A special fundraising event is planned for Thursday, Sept. 28 in Mamaroneck to help in the battle against human trafficking, sponsored by the planned New York archdiocesan Franciscan Sisters of the Pure Heart and a pending safe home, The O’Connell House, which will be in the Boston area.

The dinner gathering will be called “Not for Sale Freedom Fundraiser,” inviting people to “make a difference in the lives of human trafficking victims and survivors.” The event at Modern on the Rails, 1 Station Plaza, Mamaroneck, will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a cocktail hour, followed by dinner and a presentation program at 7:30 p.m.        

“I am in the process of founding a new community, the Franciscan Sisters of the Pure Heart, a bilingual community that seeks to incarnate the Beatitude, ‘Blessed are the Pure of Heart, for they shall see God,’ in young people,” Father Vincent Druding, parochial vicar at Holy Cross Church in the Bronx, told The Good Newsroom. “A couple of years ago, Cardinal Dolan blessed our mission to take steps to discern and aim to establish the new community, and Bishop Peter Byrne is president of our Board of Directors.”                               

Father Druding added that for the Not for Sale Freedom Fundraiser, “we are uniting with the mission of Deb O’Hara-Rusckowski, who used to be the Respect Life Office coordinator for the Archdiocese of Boston and is a special delegate to the UN on Human Trafficking for the Knights of Malta. She is opening the first house run by Catholic sisters in the U.S. for women who are being rescued from sex trafficking and are pregnant or who have children: The O’Connell House. It will be in the Boston area…We are uniting our missions for this fundraiser.”   

The priest also said, “We know many people may not be able to go (to the fundraising dinner),” but he hopes that many people “would be motivated to give to these missions.” He noted that many people have been moved by the film “Sound of Freedom,” which is about rescuing children from sex traffickers. He said the title of the fundraiser stems from the title of the  film, “which has the line, “God’s children are not for sale.’” 

Mrs. O’Hara-Rusckowski said, “This fundraiser is incredibly important; and it’s so important that people understand, and that they are educated (about the cause). It was such a generous gesture on the part of Fr. Druding, to combine efforts. It’s such a perfect match – to help trafficking victims and survivors heal and restore their dignity.”

The Franciscan Sisters of the Pure Heart is a group of women living in community, pursuing religious life; they seek to incarnate the Beatitude, “Blessed are the Pure of Heart, for they shall see God” in children, teens, and young adults. They work to protect the innocence and purity of young people, and to heal wounded hearts, “by setting young souls on fire with the love of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit.”   

The O’Connell House is described as a safe home that provides comprehensive services for trafficked women who may also be pregnant and/or with a young child. 

For information on registering for the fundraising dinner, or on how to make a donation, email: info@not-4sale.com, or call (347) 220-5436.