Photo by Daley Hake

It’s a sunny day in Verbena, Ala. A crowd of more than 12,000 has assembled and they erupt in thunderous applause for the artist taking the stage. Austin Childress straps on his guitar, and Wesley Springer takes his seat behind a shiny drum kit. Bassist Jeremy Springer fastens the strap of his bass, and within minutes, the thousands of teens and adults are singing to the sounds of rock outfit Thalon. Jeremy is a typical rock star, with the hip outfits, slick tattoos and hair long enough to effectively accent jumping up all over a festival stage. By midway through the set, the crowd is deafening, screaming all the words to their favorite tracks. But Jeremy is about to turn this festival into something far more meaningful. As he wipes sweat off his forehead, he begins, “Every girl deserves to dance…” suddenly, the crowd is silent. They have just been awakened to the plight of girls enslaved all over the world. Standard rock concert fare? Think again.

Jeremy and his wife, Nedra, started their non-profit organization, She Dances, in 2008, with the mission of providing a future for the girls that society has forgotten. The nameless, the faceless thousands who have vanished into the industry of sexual trafficking.

Halogen recently spoke with the Springers about their unique organization. “She Dances has been a working progress for the past year, we feel as if every small step gets us closer to the vision and mission of freedom that we want to see take place in the lives of girls all around the world,” Jeremy said. The Springers run She Dances from their home in Birmingham. With the support of their community, they have collaborated to raise money through art shows and concerts, including benefits featuring Jeremy’s band.

“A huge part of what we do is through raising awareness about the issue of human trafficking, because so many people have no idea that it exists,” Jeremy’s wife, Nedra, said. “We’ve started a project called Hope in Honduras in which we’re providing a safe home for girls under the age of 18, in Honduras who are victims of human trafficking. The girls will have a place of safety, healing, hope, education, a future.” Though the issue of trafficking has gotten some recent media exposure and recent blockbuster Taken, it’s much more prevalent than most people realize.

Photo by Daley Hake

There are an estimated 27 million in our world today that are held as slaves, half of which are children under the age of 18. There are 800,000 girls trafficked across international borders each year for the purpose of sexual exploitation. The people behind She Dances are striving to change that. Jeremy notes how encouraged they have been that communities and citizens have joined with them, “We’ve been amazed at the many incredible people being willing to get involved, to help, and be interested in what we’re doing. We’ve seen people inspired, people being led to take a further look at what the calling is in their own life, and we’ve seen people take action on the issue through hearing the vision of our organization.”

Nedra added, “We had a young girl approach us one night after a concert, and with a smile on her face she began to tell us of how she no longer has a cutting addiction after hearing the heart behind what we do. She said she realized that there are girls all over the world who are being harmed and don’t have a choice, yet, she does have a choice and is choosing to harm herself. She completely changed her life and now has hope.”

She Dances has projected a 2010 opening date for their Honduras safe house, and also envisions a clothing line to benefit trafficking victims as well. She Dances has a website and a blog that enables supporters to come alongside them. Jeremy said, “We’re always in need of hearts that are willing to spread the word, give financially, and pray! We can be a voice for the voiceless! Every girl deserves to dance in freedom.”

WEB

www.shedances.org
http://rawtalentstores.com/shedances