After watching a documentary on the horrors of human trafficking in a summer school current events class, Sarah Dreska knew she wanted to do something to help.

The Rochelle Township High School junior sprang into action and discovered “Exploit No More,” an organization based in Milwaukee, Wis. that provides shelter and supplies to victims. That’s where her idea to organize a collection drive began.

From Nov. 1 to Nov. 16, Dreska is holding a collection drive called “Giving Hope,” to gather personal hygiene items along with snacks and school supplies. 

These will be collected during each of the lunch periods at RTHS as well as collection boxes located in two classrooms, A109 and B109. There will also be a box at the First Presbyterian Church for any members of the community to donate.

Dreska recruited some assistance, forming a committee of nine other students and two faculty advisers, Katie Strietelmeier and Kristin Flanagan. 

“Our mission is to help victims of human trafficking,” Dreska explained in her presentation. “In order to accomplish this goal, we are asking for students to donate items these victims and their children are most in need of.”

Dreska said she is hoping the entire committee can travel to Milwaukee to hand deliver the items collected. 

Current events

Strietelmeier said the dozen students in the RTHS current events class had the opportunity to choose specific topics they wanted to study; human trafficking was one of the choices.

The unit study involved watching the documentary and a number of assignments.

Dreska explained what went through her mind during that movie.

“Having that visual representation of this made me realize how real it is … it is a real problem and I knew I should do something,” she said. “I talked with my mom and asked her if that would be something that would be able to work.”

Dreska and the committee have been making posters to display throughout the school. She also made a Facebook event page and invited friends to help. She plans to have posters listing statistics and other information next to the drop boxes.

Strietelmeier commended Dreska for her motivation to start the project as well as bringing awareness to a topic not often in the forefront.

“Sarah has organized everything. She has this team and they meet to work out logistics, create posters, and organized the contest for which lunch hour collects the most,” Stretelmeier said. “A lot of what we discuss in current events is unfortunately negative — immigration, prejudice — and out of all the different groups of people that we could have done a drive for or brought attention to, this one stood out to you more than the others. Those things are a little more noticeable and evident, but human trafficking is not well known.”

Strietelmeier, who can be reached at 815-562-4161, ext. 2107 or kstrietelmeier@rthsd212.org, suggested the collection drive may bring more attention to something that a lot of people wouldn’t know about unless you take the class and shine light on a serious topic that many people know little about.

“It’s a worldwide issue, this happens everywhere,” Dreska added. “Most people don’t know about it and it’s not really talked about, so with this I feel I can get the word out more for people to understand how tragic it really is.”