Rotary Club of Peoria North to presents $20,000 to combat human trafficking
PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — The Rotary Club of North Peoria announced it will be awarding the Center for Prevention of Abuse $20,000 on Thursday.
That grant plus a $9,000 grant to the Rotary Action Group Against Slavery will be presented during the club's weekly meeting at 12:15 p.m. on Thursday at the Barrack's Carter Inn.
These funds were raised during the Rotary Club's 'Mardi Gras 2025: Taking Action to End Human Trafficking' event in February. The event shared information about human trafficking locally and around the world.
Mardi Gras celebration raising money to end human trafficking
Carol Merna, CEO of the Center for Prevention of Abuse, said the grant will supply critical support for the Center.
'Human trafficking is when freedom is stolen. From illicit massage facilities to factories and brothels to farms and panhandlers caught up in a begging ring to cleaning crews and domestic servitude, human trafficking is the second-largest criminal enterprise in the world, and it is a serious issue right here at home,' Merna said. 'Our work to serve survivors, and CFPA's efforts to educate and train on awareness and prevention, are our core responsibilities, but we cannot do it alone. We are deeply grateful for the Rotary Club of Peoria North for their partnership and their commitment to the many thousands of people affected by this heinous human rights issue.'
The Center provides services for victims of violence. It is the only agency in Illinois that provides services for Domestic Violence, Sexual Abuse/Assault, Human Trafficking, Adult Protective Services, and Prevention Education under one roof.
The Rotary Action Group Against Slavery uses funding to support Community Awareness & Prevention Education projects around the world. Rotary Club of North Peoria President Ashley Schreck said she wants everyone involved in ending human trafficking.
'By boosting awareness and supporting human trafficking services, Rotary Peoria North wants to encourage more people everywhere to get involved in ending human slavery,' Schreck said.
Anyone who wants to report a human trafficking incident can call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 888-373-7888.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
Three more escaped New Orleans inmates have been caught, while two still remain at large
On Friday, May 16, at around 1 a.m., 10 inmates escaped from Orleans Parish Prison in New Orleans, Louisiana. The inmates escaped by pulling a 'defective' cell door off its tracks and exiting through a hole in the wall that was behind a toilet and sink unit, authorities said. The escaped inmates, ranging in age from 16 to 42, have charges that range from aggravated assault to murder. On May 26, authorities captured two of the escaped prisoners following a high-speed pursuit in Texas. The two escapees, Leo Tate and Jermaine Donald, were caught after fleeing from police in a white SUV in Walker County, Texas. The vehicle Tate and Donald were in sped past police cars, then made a U-turn and drove in the wrong direction on a divided state highway. The pair eventually pulled over and surrendered to the police, AP News reported. Another escapee, Lenton Vanburen Jr., was captured after a concerned citizen made an anonymous tip. Vanburen Jr. was found Monday evening, May 26, sitting on a bench near a department store in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The escaped inmates Derrick Groves and Antoine Massey are currently still on the run. Authorities have asked the public to call the police if they have any information that may result in finding the escapees, and authorities are offering $20,000 in rewards for tips that lead to Groves and Massey's arrest. Groves was convicted on two charges of second-degree murder and two charges of attempted second-degree murder in October in connection with a shooting that occurred during Mardi Gras in 2018. Groves also faces a battery charge against a correctional facility employee, USA Today reported. Massey was convicted and charged with domestic abuse involving strangulation and theft of a motor vehicle. Massey also has a warrant out for his arrest for second-degree rape, second-degree kidnapping, domestic abuse involving strangulation and violation of a protective order involving battery from an incident in November, USA Today reported. The inmates seem to have used a tool to cut through steel bars located behind the toilet and sink fixture, creating an opening large enough for them to escape, according to the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office. The escapees were able to rip out the toilet and sink unit after the water had been shut off by jail employee Sterling Williams. Williams has since been charged with multiple counts of being a principal to simple escape and malfeasance in office, USA Today reported. The inmates reportedly left behind a message written on the wall above the hole they escaped through, and this message read, "To Easy LoL." Presley Bo Tyler is a reporter for the Louisiana Deep South Connect Team for Gannett/USA Today. Find her on X @PresleyTyler02 and email at PTyler@ This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Were more escaped inmates captured? How many remain on the run?
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Louisiana bill would allow concealed guns at parades
BATON ROUGE, La. (WGNO) — A bill that would allow parade-goers in Louisiana to carry concealed guns is moving forward, but it hasn't cleared the full legislature just yet. House Bill 393 would change current state law, which bans firearms at parades and other permitted events. If passed, the measure would allow bystanders, but not parade participants, to carry concealed weapons. Three Slidell teens indicted in death of St. Tammany Parish Sergeant Grant Candies Supporters say it's about upholding constitutional rights. 'If this law prevails, it will allow bystanders to carry guns,' Cliff Cardone, owner of Cardone Law Firm said. 'It will not permit riders to carry guns.' But critics say the legislation puts public safety at risk, especially in crowded, unpredictable parade settings where families and children are often present. 'The biggest concern is, you know, having an incident in a crowd,' Michelle Foster with the Metropolitan Crime Commission said. 'You have drinking, you have children. You know, the last thing you want is to have guns or a fight break out.' HB 393 passed the House last month and advanced out of a Senate committee this week, with State Senator Regina Barrow casting the lone 'no' vote. She raised concerns over safety and liability. This proposed law follows the passage of permit-less concealed carry legislation last year, which allows anyone 18 or older to carry a concealed weapon in public without a permit. Coast Guard searches for missing man around Westwego Legal experts say the measure could override stricter local ordinances, such as New Orleans' ban on firearms at parades. 'State law would, in a sense, prevent city law. We cannot have a city ordinance that is more restrictive than a state statute,' said Cardone. The bill now heads to the full Senate for debate. If passed and signed by the governor, it could be in effect before 2026's Mardi Gras drives onto tarmac at Chicago's O'Hare Airport, exposing security flaw Trump signs travel ban targeting 12 countries Drinking coffee daily tied to healthy aging among women, study finds Ready Lanes open at Calexico port of entry Louisiana bill would allow concealed guns at parades Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CNN
3 days ago
- CNN
What we know about Derrick Groves, the convicted double murderer still on the run after escaping a New Orleans jail
Crime Gun violenceFacebookTweetLink Follow When Derrick Groves, 27, was convicted in October of killing two people, his sentence was supposed to bring relief to New Orleans and renewed confidence in law enforcement. 'The days of Derrick Groves bullying and brutalizing this community are over,' FBI Special Agent in Charge Lyonel Myrthil said at the time. But less than a year later, Groves, who later pleaded guilty to battery of a correctional officer, broke out of jail with nine other men and escaped into the dark New Orleans night. Two weeks later, Groves and Antoine Massey, another inmate with a history of escaping custody, are still on the run. A video posted online appears to show Massey declaring his innocence. The US Marshals Service received the video Monday and is looking into it, Deputy US Marshal Brian Fair told CNN. In the video, Massey described himself as 'one of the ones that was let out' of the jail 'where they said I escaped.' 'As far as declaring his innocence, he's going to have to come in to take care of that,' Fair said. Here's what we know about Groves, a man with a violent past whose escape has drawn controversial support. Groves' criminal record dates back to 2014, when he was charged for attempted second-degree murder at age 17. He was eventually found not guilty, according to court records. Last October, Groves was convicted for the second time in the killing of two people on Mardi Gras Day in 2018. After his initial conviction in 2019, a new law calling for unanimous verdicts forced Groves into a second trial — which ended in a mistrial due to a juror reading media reports about the case. A third trial ended in a deadlock, and Groves was finally convicted again last year after a fourth trial, the Orleans Parish District Attorney's Office detailed in a news release about the conviction. Groves was determined to be one of two gunmen who opened fire with AK-47-style assault rifles 'on what should have been a joyous Mardi Gras family gathering,' according to the DA's office. Groves was found guilty of two counts of second-degree murder in the deaths of Jamar Robinson and Byron Jackson and two counts of attempted second-degree murder for the shooting of two other victims, charges that carry a life sentence, the district attorney said. Prosecutors used social media to help convict Groves, indicating that his online activity 'played a chilling role' in their case. Groves' posted on social media days after the killings showing his familiarity with the weapons used in the incident, according to the DA's office. He 'brazenly boasted about the violence' and even took credit for the killings, officials said. Three witnesses also 'courageously' testified, identifying Groves and his co-defendant as the gunmen, the DA's office said. 'Groves routinely used violence to lash out and silence witnesses or 'snitches,'' Myrthil said at the time. 'There was no doubt in the minds of anyone involved in this case that Groves would continue his bloody rampage on the streets of New Orleans if he weren't stopped. We hope this guilty verdict and the life sentence that accompanies it will give the community renewed confidence and hope in law enforcement.' Because of delays caused by Groves' attorney being suspended from practicing law and the judge in the case recusing herself, Groves was still awaiting sentencing for that conviction at the Orleans Justice Center when he escaped, Keith D. Lampkin, a spokesman for the DA's office, detailed. In April 2024, before his conviction in the double murder, Groves was charged with battery of a correctional facility employee. He pleaded guilty in that case, court records show. After Groves' escape, prosecutors and witnesses associated with the double murder left town 'out of an abundance of caution,' Lampkin told CNN. He did not elaborate. Groves' aunt, Jasmine Groves, told CNN affiliate WDSU that she wants her nephew to turn himself in and that she hopes deadly force will not be used to get him back into custody. She told the station that her family does not know where her nephew is and that the days since his escape have been a nightmare. Jasmine Groves added that Groves' mother was taken from her home against her will by law enforcement officials. US Marshals confirmed to WDSU that they went to Groves' mother's home to question her. 'For my family, it's been like reliving a constant nightmare that we relived throughout these whole 30 years,' she said. Groves is the grandson of Kim Groves, who was killed in a notorious murder-for-hire plot in the Ninth Ward in 1994, the DA's office said. She was a 32-year-old mother of three when the hit was ordered by New Orleans Police Department Officer Len Davis, WDSU reported. This time around, many of the social media posts about Groves have come from supporters, some of whom seem to reference his grandmother's death at the hands of a police officer as a reason to extend him sympathy. 'DERRICK GROVES is the only inmate i dont blame for what he did to qo to jail i hope he neva qet cauqht,' one X user wrote. 'I pray Derrick Groves is never found …safe travels!' another posted. Another X user shared the hashtags '#StayFreeWoo #Groves #JusticeForKimGroves.' The DA's office did not have any comment on the social media support for Groves. He indicated, however, that any suggestion that Groves' crimes were in response to or retaliation for his grandmother's death is 'newly generated urban myth.' CNN's Zoe Sottile, Sarah Dewberry and Karina Tsui contributed to this report.
