SARASOTA – More than a dozen people showed up for the second annual MoreTooLife fundraiser at Cine Bistro to raise awareness of human trafficking across the Suncoast.
“This is not just a Sarasota issue, this is not just a Florida issue, it’s a global issue,” says Dr. Brooke Bello, CEO of MoreTooLife.
Bello organized this fundraiser to celebrate the stories of survival of women who were sexually assaulted as part of human trafficking. “Sarasota loves the arts, so what better way to talk about education and children moving past drama and discovering a life over time,” she said.
Guest were treated with dinner and cocktails at Cine Bistro as they mingled before the private screening of RBG — the documentary highlighting the life and work of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
“Ruth Bader Ginsburg at the press of the #MeToo movement, it’s not just about girls but about boys and women. She in a time when no one, female, was a Supreme Court justice she had to fight other challenges,” says Bello.
According to Bello there are 21 million victims of human trafficking worldwide and MoreTooLife offers assistance in helping victims reclaim their lives.
“People may not want to hear the harsh reality but if we can do it through a lens that tells the story of someone else who just faced challenges we ignite the idea to children, that doesn’t matter what you‘ve been through if you continuously fight you’re not alone in your plight,” Bello says.
Bello says MoreTooLife has helped more than a thousand people in coping with their trauma and living a regular life. She says her patient ages range from the youngest being 3 to the oldest being 70.
“Kids have such a resiliency as we stay with them at MoreTooLife day by day, year by year. They begin to discover an extraordinary life and we use the arts a lot to do that,” she says
Bello’s next move is to launch an app to help victims connect with other victims to provide a support group and help towards their healing process.