We recently connected with Theresa Caldwell Jenkins and have shared our conversation below.

Theresa, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

My nonprofit organization is means so much to Me because I’m a survivor of child sex trafficking. I created my nonprofit for other children and people who have been where I have been. I wanted to help others and create a safe space.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

We are a nonprofit who raise money for victims of Human Trafficking. We help we personal items, clothing, money to help with counseling and etc. I’m in this industry because I’m a survivor as well. I wrote the book A Diary From Hell a child being sold in America.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Being able to stand and tell my story has been one of the hardest things for me. I knew I wanted to create a nonprofit buisness but did not know where to start. I grew up in foster care and I’ve was not given the tools to learn how to start a buisness. So I started from scratch. A lot of people told me it was a great idea but people were not going to understand my Vinson and they would not help find it. So I started on the street corners of Maryland. I set up tables and started asking for donations. Then I moved it to Atlanta and did the same thing. It took off.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

I saved every dime I had to get my 501c3 status. I read books and I asked questions. I was told that until I had a 501c3 status I was not a nonprofit. So I had to do what I had to do to get that status. I did it!

Contact Info:

• Website: Theresajenkins.org
• Instagram: Theresajenkinsatl
• Facebook: Theresa Caldwell Jenkins