), so of course, it got me in late. Then when I got to Vancouver, my suitcase did not end up on the luggage carrousel. SO, I had to fill out a DELAYED BAGGAGE claim and wait for them to look for it. I suggested they check the cart on the tarmac, in case it ended up with the non-checked baggage. They never did, and eventually they found it, ON THE CART WITH THE NON-CHECKED BAGGAGE!!! LOL – but hey, no matter how irritating it was to wait for the flights and to wait for my suitcase – it was really nothing in the realm of things. In my life it was nothing.

OH, I have to mention this. When I was going down to Las Vegas, NV for the first time when Jessie first went missing, my best friend, Brenda Rose and I were booked to fly from Vancouver, BC to Calgary, AB so we could go through Jessie's storage unit before we went to Las Vegas, NV. Well two funny things happened. 

The second one first: we drove from Jessie's dads place in the Northeast end of Calgary all the way to the Southwest end of the city – about 40 or 50 minutes of driving, only to find out when we got there that we had the wrong key for the storage unit, so we ended up going through it on our way home from Las Vegas – which was not too bad, because though we found a lot of stuff in there, there was not really anything that would have changed the course of our trip to Las Vegas.

The first funny thing: (though certainly not funny when it happened) was on the drive to Vancouver in Brenda's truck to get to an international airport. She did not have a tailgate on her truck, and I questioned the safety of our luggage in the back, considering we would be driving through the mountains of British Columbia for around 4 hours from Kamloops to Vancouver. She told me it was okay, not to worry, and I said okay, worried to death!! So, we get all the way to Vancouver and were heading to my brother's place where we would be parking the truck while we were gone. I looked in the back of the truck and my heart stopped. Where there were once 4 suitcases – my 2 red ones and Brenda's 2 blue ones, and there were just 3. Two blue and ONE red. One of my suitcases was gone. I instantly felt my heart start to beat; Brenda was trying to keep me from panicking, though I think internally she was going 'SHIT'!! 'OH NO'!!! We back-tracked our travels for a bit, but there were no signs of the bag – or the items scattered across the road. So we stopped and called my brother, explained where we were and he said he would come meet up with us. Then we phoned my house in case someone found it and called my number from the tag on it. YA, like that is about to happen. I got a hold of my hubby, and he told me that a man just called and said he found my suitcase and he left his phone number and address. YAHOO! I was amazed and thrilled. I thanked God for this, since it was my big suitcase and it had my binder of Jessie articles, which is like a bible to me during this. So, my brother got to where we were, and we followed him to get my bag! We got the bag and got to my brother's place to park the truck and he got us to the airport just in time to make our flight.

SO, MISSING LUGGAGE IS NOT SOMETHING I HAVE NO EXPERIENCE WITH.

ANYWAYS. I got to the hotel at about 11:00PM or so. Allison had picked me up and drove me there. I ended up not able to sleep until at least 2:00AM, and then I woke up at about 5:30AM – from the wind howling outside. Vancouver was getting one of the very few snow storms (they are on the pacific coast – the Pacific Ocean), they get a lot of rain there. And there was a lot of snow happening. I ended up watching some TV and getting on the Internet, checking my mail and posting on Facebook. Even had a quick exchange with my daughter, Jennee, who thought I had not told her I was going to Vancouver (but I had).

Then Allison called and said because of the amount of snow they were coming to pick me up an hour earlier than we discussed the night before, so I finished getting ready. I was packed and waiting for them and anxious to get the day under way. I was looking forward to this event – meeting the people and seeing the video that David had worked so hard on.

It was about an hour or a bit longer of a drive to get there – it was at a golf course in Burnaby, but I can’t recall the name, and that is too bad, because it was a very nice place. But we got there a bit early and they finished setting up (they had started the night before). People started mingling and soon all the guests were there – 250 people. There was a silent auction in the back room and people were bidding on items before lunch was served.

Lunch was awesome. The first course was a spinach salad with a stack of tomatoes and cheese and some saucy-stuff on top. Sorry, but I don’t know the name of the dish, but it was very good. The main course was a scoop of mashed potatoes with some stuffing in the middle, and on top of that there was some turkey with gravy. There were roasted yams, green beans, carrots and cranberries. Desert was a miniature apple pie with a scoop of ice cream on top and a dollop of whipping cream with a strawberry stuck in it. IT WAS ALL DELICIOUS.

After we ate they played the video about Jessie’s case, I was introduced to everyone. I was actually amazed – I got a standing ovation. There was hardly a dry eye in the place, including mine. I was asked several questions about Jessie and her case . . . and then I got to sit down again. OH, I never mentioned this – I was at the head table, with guest speaker Professor Perrin, emcee Pamela Martin, (co-anchor with Bill Good on Vancouver’s CTV News at Six) and several others. It was such an honour.

So, after that we got the honour of listening to Professor Perrin speak. I am always in awe at the amount of knowledge this man has. I have learned so much from him and I have even been finding myself starting to use some of his wording. For example, in his book he writes about LOVE BOMBING, meaning showering the victim with love (instead of drugs), exactly what happened to Jessie. I now know the correct term to use, just like when I used to say “Jessie was taken away against her will and is being forced to work in the sex-trade” – now I say “Jessie is the victim of human trafficking”. I have always known what I mean; I just have not always had the correct terminology for it.

After our wonderful guest speaker was done they held their live auction. There were some amazing pieces of artwork; a Vancouver Canucks hockey stick signed by the entire team; many different crowns that were made by some of the women & their daughters and where being used for the table centerpieces; and several other very nice items. And after both auctions it was time to leave. I was given a thank you gift, which was a beautiful leather bound Salvation Army binder, and a HUGE basket of goodies. I was able to get most of it in my suitcase except for 3 things.

I wanted to mention something Professor Perrin and I talked about at the table. About how I had written an article called “Prostitution – The World’s Oldest Profession and the only profession to allow its workers to be KIDNAPPED &/or KILLED” and after it was published in the Sept/Oct 2010 CrimeWatch Canada Magazine, I changed my opinion about something I had put in it. He said that is okay, that he too had a change of heart about things over the years, including having The Swedish Model change his ways of thinking some too, though he did not elaborate how. What he encouraged me to do, was to write about how this changed my mind. He told me it would be something important to tell people.

The thing that I changed my mind about is that I once thought that legalizing prostitution was most likely the only solution to a horrific problem. Now I don’t think that at all. Not since I read The Swedish Model. That told me there IS another solution and it IS working perfectly fine, thank you very much! Actually the name has expanded to The Nordic Model, because when Sweden made the act of selling sex (demand) legal BUT the act of buying sex (supply) illegal and driving a lot of the pimps and human traffickers out of Sweden and into the neighbouring countries – the neighbouring countries established the same laws. Now modern-day sex slavery has all but diminished over there. Why can’t we do it here? Great question and one Professor Perrin has been trying to get answered.

At the event I asked Professor Benjamin Perrin if he would think about coming to Kamloops to do a talk and he said of course. Now, that would be awesome and I could be involved in organizing it! I will see what we can figure out and let everyone know.

When it was time to leave, the plane was an hour late and, you got it – my suitcase did not make it. I had to file a DELAYED BAGGAGE claim and it was delivered to my home the next morning.

HOME-SWEET-HOME! 

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I have been invited to speak about Jessie and human trafficking at the official launch of CANADIANS AGAINST SLAVERY in Toronto, Ontario on January 28th and 29th, 2011 (my younger sister Barb’s birthday is January 28th). I may have to do some fundraising to get there and back, but you know me, nothing will stop me. What a good way to start the new year. The 5th year of Jessie’s disappearance will be on March 29th and it is the year of Jessie’s 27th champagne birthday – she will be 27 on May 27th. I am posting the message below and when there is more info, I will let you know:

Dear Missing Jessie Foster (Mom, sisters et al),

A number of people have suggested I contact you.

We (Canadians Against Slavery) have an office space in 331 York Lanes at York University. Our mission is to research, educate and aid in partnership in order to end slavery in local and global communities.

To mark our official launch out of the Harriet Tubman Institute in Toronto, we are holding a benefit concert on January 28 and a one day conference on January 29. One of our co-founders is a musician, who recently performed in front of 10,000 people at a World Bank event in Washington, D.C. He and I are working on what we hope will be a very inspiring, uplifting concert. The conference on January 29 will feature Canadian NGOs freeing slaves; Canadian front line activists and survivors; law enforcement officials; government officials, journalists, educators and researchers. We are excited to have the International Justice Mission, Chab Dai Canada, Timea Nagy, Marty Van Doren of the RCMP, government officials and other organizations, survivors, officials and advocates set to present. I suspect you already know many of them, but perhaps will not know some of those doing work on forced labour and/or trafficking for forced marriage. 

We believe that not enough attention has been drawn to Jessie's case. Would you be interested in presenting, participating or presenting at our launch? 

I look forward to hearing from you, Karlee S. 

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I wrote this article earlier this month: Hooker Barbie, Druggie Barbie – Pimp Ken, and then last week I got a call from another Canadian mother – she had been searching for some place to turn to for help and she found this and she found me.

The first was a mother who was referred to me by ACT (Action Coalition of human Trafficking – Alberta) when they did not know how to help her. Her daughter was being groomed and was about to become a human trafficking victim. We were able to save her. We talked and talked – I talked to the mom, the dad and the daughter and now she is safe and sound and away from everything. WHAT A WONDERFUL FEELING IT IS, TO KNOW I HAVE HELPED SAVE SOMEONE.

The call I got last week was from another woman who told me about her daughter, who she suspected was being groomed by a human trafficker. She had left her home and gone to Las Vegas, and was losing contact with her family and friends. Her story is so much like Jessie’s but there was one huge difference, she was not missing and we were not about to allow it to happen. I have been in touch with this mother and I have got her in touch with people in Canada and in Las Vegas, NV USA who are able to help save this young woman. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? I HAVE ACTUALLY HELPED SAVE 2 YOUNG WOMEN FROM A VERY QUESTIONABLE FATE. Knowing this truly helps me get through this horrible time in my life.

Another person that I believe I have helped is a young woman who was rescued from a human trafficking ring several years ago, but she was having trouble coping and we spent some time conversing back and forth – I referred her to someone that is even more experienced at counselling than I and I think that this has helped. We have not talked for a while, but I know she would contact me if she needed me. THIS IS MY CALLING. I HAVE BEEN GIVEN THE ABILITY TO TALK TO PEOPLE, TO RELATE TO THEM AND FOR THEM TO UNDERSTAND I AM HERE FOR THEM.

I have also been approached by people in the USA who need help, but I have not got the knowledge of the different states, so I have been referring them to a dear friend of mine and probably America’s leading human trafficking expert.

I do not judge people, because trust me; I don’t want to be judged by them. It is not up to me to decide what a person should be doing – but I do give people my honest opinion and great wealth of human trafficking knowledge and I help them to make some good choices – to make some educated decisions. EDUCATION IS POWER! 

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And so you all know, I have been directed on how to make a request form for me to send out when I get an invitation to go to a function like these fundraisers I have been going to. 

It was explained to me (and I knew, but did not know what to do about it) that I cannot keep giving my time away, as I also have bills to pay and I still have to eat and pay rent, and she considers me a teacher and that all teachers get paid and for me to not feel bad about asking for a fee to attend, after all, these fundraiser are raising a lot of money for the organizations and there is not one other person that is there to speak that is not being paid a fee. So, I am proud to announce that I am hopefully on my way to earning an income as I continue to do the good work I do for this cause. As I continue to educate the citizens of my country and our world about human trafficking. I will no longer feel as if I am only doing this for Jessie and my family. I am doing this for everyone – for everyone's child, everyone's sibling, everyone's parent. I am doing this for everyone, including myself. Thank you all for your continued support, love and prayers in our search for Jessie. And remember, if you want me to attend a function, a class, an organization's event or fundraiser, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Below I am attaching what the form looks like so you can see it, including my logo for M.A.T.H. that I created myself and I am very proud of. If you would like a copy of the request in document form, please message me for it and I will be happy to send it and very happy to have anyone decided to help support my work in educating people about human trafficking and telling the world about missing Jessie Foster. That form will have room for you to answer the questions, this does not. ©    M.A.T.H. Mothers Against Trafficking Humans

   [EVENT / SPEAKER REQUEST FORM]

Please read the following and fill in where requested before completing this request:

Glendene Grant, founder of M.A.T.H., is the mother of missing Jessie Foster. Jessie is an international endangered missing woman and the victim of human trafficking. Jessie is from Canada and was lured to the USA, forced to work for an escort agency and when she tried to leave months later, she vanished

Ø  Glendene’s first priority is to educate others on the crime of human trafficking, a crime that has been sweeping the world forever, but is now finally front-page news in Canada and the USA.

Ø  Glendene also includes a bio of her daughter Jessie Foster, to show that she really could have been anyone’s daughter, sister, or friend or more importantly, that this can happen to anyone.

Ø  Glendene is very dedicated to this educational program so she can help prevent others from living what her family has been through, especially her daughter, Jessie Foster, for so long.

Ø  Glendene’s speaking fees go directly to back to M.A.T.H. to ensure that she is able to stay informed and trained, and to continue these educational presentations that are so important. 

1: What is the name of your Organization? 

2: What type of service does your organization provide? 

3: What is your target date and estimated time of the presentation? 

4: What is the location or region of where this presentation will take place? 

5: How many people are you expecting to attend? 

6: What is the length of time you would like Glendene to speak for? 

7: What is your budget? 

8: Please indicate what you would like to be included with this presentation:  

8-a: Jessie Foster’s personal story

8-b: Glendene’s past half decade searching for Jessie and learning about human trafficking 

8-c: General information about human trafficking in

8-c-i: Laws  

8-c-ii: Cases  

8-c-iii: Human trafficking presentation 

Speaking Request fee: 

- LOCATION: Kamloops & local area - KM: 46¢ - MEALS: N/A - TRAVEL TIME: N/A - FEE: $ - 1 to 2 HOURS

- LOCATION: 1 hour & a half away or more from Kamloops - KM: 46¢ - MEALS: N/A - TRAVEL TIME: N/A - FEE: $ - 1 to 2 HOURS

- LOCATION: Overnight stay - Client books - travel & hotel - MEALS: 3 meals per day ($60) - TRAVEL TIME: $100 RETURN - FEE: $ - 1 to 3 HOURS

Please email your form to: jessiesmom@jessiefoster.ca

Subject line: EVENT or SPEAKING REQUEST

Do the M.A.T.H.: Per year there are up to *2.5 million victims worldwide plus a global market of over **40 billion dollars.

#1: DRUGS - sold and used once.

#2: GUNS - sold and used several times.

#3: PEOPLE - sold and used over & over & over.

*The UN estimates "800,000 to 2.5 million new victims from 155 countries are trafficked annually"

**The Council of Europe states a "global annual (modern-day slavery) market of about $42.5 billion"