In my work as the President and CEO of United Way of Fresno County, I see many good things in our community and, yet, I also see many sad things, too. One of those is human trafficking….right here in Fresno. Let’s unite in the fight against human trafficking here in Fresno County because people’s lives are too important. In the past five years, the Central Valley Against Human Trafficking project identified 178 victims (youngest was 12, oldest was 52). One agency that is working hard to combat human trafficking locally is ‘Breaking the Chains.’ This group is building safe houses for people trying to escape human trafficking while providing physical and mental healing to the victims. We are proud to have ‘Breaking the Chains’ as one of the 462 agencies we refer people to in their times of crises through our 24-hour referral hotline offered at no charge to Fresno residents. Just dial 2-1-1 and be connected to a real person who can connect you to real help. United Way of Fresno County is proud to work with ‘Breaking the Chains’ and to fight human trafficking.

R. Michael Alexander
President/CEO United Way of Fresno County