Gems Uncovered

BREAKING NEWS On 12/7/20, newly elected LA County District Attorney George Gascón's Office published Special Directive 20-07, which indicated that misdemeanor charges be declined or dismissed, including Penal Codes 647(b) - loitering to engage in or solicit prostitution - and 653.22 (a)(1) - loitering to commit prostitution. This Directive concerned many anti-trafficking organizations as it meant individuals arrested for purchasing others for sex could potentially not face an...y consequences, which could increase the demand, thereby putting more vulnerable individuals at risk of trafficking, including children, in order to meet the demand for sex. On 3/31/21, the LA Sheriff's Department Special Victims Bureau shared that they received twelve (12) District Attorney Rejects from the @LADAOffice for suspects that were cited and released for Solicitation of Prostitution. The handling District Deputy Attorney cited the @GeorgeGascon Special Directive #20-07 as the reason for rejecting the cases confirming concerns. On 4/1/21, Gems Uncovered along with eleven anti-trafficking nonprofit organizations serving survivors of trafficking in LA County sent a letter to DA Gascón's Office urging his office to reconsider his Directive and to move forward with prosecuting the charges of those who intend to and do purchase sex to hold them accountable with consequences. Please contact DA Gascón's Office urging him to reconsider his Special Directive 20-07 and to prosecute the buyers of sex by emailing [email protected], calling (213) 974-3512, or visiting https://da.lacounty.gov/contact.

Join us for the first ever Teen Summit on Human Trafficking with the #FBI! Journey Out Teen Advocates and FBI leaders will highlight the dangers to youth and empower them with tools to safeguard themselves. Register now! https://form-usa.keela.co/teen-summit-on-trafficking

WE WERE SELECTED! Gems Uncovered is so grateful to be one of the amazing organizations selected to participate in The Long Beach Gives 24 hour giving campaign. Because of Long Beach Gives, we received enough funding to provide our program graduates with a laptop!! This is a tool desperately needed for job searches, education, apartment hunting, and more. We are thrilled to have this opportunity to do more for our survivors. Thank you Long Beach Gives and to all that give to make a difference.

Awareness is key to fighting this horrendous injustice.

Gems Uncovered we will celebrating our graduates soon! We are so proud of each and every young lady we have had the honor of assisting. It wasn't easy for them by any means, but they did it. They are resilient. They have worked through difficult pain and challenges, and gained a new appreciation of who they are and what they can accomplish. They recognize their value and they have a voice with much to say. They will be given gifts celebrating their accomplishments. Gi...fts for pampering, personal hygiene gifts, and a gift to help them continue their education to reach their career goals. These gifts are possible because of generous hearts who gave through Long Beach Gives Terese Parkin Lemongrass Spa Products Malyneath Vong Global Fashion Mission and the youth from the Camfire Organization THANK YOU! Thank you for your prayers! #newbeginnings #hopefilled #valuedandloved #kindness

To our Asian friends and community, we stand with you, and our hearts grieve with yours. Praying for justice! #stopthehate

Feeling joyful and inspired by the Campfire Organization that came to bring their act of kindness donation! Something our ladies are truly in need of too! Feminine products! The campfire troop also wrote a letter as to the why they wanted to do this. Touching to hear their hearts in their words and to know their commitment to help others too. Such wonderful news seeing our future through these beautiful souls! Feeling grateful and inspired to help recover and rehabilitate lives!

The amazing and most incredible Malyneath Vong Malyneath Vong , founder and owner of Global Fashion Mission, along with the incredible and wonderful, Terese Parkin Terese Parkin , of Lemon Grass Spa Products, have joined together to create such an amazing concept! They created a Human Kindness Kits Campaign for Gems Uncovered! If you missed their wonderful podcasts, we are certain you can still catch it online! Their dedication and kindness resulted in collecting ...39 kits that we will give to our graduates!! By the way, their goal was 30 kits! So even extra wonderful news that they exceeded their generosity goal too! Wow! Huge thank you to all who made a purchase to bring joy to those we serve! God has been so very kind in sending us such amazing people to support our mission and vision at @gemsuncovered! Working alongside such gracious and beautiful women fills our hearts to be able to help more survivors of human trafficking! Such gratitude! @lemongrass_spa_products @globalfashionmission #humantraffickingawareness #humanrights #endexploitation #endhumantrafficking #womensupportingwomen

Mary White, our founder, met with Calvary Baptist Church of Bellflower yesterday. We have wonderful news ! Their incredible campaign this past Christmas (2020), raised money for nonprofits and they generously donated $5000 dollars to Gems Uncovered! We are filled with such gratitude and thanks! What a wonderful contribution filled with such promise! This helps us achieve our vision and mission, but also our dreams to provide more support and services to those we meet on the streets through our weekly street outreach or those sent to us through the Southern California Courts. We are in awe of God and His beautiful blessings that he bestows on our work through loving supporters! Thank you! #generousity #donations #endhumantrafficking #stopsexexploitation #church #belief #gratitude

WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY NEWS 2021, started out great for our last graduate of 2020 from our program. Why you might ask? She was the first to receive one of the laptops that we purchased from the donations received from Long Beach Gives Campaign (@longbeachgives)! Being mindful of covid-19 safety precautions, Myra Miller and Mary White had a zoom celebration praising her accomplishment and encouraging her to keep reaching for her goal to go to college and become a soc...ial worker to help kids who may have had similar experiences as she did. A true testimony of surviving to thriving thanks to everyone’s collective contribution! Her life has significance and her life will bless others too! Our graduate was so happy to receive this gift. This was the tool she needed for her education pursuits making her dream a reality! Thank you one and all! #2021 #goodnews #gratitude

Happy Monday! Happy New Year! Here’s to 2021 and the accomplishments ahead of us! At Gems Uncovered, we couldn’t be more honored or grateful for all the STARS on our team! Together, we can make it happen!... Here’s to a star lineup for 2021! Our leadership team Our board Our advisors Our donors Our partners Our social media ambassadors and friends Collectively we make a significant difference and impact on the lives we serve! Our participants! Wishing you a year of productivity, prosperity and peace! We have tremendous faith in the team God has assembled for us. Thank you for answering your calling to support the lives most effected by human trafficking. The most vulnerable during these pandemic times too. #2021 #leadership #volunteer #friends #donors #vision #hope #together #stars #endsextrafficking #endhumantrafficking Visit our website for more information or to join us! www.gemsuncovered.org

I know that at Gems Uncovered, we will continue to reach out and hold onto the hands needing support.Guidingthem to a new level in their life, to see dreams fulfilled, and to be free to be who they are meant to be.Worthy. I could not do this alone, and it seems like a wonderful time of year to share my leadership team and confidant, Myra Miller. I met Myra over 15 years ago atchurch and we instantly became friends. Together we led a successful women's bible study and were... growing in friendship and mission. We found our journey together led us to a bigger mission of doing something to helpwomen who were being tormented and suffered from an injustice called "HumanTrafficking."Prevalent in our community, unbeknownst to us. We were moved and called to do something about it. That something is now known as Gems Uncovered. Myra has been more than a friend, she is a dear sister whose heart is dedicated to serving.She has taken on the role of facilitating the program called Free 2B Me and she gives every ounce of love and time needed to ensure each person who comes to us receives the individual assistance needed.Myra is essential to what we do. Thank you for your continued support and for being a part of our victories in 2020!If you are able to contribute to our End-of-Year Campaign, please know all donations are welcome. Thank you to all our volunteers and friends of @gemsuncovered . Together, we make a difference. We look forward to our continued work together! Happy Blessed 2021! Much love and appreciation for you, Mary E. White President/Chief Executive Officer Gems Uncovered

Please tune into this important discussion on protecting our children in this digital age. 7pm on Nov 10 PST! At twitch.tv/seeitendit Free registration! See original post for extra details!

We accomplish all that we do by working together as a team! From our donors, partners and sponsors too. Plus, our volunteer staff, board members and advisors. Working compassionately alongside one another with dedication and kindness. We want to help as many young girls and women as we can. Thank you for supporting us not only over the years, but especially this last year. 2020 has had many challenges, and yet your support has given us such confidence and hope. Together, we a...re making a difference and will continue to make a difference in the lives of those affected by human trafficking. This photo is from our Christmas Street Outreach on December 23, "God's daughters praying over God's daughters." Please consider a tax deductible donation to our PayPalaccount. www.gemsuncovered.org

Over the weekend, Gems Uncovered was blessed by Saint Joseph High School’s Care for Survivors Club with customized baskets filled with personal products and handmade cards along with uplifting messages for victims of sex trafficking. The club members shared with us that their mission is to help these strong women who are victims of sex trafficking. Hoping to help empower and make these women feel loved through our small, yet meaningful, donations of baskets. Nothing small a...bout loving people back to life and these young ladies personify our tagline by their actions. Having witnessed this firsthand, here at Gems Uncovered, our cup is full with what God provided us through this youth leadership council! We are truly honored by their generosity and initiative to make a difference in the life of others without needing to be asked, but rather then gladly answered a calling within their hearts! Truly an amazing weekend of awareness that these young women represent our future and how grateful we are that they have included Gems Uncovered in their mission. The fact that they understand the courage people must possess when getting out of the life’ demonstrates their higher-level thinking and deeper understanding of their journey to freedom. We were humbled when the Vice President of their club shared with us, What you guys do at Gems Uncovered is inspiring and it touched our hearts. Thank you for everything you do for these courageous women." Well, the Care for Survivors Club touches our hearts too! We know our participants will have their hearts touched as well. Please do share as we cannot spread enough what’s good happening in the world especially when inspired by our youth. Did you know our founder's alma mater high school is St. Joseph? What an awesome testimony for these young women to have this personal connection.

Thank you Myra Miller for your Heart Full of Compassion! We shared this beautiful leader and friend in our end-of-year newsletter. For full interview pls sign up to receive. Sign up on our website: www.gemsun covered.org Here’s a part of our interview with Myra. Question: What have you seen? What has touched your heart both joyful and not so joyful?... Myra: They always come in with an attitude (most) but they change as time goes on and they become the little girl that's looking for validation, acceptance, and encouragement.I get to see a change in their demeanor, I get to see their hearts become soft. I have found that my one-on-one sessions are the most impactful, all the walls are down, even the tough ones, and yes I get to see my heart become soft also. What breaks my heart the most is some live a life of continuous chaos and hardship and it seems they never find their inner strength. The cycle goes on and she's still asking herself the question "Who's the Girl", even after completing the program.I believe their personal healing has to take place first in order for them to be successful at any other program, whether at Gems or any other organization. Question: What is your win? Myra: My win is that this is a sisterhood, a family of women from all walks of life, who will journey together to discover their individualgoals and dreams.A family of women through time who will learn to pull badges off because their wounds are healing and they no longer have to wear the tags that said shame, worthless, unwanted, insecure but one that says priceless.My win is seeing these young ladies put on a graduation cap & gown that speaks of their accomplishment and inspires them to want more.My win is seeing the smile on their face when they walk through our doors knowing they are in a safe and loving environment and when they walk out of our doors they leave with an affirmation that they are a "strong survivor becoming the Me I want to BE". #womenofcompass #sisterhood #weseeyou #love #compassion #faith #heart #endhumantrafficking

Anyone else besides me shop on Amazon? Have you heard of Amazon Smile? With more online shopping due to Covid, upcoming black Friday and holidays, Amazon Smile is the perfect way to feel better about your purchases because for every eligible purchase, Amazon will automatically donate five tenths of every dollar spent to your favorite charitable cause!!!... Help us help others by doing something you already do that is just a click away! Just one more way to have a feel good Friday! https://smile.amazon.com///homepage/ref=smi_chpf_redirect

https://conta.cc/3pArIDN As we have all experienced, 2020 has been a year of great difficulties, challenges, heartaches, and uncertainties to say the least. Yet, it has also been a year that has allowed us to demonstrate our faith, hope, and strength. We appreciate your donations, support, prayers and hours of volunteering too. Despite the year we have experienced, at Gems Uncovered, we are humbly grateful that we continue to come together to serve the most disenfranchised of our community, victims of human trafficking. Our doors are open and we have moved to more virtual platforms to keep up with the needs of our community. Please visit our full newsletter and if you are able to donate a tax deductible donation, please visit our paypal featured on our website: www.gemsuncovered.org

Congratulations to our friends at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for their commitment to work collectively across departmental agencies on a national public awareness campaign known as the DHS Blue Campaign for TEN YEARS STRONG. This campaign educates the public, law enforcement and other industry partners including faith-based organizations to recognize the indicators of human trafficking and how to appropriately respond to possible cases. Please take the time to visit their website and please make certain you reach out to Gems Uncovered for your questions on how to help locally. https://www.dhs.gov/blue-campaign

We are proud and honored to serve as a Core Leader on the Long Beach Human Trafficking Task Force.

Get ready to get fired up! Jaimee set the bar high in all she is doing but invites everyone to make the leap into action. Together we set our eyes on the priz...e of ending the trafficking and exploitation of children and the vulnerable. Don't miss this conversation. Tuesday Oct. 27 at 7pm PST. twitch.tv/seeitendit See more

Happy Monday everyone! It’s me Tammy! Just wanted to check in and say hi! While you’re out there doing important things, please make sure to give yourself love by pausing to care for your mental and physical health. I just got back from walking my two fur babies. How are you loving yourself today?

Join the Webinar and Be Informed - 10/28 @12pm Pst to 1:30pm. "How Social Media Fuels Human Trafficking."

Join this truly important conversation with Melinda Metz and Ken Henry who are raising the alarm and discussing what needs to be done about the disproportionate trafficking of black children. Dont miss this conversation!

This is going to be a conversation not to miss! A new organization has been created in the fight against human trafficking - learn why! Special guests Melinda ...Metz and Ken Henry of ALIVE. Tuesday Oct. 20, 7pm PST at twitch.tv/seeitendit #SeeItEndIt, #seeitenditfilm&artsfestival, #stoptrafficking,#alive, #longbeachhumantraffickingtaskforce, #filmfestival, #twitch.tv/seeitendit See more

I’m excited to announce our new website is complete! https://gemsuncovered.org/ Plenty of information and resources to share with the community, schools and other leadership organizations including faith-based groups to fight against human trafficking and to end sex exploitation starting in your neighborhood! Los Angeles rates as number one in the nation for cases.... Be a part of the solution and learn what you can to detect the signs. Website design By Daryl McMullen of Outsourced Strategy and Content Writing and Purpose Branding by Carina Cristiano of Heart Driven Purpose.

Today some of our Gems Uncovered volunteer leadership team and partners attended a virtual meeting, LA County Making Waves: How Los Angeles County Came Together to Support Children and Youth Impacted by Commercial Sexual Exploitation. An impactful meeting about Looking forward to Reflecting on the Past, Celebrating our Success, and discussing next steps in Shaping Our Future in the fight against the commercial sexual exploitation of our children and youth. This is local... and it’s most likely in your community too since Los Angeles has been rated as a prime hub in California. Everyone from politicians, to judges, attorneys, government employees, nonprofits and social services were on the agenda to share their insights and experiences. We all walked away with a renewed dedication to save the lives of more children. Please know we are honored to be a part of their champion partners list too! We are humbly grateful for this distinction. Please visit us at our NEW website! There’s numerous ways to get involved and help too! Whether it’s writing grants, street outreach, donations or ministry, we’d love to have you join us in ending human trafficking and sex exploitation! Especially of our children. www.gemsuncovered.org

This article reminds us this is an important day to mark in our hearts and calendars. International Day of Girl Children! In the photo, girls are walking together outside Yomelela Primary School, Cape Town South Africa,1 June 2015. Did you know the world is home to more than 1.1 billion girls under age 18, who are poised to become the largest generation of female leaders, entrepreneurs and change-makers the world has ever seen. All the more important for us as a society to... take an active interest in fighting against human trafficking and sex exploitation of children! Let’s serve in the greatest capacity we can and that’s to protect our children of the world, and this includes nationally and locally too!