Heritage HOSA students present human-trafficking awareness campaign to Rogers board

Two Heritage High School students presented a human-trafficking awareness project to the Rogers School District Board on Monday, describing classroom outreach, community partnerships and planned fundraising activities.

“We wanted to raise awareness on a topic that we feel isn't talked about enough, especially to the younger generation,” one presenter said, explaining the group’s goals. The students identified their club as HOSA (a health-care student organization) and said their research and materials were verified by Jennifer Scribe, founder of the Hub of Hope, a local nonprofit that assists trafficking victims in northwest Arkansas.

The students described work already completed: presentations to two career-development classes at Oakdale Middle School and a presentation to the entire 7th-grade lunch period, plus a public workshop at Heritage High School. They said they distributed a QR code to collect feedback and plan to host a “hope bag” drive at Cross Church Pinnacle Hills; hope bags contain travel-size toiletries and other essentials given to victims.

Planned next steps include a second t-shirt pre-order (the first pre-order closes Dec. 18) and a human-trafficking awareness run or walk slated for late March or early April in partnership with Hub of Hope and the Heritage track team. The students said they will hold a school “Wear Blue” spirit day Jan. 10 in advance of National Human Trafficking Awareness Day on Jan. 11.

During board questions, students said they included Arkansas statistics in their presentations and cited Missouri’s ranking as fourth highest among states in a trafficking measure; they also said their presentation materials include hotline and text information for victims and added that the text line they share in presentations is "233733," which they identified from their research.

Board members praised the students’ work and encouraged further outreach to teachers and middle-school students.