LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — A Lexington organization dedicated to helping victims of sexual exploitation and trafficking is marking a significant milestone, celebrating 25 years of service to the community.
Natalie's Sisters held its Silver Gala Thursday night, bringing together community members, supporters, and team members to reflect on the organization's impact over the past quarter-century.
"Once a year, we celebrate with community members and the team members. But we have to do that. We have to focus on the positive because there's so much heartbreak," said Jani Lewis, the organization's executive director.
The non-profit's work focuses on providing food and community resources to women looking to build better lives for themselves.
Lewis brings a personal perspective to the work.
"As a single mom, when I was growing up and I had, what I thought was no choice, I worked in the clubs. And so to be able to go back into that darkness and take light, it's huge. To be able to reach out to the ladies and let them know that somebody does care. That wasn't around when I was in the club," Lewis said.
The gala provided an opportunity for supporters to look back on the organization's growth from humble beginnings.
"When we first got together, 5 ladies sitting in my apartment, getting ready to take fried chicken out, you know, to one club. We never envisioned 200 people coming together to celebrate like this," Lewis said.
"And now we've served, I would say over 1,200 ladies on the street. We can't even begin to tell you how many in the clubs," Lewis added.
The work requires building long-term relationships with the women they serve, according to supporters who understand the complexity of the issues involved.
"You have to get into the nitty-gritty of what was the root cause that brought this person to be exploited now in the sex industry. And that's not something you get out of one conversation," said Lieutenant Brian Martin. "That takes a long time of building a relationship and that's what the women at Natalie's sisters do so well."
For Lewis and her team, showing compassion remains at the heart of their mission.
"One of the most important things that we do for our ladies is to show them God's grace. You know, they feel like they've been judged. They feel like nobody loves them. They're not acceptable. They're not worthy of anything, and we're able to show them that they are," Lewis said.
"It's an honor to still be doing it 25 years later. We never expected it," Lewis concluded.
