BYU Public Health students host Local Anti Trafficking Event in hopes to Raise Awareness for Anti Trafficking work
Public Health students from Tanner Crandall’s HLTH 461 class hosted Heal EX, who brought attention to the class and the mission of the organization, Heal EX. An organization focused on preventing and healing human trafficking.
The class being inspired led to them wanting to do something to help spread awareness. The idea was to band together and to help create a fundraiser.
The students in the class would work on creating the event during class but went above and beyond in making an event that would cause a real change.
One of the students, Hannah Stansbury, said, “We got some time in class to brainstorm ideas and after that … a lot of us would just stay after class and plan.”
The team wanted to provide a screening of the documentary that Heal EX had created. The goal: to bring as much awareness to anti-child trafficking and to create a fundraiser event for Heal EX.
Students beforehand sent out flyers alongside setting up a booth in the BYU Wilkinson Center to help raise awareness two days before the event.
Karinn McMullin, another student, mentioned, “We just kept talking to people. It was mainly by word of mouth. That was the biggest asset.”
The event was a hit with the team putting on an incredible screening of the Heal EX documentary. It was able to inspire over 2,000 dollars worth of donations towards Heal EX and helping individuals who have been impacted by human trafficking.
At the event, Stansbury mentioned, “I just kind of told people, hey if this is something that impacted you, consider donating 5 dollars for a hygiene kit and this is what it’s going to.”
The class was able to gain 1,200 dollars in kind donations, alongside 1,000 dollars in monetary donations from the event alone.
For the class, from preparing the event with only two weeks of planning, they were able to achieve an event that had such a positive and practical impact on their local community.
McMullin mentioned, “I think it was cool for our class to see… we’re able to put on an event that brought so many donations and just spread awareness like that. It was super cool.”
The team afterward saw an impact with how in their individual lives they saw more of an interest and awareness of marginalized groups, whether it was through conversations with friends or family or the large attention through social media.
The students saw that their effort had created a ripple effect in their community that caused an actual change.
The students at the event also hosted a Heal EX mobile clinic for the event to be filled with physical donations of food and clothing. The team was shocked to see the response the community had with how many donations they were given.
“At the end of the event when I did see the mobile clinic just filled to the brim with donations, I was so happy. My heart was exploding with happiness,” McMullin said.
Public Health students with only a little bit of time had created an impact on the community so large that they knew it would be having a beneficial impact for the following year.
Through the success of this event and the incredible funds that it was able to raise, the team hopes that this shows other students the positive impact they can have on those around them.
The students in Dr. Crandall's class hope that other students will be able to host an event that can make a positive impact on a part of the local community that they have an interest in.
“I know we were the first class to do it, but I’m hoping that his next class will also put on an event like this,” McMullin said. “Hopefully we can just keep doing steps like this to spread awareness and help people.”
By working together as a group, this group of students was able to make a real differential impact that inspires others in the community to do better. One ripple of kindness and service birthing another. Showing the power and purpose of public health.
Stansbury concluded about why the event meant so much to her, saying, “I think the reason we wanted people to come was because it would impact them… so when we decided to go step outside of our comfort zone and really do something about the issues we care about… it really does have ripple effects and creates a way larger positive impact than we would imagine.”