 |
|
Pictured above, holding the check, from left to right is Katherine Fernandez Rundle; John Brunetti; and Msgr. Franklyn Casale.
|
Earlier today, St. Thomas University hosted a joint press conference at the State Attorney’s Office in Downtown Miami announcing John Brunetti’s generous gift of $2.5 million toward our Human Trafficking Academy. The gift will help build on the academy’s success, and exponentially grow its services, which include professional and prevention education, victim and survivor counseling, legal assistance, and education.
“I am determined to help educate others on human trafficking, provide support to trafficking survivors, and to stand up for the rights and the dignity that they deserve,” said Brunetti, chairman of Hialeah Park and Casino. “This gift will not only strengthen, but advance the Academy’s commitment to its mission of providing dignified care to victims and survivors, as well as informing the public of this horrible threat to society.”
President Msgr. Franklyn Casale’s voice is unwavering when speaking against human trafficking. He is the spokesperson on human trafficking for the Institute for Intercultural Human Rights at the St. Thomas School of Law, and has testified before the United States Congress on the reauthorization of the Human Trafficking Act.
“I am extremely grateful to Mr. Brunetti for this important contribution,” said Casale. “This gift, one of the biggest toward curbing human trafficking, will establish the Academy as the center for all anti-human trafficking efforts. It will be a collaborative center unifying the nation’s experts and programs focused on victim care and support, and the education of responders and public agencies.”
Katherine Fernandez Rundle, Miami’s state attorney, and the Academy will collaborate to find synergies and take advantage of each other’s resources to create awareness of human trafficking issues, and to better understand the needs of local and global victims.
