Photo courtesy of Hands of JusticePeople
Local Nonprofit Hands of Justice welcomes Dawn Candy as Executive Director
This Hello Woodlands Nonprofit Executive Director feature is brought to you by Randy Lovelace of Paragon Independent Insurance Agencies and highlights a local nonprofit organization leader who serves the Montgomery County community.
Read our interview below with Dawn Candy, Executive Director of Hands of Justice.
Meet the Executive Director
Dawn Candy is the Executive Director of Hands of Justice, a local non-profit organization dedicated to empowering survivors of human trafficking through awareness, outreach, scholarships, survivor-led support groups, trauma therapy, and more.
Having served on the board of Hands of Justice for over four years, Dawn has gained firsthand experience in navigating the complex resources and assistance needed to locate, recover, and support loved ones exiting the life of sex trafficking. Her mission is to educate the community about human trafficking, how victims are targeted, and the crucial role the community must play in ending this atrocity.
Dawn Candy is also the founder and owner of I Promote You, a strategic marketing and promotional products company that has been in operation since 2008. Dawn brings over 30 years of experience marketing, advertising, business development and community collaborations and partnerships to her new role with Hands of Justice.
THE INTERVIEW
Tell us your story. What connected you to Hands of Justice? Why does their mission inspire you to serve the organization and our community?
In early 2020 my husband and I were granted custody of 3 of our granddaughters ages 16, 4 ½ and 2 ½ years old. As we were transitioning from being empty nesters to a house full, the world was shutting down due to the Covid pandemic. To say it was an adjustment is an understatement. In April, our oldest granddaughter was gifted a cell phone for her 17th birthday, and we immediately noticed a shift in her behavior. Some of my friends I consulted for advice on how to manage our teenager advised me to not be too hard on her. She was adjusting to our rules, and her new life, she would adjust and grow out of the behavior once she was settled. My gut told me otherwise. I felt something else was going on, and after several months of defiant behavior, sneaking out, becoming isolated and secretive about her whereabouts when she wasn’t at home, my greatest fear was realized. She “ran away” for the third time and the police encouraged me to file a missing persons report. That advice turned out to be a blessing I would later recognize. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) picked up our case and began to search for her. Although she had a cell phone, she did not have a paid plan, she could only make calls through Wi-Fi connections. This complicated matters when attempting to locate her using the phone. While the NCMEC actively searched for her, I reached out to Rebecca Cary, the founder of Hands of Justice for guidance. She was a lifeline during this dark and uncertain time. There were many law enforcement agencies, private investigators and other non-profits engaged in our case attempting to help locate, recover and support our family.
My granddaughter was trafficked for 3.5 years, taken across state lines and advertised online.
While grieving the loss of my granddaughter to sex trafficking, I met several survivors, who prayed for our family, and each of them gave me hope. Their resilience gave me strength to continue our recovery efforts, understanding that when she recovered, the healing could begin for us all. I realized during this time there were no support services for family members of trafficking victims or survivors. I began to volunteer with Hands of Justice to help create awareness by sharing our story, which was healing in itself. I worked with the founder to begin a family support group, but it was slow to start. Family members experience stages of grief, denial, anger, depression, shame and guilt. It helps to talk with someone when processing those feelings. The family support group helped me understand I was not alone in this fight, and there is hope for the victims. Hands of Justice and its founder Rebecca Cary created a safe community for survivors and their families to heal, grow and step into all that they were created to be. I am so proud to lead this amazing organization into its next phase of growth, and carry on our founder’s legacy.
Who and where does Hands of Justice serve? What programs and services are offered?
The three pillars of service we provide are survivor advocacy and support, economic empowerment, and community awareness and outreach. Our online survivor-led support groups enable Hands of Justice to reach survivors locally and across the country. We also provide trauma informed therapy through partnerships with licensed therapists who provide in-person and virtual sessions. By providing educational scholarships to survivors, we empower them to gain financial independence, which is a key factor in breaking free from the cycle of exploitation, rebuilding their lives, and preventing re-trafficking. It provides the survivor with the ability to support themselves, to make their own choices regarding employment and housing, reducing their vulnerability to traffickers who often rely on their financial insecurity.
What makes Hands of Justice unique?
We are survivor led with survivor informed programs. Our staff and support group leaders are survivors. This creates a safe environment for the survivors we serve to focus on their healing.
What is your vision and hope for the future of Hands of Justice?
To create a world where survivors of human trafficking thrive, in freedom, empowerment, and community. Fostering a society committed to awareness, prevention, and justice.
How can the community get involved, volunteer, and support Hands of Justice?
Attend our events, volunteer to serve, become a donor to sustain our programs and invite us to speak at your church, business or civic group to help create awareness.
Anything else you would like to share about Hands of Justice?
Yes, if anyone would like to host or attend a Human Trafficking 101 training to learn more about trafficking, signs to look for, and how it occurs, I encourage the community to reach out to us to teach the training for you and your organization. Please visit our website for upcoming trainings and events to get involved and help join the fight.
Learn more about Hands of Justice by visiting their website at www.handsofjustice.org.
ABOUT RANDY LOVELACE
To learn more about Randy Lovelace, his “Referral for a Cause” program to help local nonprofit organizations, and of Paragon Independent Insurance Agencies, please call (281) 298-0440, email rlovelace@paragoninsagencies.com or visit www.paragoninsagencies.com/woodlands.
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