2010 IS A LANDMARK YEAR FOR THE TRONIE FOUNDATION IN ELEVATING AWARENESS OF, AND SUPPORT FOR, SURVIVORS OF SLAVERY

Rani Hong travels to India, Egypt, and across North America to share her story of hope with other survivors and global leaders.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (December 30, 2010) --

With 2010 coming to a close, Rani Hong looks back at the many prominent leaders with whom she shared her story and knows the momentum to combat modern-day slavery continues to swell. These luminaries include: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon; Interpol Secretary General Ronald Noble; Bollywood actors; entertainment industry celebrities Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher and Mira Sorvino; Chairman and CEO of Carlson Companies Marilyn Carlson Nelson; First Lady of Egypt Suzanne Mubarek; and H.R.H. Princess of Mathilde of Belgium. In addition to her conversations with the top echelon of politics, business and philanthropy, Rani conducted dozens of media interviews and was recently featured on CNN International and BBC World News (link to videos) because of her unique perspective. She is encouraged by an upsurge in awareness of slavery around the globe, including among poor and high-risk women and children.

Throughout the year of travel, awards, interviews and conferences, the Foundation continued to remain true to its vision: to mentor survivors of slavery to help them achieve their full potential in life, and to bring grassroots leaders together with global leaders in the movement to end human trafficking. Key milestones reached this year include:

January 2010

Lady Therese Robinson and Sir Ken Robinson are senior advisors to the Foundation. Together with Diane McArter, President of Furlined, and Dr. Ivan Rosenberg of Frontier and Associates, they hosted a two-day strategic planning session for the foundation with 40 people of influence from the areas of education, medicine, law, media and entertainment. The goal was to develop a plan and programs that will take the organization to next level of influence. The final plan will be published and presented in February 2011, and the Foundation’s first new programs will be launched in March of 2011.

March 2010

At the request of Washington State Senator Jeanne Kohl-Welles, Rani testified on behalf of SB 6330, which was signed into law on March 12, 2010. The State of Washington unrolled a poster campaign to combat trafficking by educating victims about their legal and social rights and resources.

April 2010

Rani Hong received the State of Washington’s Jefferson Award for her tireless effort, service, and advocacy both to eliminate human trafficking and to elevate awareness at local and global levels.

June 2010

Rani was the keynote speaker at a Washington conference sponsored by Women of Vision, a division of World Vision International, on the topic of human trafficking and modern-day slavery. She led a session on Corporate Social Responsibility, where she educated attendees about the environments and circumstances that give rise to the possibility of slavery, and how corporations could help in the movement to end human trafficking.

September 2010

Rani partnered with Shakiti Vahini, a humanitarian organization in India that rescues victims of slavery. Through this partnership, Rani visited remote villages and researched the pathways, systems, and methods used in trafficking victims from source to destination. Most importantly, the trip helped to identify future partners for the programs that will be launched in 2011.

During her India Awareness trip, Rani spoke at The University of New Delhi and Mumbai, where she encouraged students to establish social justice groups on campus and worked to include this next generation in the cause. From meetings with survivors to government leaders, NGOs, university students and Bollywood actors and producers, there are clear signs of increased awareness and concern about human trafficking in India. If India is ready, then the world is ready to face this egregious abuse of human rights.

October 2010

Rani spoke before an audience of 13,000 young adult leaders at the Catalyst Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. She offered inspirational words, and urged the attendees to spread the message in their communities to join the fight to end modern-day slavery.

Rani traveled to Washington, D.C. for the 10th anniversary of the U.S. Trafficking Victims Protection Act. She first met with U.S. Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ) on Capitol Hill, who introduced and signed the original bill, and then participated in a press conference at New Jersey’s state house. As part of the anniversary, she joined grassroots supporters and marched in the Stop Modern Slavery March in Washington, D.C.

November 2010

The issue of trafficking was front and center on November 4 at the United Nations, when Demi Moore and Aston Kutcher joined the UN Secretary-General for the formal launch of the Trust Fund for Victims of Human Trafficking. Rani was invited as a VIP to speak at the launch, for which she provided closing remarks and spoke on behalf of survivors worldwide. A CNN interview followed, in which Rani took her personal story and message of hope to a worldwide audience. (link to CNN video)

December 2010

Rani attended the International Forum Against Human Trafficking in Egypt at the invitation of the First Lady of Egypt, Suzanne Mubarak. While there, she interacted with 500 prominent advocates and ambassadors, and shared her perspective as a survivor and leader in the movement to stop modern-day slavery. At the request of BBC World News, Rani participated in a televised debate about human trafficking. (link to BBC video)

January 2011

Thanks to the support of Lady Terese Robinson and Sir Ken Robinson, Rani Hong and Diane McArter have been invited to participate in The Delhi Dialogue, a summit of humanitarian leaders with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Dr. Abdul Kalam, former president of India. This event is designed to help the Dalai Lama realize his life-long aspiration to help alleviate suffering among the world’s poor and oppressed by enabling humanitarian leaders to scale their impact. This inaugural meeting will create concrete commitments of funding, partnership and mentorship.

The Tronie Foundation was founded by Rani and Trong Hong in Olympia, Washington in 2006 and is dedication to mentoring survivors of slavery, both to become leaders and to work together in the movement to end human trafficking.

Press Contact:

Meg Aldrich / Talk Communications
meg@megaldrich.com
(626) 825-0309