I know we won’t have everyone’s time forever, because they all have their own goals and ambitions, and some of them have families, but it means so much to both of us that everyone is enthusiastic about the project and willing to help out in any way they can.
I think, for Cheryl and Eva, it’s especially important, because they were both previously involved with men who sex trafficked girls behind their backs.
James and Alex are our biggest donors and put up a whopping fifty percent of the setup costs. The rest of the family is contributing too, and we’ve also set up a donation hotline, which has a steady flow of funds coming in. Having important connections helps. We plan to apply for state funding once we are ready to open our doors, and we are hoping some of the new laws being proposed at the moment will be in place by the time we are fully functional.
My interview with60 Minutessparked international debate, and it thrust a spotlight over the huge problem that is global sex trafficking. Politicians are coming under enormous pressure to do more to stop it and to provide support for victims. Only time will tell if it’s had any meaningful impact.
“Which paper is this reporter with?” Keanu asks as we travel the rough driveway toward the worker trailers that were erected last week.
“She’s not with a paper,” I reply, bouncing around the place as Keanu navigates the bumpy driveway.
First thing on my list is to get a proper driveway built.
“She works with Polaris. That charity I told you about. They are excited for this project, and there are lots of ways we can work together for the greater good.” Mom is also in talks with them to bring her parent support group charity under their umbrella. “They want to do a big online piece about the sanctuary, so I said I’d meet her here to review the plans and show her the site.” I grab on to the sides of my seat as we go over a particularly bumpy patch. “Hopefully, it won’t take too long. I don’t want to be late for our dinner date with Kelly and Todd.”
“We’ve got plenty of time,” my husband says, swinging the car around the last bend. “Kal’s already here.” He jerks his head at his brother’s blacked-out Lincoln Navigator.
“Yeah, he said he would be here at four.”
Keanu puts the SUV in park, and we climb out, entering the main trailer.
“Sup, asshole.” Kal offers his brother his usual greeting, and they do the whole man hug thing.
“Hey, Selena.” Kal gives me a warm hug, steering me around to the long table. He points at the long white roll of paper with the extensive drawing. “I finally finished the first plan, and I’ve been dying for you to get here so I could run through it.”
“Hold that thought,” Keanu says, looking up at the camera in the corner of the room. “Our reporter has just arrived, and she needs to hear this too.”
We shoot the shit for a few minutes as we wait for Elena to arrive. After introductions and a quick explanation, Kal starts talking us through the design for the build. “The main border of the property will be fenced on all sides with high-tech security monitoring covering the entire perimeter.”
“We will also have round the clock security guards and security alarms on all the buildings,” I add. Elena nods, smiling for Kal to go on.
“The main facility will be in this building,” Kal continues, pointing at a giant building composed of glass, wood, and exposed stone. “This will house the therapy rooms, treatment rooms, recreational spaces, music room, drama room, art room, other training rooms, a couple of eating areas, the medical compound, etcetera.”
“We’re employing a full-time nurse and doctor, as well as trauma-informed psychologists, specialty therapists, and nutritionists, and we plan to provide complementary holistic treatments like acupuncture, reiki, and so on,” I say.
He moves his finger to the other structure on the left-hand side. “This will be the school building, and over here,” he says, pointing at a large designated area out in front of the school, “will be the sports arena.”
“We will have facilities for basketball, football, hockey, golf, volleyball,” Keanu says, ticking them off his fingers. “And we are building a gymnasium. We plan to hire instructors to teach classes like yoga and dance.”
“And we’re building a pool,” I jump in.
“That will be here,” Kal adds, pointing to another part of the drawing.
“Wow. This is something else.” Elena’s eyes pop wide, and Keanu, Kal, and I share an excited look.
“That’s not all,” I add. “We are building student cabins too. We were going to go for dorm buildings, but I want residents to make this their home. To stay here for as long as they need to. And I wanted to give them someplace comfortable to unwind if they’ve had a bad day.”
“The accommodations will be housed over here,” Kal says, moving his finger to the very far left of the paper. “Each large cabin will house six different units, all equipped with a bedroom, bathroom, living room, kitchen-slash-dining room, and a small study.”
“They will also have gardens,” I confirm.
“We wanted the residential area to be separated from the main buildings,” Keanu explains, “so the clients can leave it behind every day and have a quiet place to relax. We’ll be running buses at regular hours to and from the main buildings, and we will have loaner cars and golf carts available too.”
“We’ll also provide bicycles for anyone who wants to bike it,” I supply.
“Will you be teaching any modeling classes?” Elena’s gaze flits between me and Keanu.
“No. Some of our family will be teaching dress design and providing makeup and hair lessons, but we have no plans to do anything else.”
