{"id":9011,"date":"2025-10-20T14:59:09","date_gmt":"2025-10-20T14:59:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/9011\/"},"modified":"2025-10-20T14:59:09","modified_gmt":"2025-10-20T14:59:09","slug":"bethlehem-nonprofit-honors-survivors-of-sex-trafficking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/9011\/","title":{"rendered":"Bethlehem nonprofit honors survivors of sex trafficking"},"content":{"rendered":"

Surrounded by flowers and a crowd of dozens of women,\u00a0Carol Andersen held a bright, lit candle at a podium in a large Bethlehem church sanctuary. <\/p>\n

The candle, Andersen said, symbolized two women who were graduating Sunday evening from a two-year residential program for survivors of sex trafficking. She called on anyone facing the traumatic crime to find their way out of abuse and start over.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe candle is really where it all begins,\u201d said Andersen, CEO of Bloom for Women, a Lehigh Valley nonprofit that assists survivors of sex trafficking and sexual exploitation. \u201cIt\u2019s shining that light, the way out of darkness.\u201d<\/p>\n

Among its programs is a residential program for up to 21 women \u2014 two of whom officially graduated Sunday during a ceremony at the New Covenant Christian Community Church in Bethlehem, alongside other survivors of sex trafficking currently living in Bloom\u2019s homes, and other alumni of the program. The ceremony featured prayers, hymns and speeches from graduates\u2019 loved ones.<\/p>\n

The audience-wide candle-lighting ceremony at the end of a Bloom graduation is a tradition dating back to the organization\u2019s founding, according to Andersen; it means \u201cthere is a way out, and that there is welcome and love and hope waiting on the other side,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do declare today that we are not graduating victims or survivors, but God, we are graduating overcomers today,\u201d said Sheniqua Mitchell, Bloom\u2019s outreach manager, in a prayer during the ceremony.<\/p>\n

\"Lauren<\/p>\n

Lauren Brennan, a Bloom workforce development coordinator, congratulates the graduates Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025, at New Covenant Christian Community in Bethlehem for women who have completed Bloom for Women Inc.\u2019s two-year residential program. Bloom for Women is a nonprofit providing support to survivors of sex trafficking and sexual exploitation. (Jane Therese \/ Special to The Morning Call)\n<\/p>\n

\"Lori<\/p>\n

Lori and husband Dominic Baptista of Bethlehem watch a video of the graduates Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025, at New Covenant Christian Community in Bethlehem for women who have completed Bloom for Women Inc.\u2019s two-year residential program. Bloom for Women is a nonprofit providing support to survivors of sex trafficking and sexual exploitation. (Jane Therese \/ Special to The Morning Call)\n<\/p>\n

\"Supporters<\/p>\n

Supporters for the recent graduates hold candles Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025, at New Covenant Christian Community in Bethlehem for women who have completed Bloom for Women Inc.\u2019s two-year residential program. Bloom for Women is a nonprofit providing support to survivors of sex trafficking and sexual exploitation. (Jane Therese \/ Special to The Morning Call)\n<\/p>\n

\"Carol<\/p>\n

Carol Andersen, Bloom CEO, concludes the celebration Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025, at New Covenant Christian Community in Bethlehem for women who have completed Bloom for Women Inc.\u2019s two-year residential program. Bloom for Women is a nonprofit providing support to survivors of sex trafficking and sexual exploitation. (Jane Therese \/ Special to The Morning Call)\n<\/p>\n

\"Supporters<\/p>\n

Supporters place their hands on the back of a graduate during a prayer service lead by Sheniqua Mitchell, an outreach manager of Mt. Pocono, Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025, at New Covenant Christian Community in Bethlehem for women who have completed Bloom for Women Inc.\u2019s two-year residential program. Bloom for Women is a nonprofit providing support to survivors of sex trafficking and sexual exploitation. (Jane Therese \/ Special to The Morning Call)\n<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A 2023 graduate of the Bloom for Women residential program hugs her sister who graduated Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025, at New Covenant Christian Community in Bethlehem for women who have completed Bloom for Women Inc.\u2019s two-year residential program. Bloom for Women is a nonprofit providing support to survivors of sex trafficking and sexual exploitation. (Jane Therese \/ Special to The Morning Call)\n<\/p>\n

\"Dinoli<\/p>\n

Dinoli Rowlands, Bloom board vice chair, opens the celebration Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025, at New Covenant Christian Community in Bethlehem for women who have completed Bloom for Women Inc.\u2019s two-year residential program. Bloom for Women is a nonprofit providing support to survivors of sex trafficking and sexual exploitation. (Jane Therese \/ Special to The Morning Call)\n<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

1 of 7<\/p>\n

Lauren Brennan, a Bloom workforce development coordinator, congratulates the graduates Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025, at New Covenant Christian Community in Bethlehem for women who have completed Bloom for Women Inc.\u2019s two-year residential program. Bloom for Women is a nonprofit providing support to survivors of sex trafficking and sexual exploitation. (Jane Therese \/ Special to The Morning Call)\n<\/p>\n

Expand<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Morning Call does not name victims of sex crimes without their permission, and Bloom asked that the graduates not be identified.<\/p>\n

The first graduate on Sunday said in a video that before she found Bloom, \u201cI just remember sitting on my bed and just praying for a really strong woman to come into my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know if I just keep putting the right foot in front of the other ones, I cannot go backward,\u201d she later said in a speech.<\/p>\n

Thanking her mother \u201cfor not giving up on me,\u201d the second graduate said that finding employment from Bloom and studying in beauty school changed her.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt gave me a boost of confidence,\u201d she said in a video. \u201cIt was like giving me a sense of purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bloom for Women operates five homes in the Lehigh Valley, offering programs that provide safe housing, partnerships with treatment providers, education and job training and more to help women heal. Bloom maintains 21 beds for program members across the homes.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy the time they come to us, they\u2019ve experienced failed systems over and over and over again,\u201d Andersen said of members of the program, after the event. \u201cAnd the fact that they are willing to take suggestions from staff, move into a house where they know no one, we take that trust very seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n

Andersen, Bloom Residence Manager Alyssa Almonti and dozens of Bloom employees have responsibilities to guide sex trafficking victims in three phases. The process begins with medical treatment and recovery services, and progresses to program members working part time in two of Bloom\u2019s social enterprises: one an art studio, the other a women\u2019s charity boutique.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt takes weeks and months,\u201d Almonti said. \u201cIt takes trusting, and we have amazing case managers and the residential staff who believe in them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Andersen explained that Bloom staff also supports sex trafficking survivors in custody cases or other challenging legal circumstances. Almonti said that they have to often \u201cfight tooth and nail\u201d with judges.<\/p>\n

Representatives from Bloom hope to speak in front of state officials in Harrisburg next January \u2014 marking International Human Trafficking Prevention Month. The organization is yet to receive any state or federal funding, and is funded by local gifts and various annual events.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s hard enough to rebuild a life after you\u2019re traumatized, but when you have criminal histories and stigma following you, and lack of opportunity for a variety of reasons, we\u2019re trying to break down those barriers,\u201d Andersen said.<\/p>\n

Andreas Pelekis is a freelance writer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Surrounded by flowers and a crowd of dozens of women,\u00a0Carol Andersen held a bright, lit candle at a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9012,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[153,155,154,182,139,432],"class_list":{"0":"post-9011","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-bethlehem","8":"tag-bethlehem","9":"tag-bethlehem-headlines","10":"tag-bethlehem-news","11":"tag-local-news","12":"tag-news","13":"tag-top-stories-tmc"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9011","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9011"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9011\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9012"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9011"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9011"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9011"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}