By JACK BERNARD, Special to The Citizen
“Atlanta is one of the top centers for human trafficking in our nation. I feel a calling to change this horrible situation — now, not later. Working together, we can achieve this goal.” — Christian Murphy, CEO, Wellspring Living
Human trafficking of females and males is an international issue which has been swept under the rug in the U.S. and other nations. Plus, no one wants to admit that this problem exists in their local community. Although it is not heavily covered by the media, the Atlanta metro area has long had human trafficking.
Wellspring Living is a Georgia based non-profit with religious sponsorship that has stayed true to its founder’s vision — providing metro area “domestic sex trafficking victims and those at risk (ages 12+) with comprehensive, trauma-informed, victim-centered recovery services through residential programs, community-based programs, and post-program support.”
Wellspring was started in 2001 by long-time Peachtree City resident Mary Francis Bowley who lives in the Kedron village area. Mary Francis, a very humble lady, is one of a kind. She is a very religious person, a retired kindergarten teacher, who wanted to give back. Seeing the need, Mary Francis created an organization which has saved countless victims…both children and adults…from being shamelessly exploited by ruthless sex traffickers.
Recently, Mary Francis passed the torch to a dynamic, charismatic leader. Wellspring’s new CEO is Christian Murphy, a 39-year-old woman with a strong resume. Christian is a Spellman College graduate who worked for non-profits, including the Girl Scouts, for a decade before being recruited to Wellspring.
She recently spoke to the Rotary Club of Peachtree City. As Christian indicated to the Rotarians, the pillars of the organization are housing, healing and education.
In 2001, Wellspring opened its first home as a refuge for abused women…and the first individual that presented was a sex trafficking survivor. Nearly two thirds of trafficking victims are homeless. Unless housing is provided as a first step, removing a victim from his/her surroundings, very little can be accomplished to change the broader situation. In this vein, Wellspring has an 8-acre campus in Atlanta.
Healing the mind is another key aspect in recovery in that three-fourths of trafficking victims indicate a need for mental health services. Therefore, Wellspring arranges for trafficked girls and women to have the mental health support that they so urgently need.
This aim is accomplished via numerous modalities, including psychological counseling and other therapeutic interventions, such as art therapy. The goal is to move them from seeing themselves as weak victims to viewing themselves as strong, healthy survivors.
Education for both children and adults is the third pillar of the organization. Many of the people served by Wellspring are kids, some as young as 12 years of age. Some of these teenagers are afraid to go back to their schools. So, having an on-site school is an important service offered by Wellspring which establishes an individualized learning plan for each child. Recently, the Atlanta Public School System has helped in this endeavor.
But the organization also has numerous adult clients. Many of them were not able to complete their high school studies. Wellspring’s Women’s Academy program, originally a partnership with the East Atlanta YMCA, helps these ladies to obtain their GEDs. Having this credential assists them in finding gainful employment.
Years ago, Wellspring Living established a goal of raising $20 million to build a new facility which would increase their capacity from 500 to 750 clients per year. Through the hard work of staff and volunteers, Wellspring is only $500,000 short of meeting this capital campaign goal. You can visit wellspringliving.org to learn more about this project and the organization itself.
[Jack Bernard, currently a member of the Fayette County Board of Health, has served on the Peachtree City Planning Commission and is the former Director of Health Planning for Georgia. He has been a senior executive with several national healthcare corporations. He’s also the former Chair of the Jasper County Commission and has been on two Georgia county Boards of Health.]
