Currently, there are 47,000 children reported as missing each year in the state of Texas. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children estimates that 1 in 5 missing children are or will become human trafficking victims. In addition, as the crime of sex trafficking of children is gaining wider attention, and organizations already working in the juvenile justice system are able to more efficiently identify children who are victims, the number of children needing specialized services for the trauma of sex trafficking is growing. However, there are currently only a handful of places in the United States in which these children can receive the kind of services they need.
The goal of The Refuge Ranch is to provide long-term, holistic care in a pastoral and peaceful setting for girls, through age 19, who have been rescued out of sex trafficking. Each girl in their care will have her own plan of restoration. The facility includes on site education services, medical care, therapeutic programs such as gardening, equine, art, music and pet therapy, along with one-on-one counseling and group therapy with licensed professional therapists. The girls are housed in distinctively designed cottages that not only provide safety and security, but also a sense of family and community.
Schmidt is currently committed to wiring the first three cottages at “no cost”, we are also installing all of the electrical distribution for the complex at below “cost”. We are honored to have the opportunity to partner with The Refuge for such an important cause.
