United We Stand: Human Trafficking Conference

Sex Trafficking is happening every day across the country and right here in Nebraska. In an effort to educate our communities, CHI Health St. Elizabeth, in partnership with the Lincoln organization I’ve Got A Name, will host a conference on Friday, April 26, 2024, on the Nebraska Innovation Campus. The event is titled, “United We Stand - Human Trafficking Conference” and will feature a panel of both local and national experts, including sex trafficking survivor and keynote speaker Ms. Theresa Flores.

The event was made possible through a Mission and Ministries Grant from CommonSpirit Health, CHI Health St. Elizabeth’s parent organization, and aims to bring the community together to deepen our knowledge and response capabilities by learning the scope of human trafficking, identification strategies and survivor-centered care.

Conference attendees will hear from several speakers, including Ms. Theresa Flores (pictured), a sex trafficking survivor, best-selling author and founder of the SOAP Project (Save Our Adolescents from Prostitution). Flores will share her heart wrenching experience of surviving two years of being a sex slave while living at home in an upper middle class Michigan suburb. Flores will also host a Q&A following her speech.

“The fight on the frontlines” panel discussion will feature local experts including:

• Leticia Montoya-Bonifas, Executive Director of Central Nebraska Human Trafficking and Immigration Outreach

• Ben Plfanz, Lincoln Police Department Special Victims Unit Investigator

• Amber Harper, Human Trafficking Survivor

The conference is open to those in the community who are passionate about combating sex trafficking. To register, click here. A free-will donation of $20 is encouraged and will go directly to I’ve Got A Name to support the organization’s work. For those who cannot attend in person, a Zoom link will be available to watch virtually following registration. You may also scan the QR code to register.

Event Schedule and Details:

• Arrival time: April 26, 2024, 9 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

• Address: Nebraska Innovation Conference Center - 2021 Transformation Drive, Lincoln, NE, Conference Center Auditorium

• Accommodations: A block of rooms has been reserved at the Scarlet Hotel for those from out of town who wish to attend.