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How a Hallmark-Famous Neighbourhood Joined the Fight Against Human Trafficking
This Christmas season, a charming country neighbourhood of Mt Lehman in Canada, the backdrop for over 50 Hallmark Christmas movies, is opening its doors for a second home tour for a cause. All proceeds are going to IJM to support the fight against human trafficking.
In 2018, the Friesen family — Bruce, Sylvia and their daughter Cara attended an IJM conference and were moved by the stories of rescue and the perseverance of the field office teams.
During the conference, Sylvia and Cara attended a workshop led by Blythe Hill, founder of Dressember, a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign. Blythe challenged her audience to use what they had and find creative ways to support the fight against human trafficking.
On the flight back home, the family brainstormed ways to champion the cause they were so passionate about. They came up with the idea of showcasing their neighbourhood, which had served as a backdrop for over 20 Hallmark movies at the time, by turning it into a Christmas Home Tour.
The first ideas were scribbled on an airplane lunch napkin as they brainstormed how it might look.
Soon after, Sylvia and her three daughters began planning and organizing their Christmas home tour.
“Someone had the idea of leveraging the ‘fame’ of our homes in Christmas movies and our wonderful neighbourhood and doing a Christmas Home Tour. The surprise was how the media, online, TV, radio and newspaper picked up the tour and promoted it as a great Christmas event with all proceeds to IJM.” Sylvia Friesen.
The 2019 tour was an incredible success. They welcomed over 3,000 guests and raised CAD$100,000 to help bring rescue, freedom and restoration to people trapped in human trafficking around the world!
Now, four years later, the Christmas home tour is back!
This year, the family was inspired to do a second tour to amplify the movement to end human trafficking. The tour will feature seven houses and was reimagined with new exciting additions! In each home, guests will discover the way different families decorate for Christmas, enjoy live music and learn more about IJM’s work.
“We were thinking that the gift tree is a way to bring people together in relationship. How much more meaningful for a family or a group of friends to decide together that they will choose a ‘gift of rescue’ from the giving tree and be part of the movement to eradicate human trafficking, instead of gifts that no one really needs. If you don’t know what to get someone for Christmas – this is an option for everyone on your list!”
We’re so grateful for the Mt. Lehman Christmas Home Tour, their generosity, creativity and determination to end human trafficking and rescue children around the world so they can celebrate Christmas in freedom, especially because children remain disproportionately vulnerable to modern slavery.
In fact, 1 in 4 victims of modern slavery are children. That’s because children are, by nature, in a vulnerable state. Traffickers prey on this vulnerability by targeting situations where children are left unprotected or use deceitful promises to manipulate them, ultimately forcing them into forced labour or sexual exploitation.
At IJM, we believe that we can end modern slavery and violence against children in our lifetime. We know it’s possible with the dedication of supporters like the people part of this Mt Lehman neighbourhood and caring people like you who share a compassionate commitment to this cause.
Initiatives like this exemplify the power of a community coming together to find creative approaches to use just what they have — like their homes to make a tangible impact in the fight against slavery.
By leveraging our resources, each one of us can contribute to the effort to end human trafficking and protect the vulnerable.
