The American Hotel & Lodging Association Foundation’s third annual “No Room for Trafficking Summit” will take place on July 30, coinciding with the United Nations’ World Day Against Trafficking in Persons. The upcoming summit will evaluate the first-year impact of NRFT Survivor Fund grants on nearly 650 human trafficking survivors, AHLA Foundation said in a statement.
“In 2022, we launched the NRFT Survivor Fund – a first for the hotel industry – to expand the hotel and lodging industry’s efforts to support trafficking survivors,” said Anna Blue, AHLA Foundation’s president. “Since launching the Survivor Fund, we have grown our total raised to $7.5 million towards our goal of $10 million, and we look forward to awarding $1 million in grants to community-based organizations that support human trafficking survivors at our third annual summit.”
Last year’s NRFT Summit announced the inaugural grantees of the NRFT Survivor Fund, including Safe House Project, BEST, Restore NYC, and the University of Maryland SAFE Center for Human Trafficking Survivors, the statement said. AHLA Foundation also shared data showing the impact of the $500,000 distributed to the four Survivor Grantees.
- Helped 643 survivors receive emergency services to exit human trafficking.
- Prepared 514 survivors for employment through training and coaching.
- Trained 240 individuals to provide workforce training to survivors.
- Connected 80 survivors with employment opportunities.
- Secured non-exploitive employment for 66 survivors.
The AHLA Foundation’s efforts to combat human trafficking are guided by the NRFT Advisory Council, comprising 12 hospitality industry leaders, and led by co-chairs Joan Bottarini, chief financial officer at Hyatt, and Farah Bhayani, general counsel and chief compliance officer at G6 Hospitality, parent company of the Motel 6 and Studio 6 brands.
The NRFT Advisory Council and Survivor Fund supporting companies include Aimbridge Hospitality, Choice Hotels, Extended Stay America, G6 Hospitality, Hilton Global Foundation, Hyatt Hotels Foundation, IHG Hotels & Resorts, The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation, Marriott International, Real Hospitality Group, Red Roof, Sonesta International Hotels Corp., Summit Foundation, Vision Hospitality Group, and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts.
Last July, the AHLA Foundation launched the ‘No Room for Trafficking’ Advisory Council, uniting industry leaders to combat trafficking, empower survivors, provide resources, and oversee the NRFT Survivor Fund for community organizations.
