Rescue: Freedom International (R:FI) of Kirkland has received a $286,000 grant from M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust to fund infrastructure and the expansion of their development department.

R:FI is a nonprofit organization that serves women and children around the world suffering in sexual slavery. Through local partners, R:FI helps hundreds of victims experience freedom and rehabilitation every year. They focus on rescue, community-based restoration, and holistic care for those who have been enslaved.

The M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust grant will be used to expand the development department, which will include the hiring of a development director to establish an effective development team to oversee donor relations, create and implement a development plan, and further the scope, reach and effectiveness of R:FI. This will enable the organization to significantly expand rescue efforts and rehabilitative care for victims of sexual trafficking and slavery.

R:FI believes that restored and empowered survivors can become the most effective advocates in ending sexual slavery.

“It is not the injustice that drives us,” said R:FI President and CEO Jeremy Vallerand, “it is the magnitude of hope.”

The M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust seeks to better the quality of life for those in the Pacific Northwest region by administering grants to nonprofit organizations that focus on the enrichment of the region’s cultural, educational, and spiritual community in sustainable and innovate ways. Since 1975, the trust has bestowed over $750 million to local nonprofit organizations.

For more information on Rescue:Freedom International, or to learn how you can support R:FI’s mission, please visit rescuefreedom.org or email contact@rescuefreedom.org.