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Emilie Johnston - President
As
founding director of Hope
Returns, it’s not surprising to find Emilie
Johnston at the head of this new charity. Her
career in the insurance and
financial corporate world spanned 20+ years of senior management
positions, management consulting and entrepreneurial endeavors. Considered
an expert in her field, Emilie
specialized in corporate restructuring, corporate expansions and
developing new divisions within large corporations.
After
retiring her career in the insurance and financial industry, Emilie
went on to
found a successful online business which has already passed its tenth
year in business. Operating this company offers
Emilie flexibility, allowing her time to give back.
On a
mission trip to India, Emilie was deeply moved by the
plight of
the children—the most vulnerable of the
impoverished. The more she looked into their tragic circumstances, the
more appalled
she
became by the way they are being mercilessly exploited. She
did more research into this situation and found that
globally, an
estimated 11 million children, as young as 4-years-old, are suffering
at
the
hands of human traffickers, exploited in the most unimaginable
ways. That
number is growing exponentially in some of the more predominant human
trafficking
areas of the world including Cambodia, Thailand and India.
The shocking revelation of this motivated
Emilie to
found the charity, Hope Returns.
This charity is dedicated to rescuing child victims out of the hands of
human
traffickers,
providing safe aftercare homes and ongoing preemptive work to help
minimize the number of kids who fall victim to this brutal existence
each year.
Serious issues and
challenges come with the
fight against child trafficking,
but with faith, passion and
sheer tenacity, Emilie and the Hope
Returns team resolve to overcome each hurdle.
John Roberts, Director of Marketing
Born
and raised in Calgary, John is president of John F. Roberts & Associates
Ltd., a real estate appraisal company focusing on the banking and legal sector.
Married
to Ruth for 38 years John enjoys travel and golf. They are members of The
Bearspaw Country Club and spend as much time as they can in their condo at
Predator Ridge in Vernon, BC.
Community
involvement over the years includes World Vision, Operation Eyesight Universal
and Wellspring Calgary. John’s
interest in charitable organizations was initially sparked by Ruth’s
involvement with World Vision where she was instrumental in starting the 30-hour Famine Fundraiser which
became a worldwide phenomenon raising tens
of millions of dollars for World Vision’s international aid. And now he
gives additional time to Hope Returns in the fight against human
trafficking.
Shelley Pinder, Director of Communication
Shelley is a dynamic, passionate educator with a keen interest in social
media learning and a heart for bringing about change in the world. With over 15 years in both public and
corporate education, Shelley is dedicated to using her gifts to help those who need it
the most.
Deeply moved by the struggles of children worldwide and the fact that
there are more human slaves in the world than at any other time in history,
Shelley believes that through Hope Returns, "we can restore faith and quality of
life with aftercare homes, community education and home grown solutions."
While the work to end child slavery is difficult, Shelley feels blessed
to be part of a team of people with such a conviction to change lives.
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... helping to end child trafficking
