Columbus fall festival to raise money for fight against sex trafficking

The young people in Columbus are coming together to bring the community a family-fun event Sunday afternoon that’s meant to support Micah’s Promise in its fight against sex trafficking and exploitation.

“The Fall Festival is a fun way to really make a difference in the community,” said Shelbe Johnson, a senior at Calvary Christian School who is organizing Fall Festival 2017. “Micah’s Promise is a worthy cause. We hope others in the community will come out and support our endeavor.”

The event will be held from 2 to 7 p.m. Sunday at the Columbus First Seventh-day Adventist Church at 7880 Schomburg Road. It’s free to attend, but it costs money to participate in the events.

Proceeds will go to Micah’s Promise, a nonprofit organization that works to rescue children from sex trafficking and provide services meant to help them lead empowered and purposeful lives.

According to the the group’s website, law enforcement agencies commonly cite a trickle-down effect of sex trafficking from Atlanta to smaller cities in the Southeast, including Columbus.

The group said the average age of a child coerced into prostitution is between 11 and 14 years old. More than 42 percent of sex trafficking cases represent pimp-controlled coerced prostitution, according to Micah’s Promise.

“Some people don’t realize how easy it is for these young people to get caught up in the lifestyle,” Johnson said. “But there are a lot of young people getting caught up in it, because they are poor or their parents aren’t around as often. And it is very hard to get out.”

The festival features a bounce house, dunk tank, photo booth, carnival games, cake walk and sports games. Food and door prizes will also be available. The number of tickets required will vary based on activity.

Children’s choirs from various area churches will perform. A chiropractor will also be there ready to provide consultations.

Each ticket is $1 and the number of tickets required will vary based on the activity.

For more information about how to make a donation or volunteer for the event, call Kemp Johnson at 706-577-2939.

This story was originally published October 5, 2017 at 5:08 PM with the headline "Columbus fall festival to raise money for fight against sex trafficking."