The Iowa Network Against Human Trafficking and Slavery recently presented five 2021 Outstanding Iowa Anti-Trafficking Service Awards. The presentations took place at the Rotunda of the Iowa State Capitol Building in Des Moines, Iowa. I was honored to stand at the podium to read the tribute to each outstanding honoree. We partnered with Governor Kim Reynolds and Lt. Governor Greg who are pictured with each of the five honorees. This award was originally created in 2016 through a grant from the Rotary Club of Ames, Iowa.

Each of this year’s awardees is so very well deserving. As you read about each of these unsung heroes, I am sure that you will agree that they have made a very significant contribution to Iowa’s fight against modern day slavery.

If you know an Iowan who has made a significant contribution to Iowa’s fight to end trafficking, please nominate them by completing the form you will find here.

Here are the 2021 Awardees:

Ruth Buckels

Ruth Buckels – is an Advocate Extraordinaire and a foster/adoptive parent to 8 trafficked female survivors and foster parent to nearly 100 children and youth. Ruth is also a licensed therapist and has been a counselor to dozens of victims and survivors. As the Statewide Coordinator for both Teens Against Human Trafficking and Achieving Maximum Potential (AMP) Foster Care Youth Councils, she and her team have identified and served over 400 teen victims who were being sex trafficked or groomed by traffickers. Ruth has conducted over 100 human trafficking education and training seminars across Iowa and all without paid honariums. Ruth has been involved with trafficking investigations and law enforcement rescues of victims. She has led YSS efforts to provide prevention, housing and direct services to teen survivors and assisted other child welfare agencies to do the same. I have known Ruth for 34 years and she inspires me. She is a true champion of children.

To watch the award presentation and awardee’s acceptance speech, tap here.

Rich Westphal

U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa – Rich Westphal is the acting U.S. Attorney and accepted this award on behalf of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. In recent years, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has prioritized human trafficking investigation and prosecution. As a result, the number of cases has skyrocketed with prosecution of not only traffickers of both sex and labor trafficking, but also pimps and buyers. The U.S. Attorney’s Office works with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies in these prosecutions. The Southern District of Iowa was in the top 10 districts nationwide in the number of new human trafficking defendants in 2019. For child sex trafficking cases, the office was also in the top 10 districts (tied in fifth place). In 2019, the Southern District of Iowa charged two trafficking defendants and an additional two defendants with forced labor. The office is only one of eight U.S. districts that charged a forced labor case in 2019.

To watch the award presentation and awardee’s acceptance speech, tap here.

Clifford McPherren

The Rotary Club of West Liberty, Iowa is represented by Clifford McFerren, President Elect 2021-2022, and Steve Dakin, Rotary District 6000 Governor. This Rotary service club organized four anti-trafficking education and prevention projects for the public schools and community at large. The West Liberty Rotary Club raised $4,500 in 2019-2020 through successful fundraising events for the Iowa Network Against Human Trafficking. The Rotarians provided a human trafficking awareness and education program for the faculty and staff of West Liberty Community School District with 150 attendees. This club celebrated World Day Against Trafficking In-Persons on July 30th for the past few years. The West Liberty Club developed a bilingual rescue sticker unique to their community and distributed and posted the stickers in nearly every business in West Liberty.

To watch the award presentation and awardee’s acceptance speech, tap here.

Stacy West

Stacy West – is a survivor who has now turned her “Scars into Stars.” According to her nominator, Stacy is the very definition of a trafficking “survivor.” Despite undergoing traumatic experiences that would “make a regular person curl up and give up,” Stacy persevered. With support, she recovered her physical, emotional, and spiritual health. Stacy not only fought to get her own life back, but also began volunteering at Chains Interrupted (CI) in Cedar Rapids. As a survivor of human trafficking, Stacy was an integral part of forming a Survivor Support Group. In October 2019, Chains Interrupted hired Stacy as a Survivor Advocate. The organization credits Stacy as an excelled asset, especially to survivors entering the program. A quote from one survivor at the Harbor House says it all. She said “Working with Stacy was great. She understood me. I haven’t had anyone really understand me in a long time – if ever actually. When I tried to manipulate her, she saw through it. Even though I hated that, it was good for me. I see that now. Stacy made me see a lot of things for the first time. I am grateful for her.” Stacy, you are a superstar.

To watch the award presentation and awardee’s acceptance speech, tap here.

David Gonzalez

The Iowa City Law Enforcement Task Force is represented by Detective David Gonzalez. This task force carried out a sex trafficking investigation that received what is considered the highest federal honor for victim services by law enforcement. Investigators began collecting evidence in late 2018 and filed charges in May of 2019. They collected over 3.5 million pieces of data. The sex trafficking of female minors occurred throughout Johnson and Linn counties. As a result of a very thorough investigation, five trafficking defendants plead guilty and a sixth was convicted by a jury trial. All received prison sentences. The Federal Law Enforcement and Victim Services Award was granted to a team including five Iowa City police detectives, one Coralville police detective, one Johnson County sheriff detective, one Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation agent, and one FBI agent.

To watch the award presentation and awardee’s acceptance speech, tap here.

This award was originally created through a grant from the Rotary Club of Ames to the NAHT in 2016, and past awardees are as follows:

2020 Awardees:

Heather Brown – Survivor and spokesperson for Iowa victims
Sen. Charles Grassley – sponsor of several federal anti-trafficking congressional bills
Brenda Long– Founder of Garden Gate Garden Ranch and the annual “Eyes Wide Open” Conference
Jim Townsend – Business leader and voice against trafficking especially in illicit massage businesses
Mark “Rocky” Vest – Founder of “Break the Cycle 200” bike ride raising over $750,000 donated to anti-trafficking organizations

2019 Awardees:

Teresa Davidson – Founder and President of Chains Interrupted; First in Iowa hospital-based human trafficking trainer
Joy Fopma – Founder and driving force behind Wings of Refuge
Motor Vehicle Enforcement Chief David Lorenzen – Instrumental in launching Iowa Truckers Against Trafficking
Vanessa McNeal – Filmmaker of 1-hour trafficking documentary Gridshock
Stephen Patrick O’Meara – Former assistant U.S. attorney who has handled many human trafficking cases

2018 Awardees:

Brittaney Sowder – Survivor and spokesperson for Iowa survivors
Kellie Markey – Founder of Dorothy’s House in Des Moines, IA
Greg Heartsill – State Representatives and Erin’s Law advocate
Mike Ferjak – Lead Iowa Human Trafficking Law Enforcement and Prosecution Task Force
Teens Against Human Trafficking – 15 TAHT clubs reaching 90 schools
Kim Reynolds – Governor and NAHT honorary board member and advocate

2017 Awardees:

Maggie Tinsman – Author of the First Human Trafficking legislation, founder of Braking Traffik
Kevin Kinney – Author of three Human Trafficking legislative bills and investigator of trafficking
Chris Branstad – Advocate for Teens Against Human Trafficking and AMP
Cathy O’Keeffe – Braking Traffik CEO, and FBI human trafficking service awardee
Brad Fox – School principal who uncovered a major drug and sex trafficking ring in Eastern Iowa
Christi Geisler – Survivor and spokesperson for Iowa survivors

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By on April 1, 2021   /   News