Volunteers at CAST come from all walks of life, and contribute to the organization in many different ways. Melissa donates her time, predominantly in CAST’s administration department, where she can be seen at the front desk, answering phones, working on various projects internally, and for outreach, and generally adding spunk and energy to the office!

Here’s what she says about her volunteer experience at CAST:

“In college, I enrolled in a senior seminar course designed specifically for the study of human trafficking. In this course we studied every aspect of human trafficking—causes, patterns, solutions, etc. I realized that this is what I wanted to do—not knowing how, or exactly where or in what context—the study of human trafficking became a passion of mine.

“As a recent college graduate, becoming involved with CAST was a great way to gain experience, while at the same time, meet amazing new people and work for an organization as passionate as I am, to abolish slavery and trafficking. CAST’s commitment and dedication to survivors gave me hope for the future.

“I work mainly in the admin department. However, I’ve also become involved with various projects in the outreach department. That’s the great thing about CAST. I can become as involved as much as I want. Unfortunately, there’s not enough time in the day and days in the week to do everything. This is something I do on my own time. I want to be here, and learn as much as I can, and do as much as I can.

“I was fortunate enough to be invited to a trafficking task force meeting about a week ago. I got to witness firsthand all types of organizations and law enforcement agencies come together and discuss various issues, in their respective areas of expertise. As an observer at the meeting, I noticed everyone's desire to contribute something to the group—whether it was a new trend to become aware of, or information one agency provided another on a certain issue. Volunteering at CAST has definitely been a learning experience. That was my goal when I came here."

If you, too, want to be a part of the movement to abolish slavery and trafficking, contact CAST for volunteer opportunities, donate to the cause. And don't forget to join the discussion on our Facebook and Twitter pages!