Shoes for underprivileged children around the world. Were gonna introduce you to the cofounders of billy4kids. Also, saving a piece of history in paterson, new jersey. The push to preserve one of the last remaining stadiums that served as home field for a legendary Negro League Baseball team. And later, the jersey city students who brought home top honors from a National Theater festival. That and more ahead on sir, this alien life form is growing at an alarming rate. Growing fast, you say . We cant contain it any long. Oh you know, that reminds me of how geicos been the fastestgrowing auto insurer for over 10 years straight. Over ten years . Mhm, geicos the company your friends and neighbors trust. And deservedly so. Indeed. Geico. Expect great savings and a whole lot more. Thank you so much. Did you say honey . Hey, try some . Mmm that is tasty. Is it real . Of course. Are you . Nope animated you know im always looking for real honey for honey nut cheerios well youve come to the right place. Great, mind if i have another taste . Not at all mmm youre all right bud . Never better i dont know if he likes that. Yeah the u. S. Justice department estimates that as many as 300,000 children in this country may become victims of commercial Sexual Exploitation each year. One child survivor of sex trafficking here in new york recalls how her young life became a living nightmare. When i was 12 years old, i got gangraped, and after that, i was kind of vulnerable. And i thought he was my boyfriend until he told me i had to start having sex for money. He was like, oh, i want you to have sex with my brother, and im like, no. He was like, oh, come on. I thought you said youd do anything for me. And im like, no. And as im saying that, im, like, butt naked. So im going to get my clothes now, cause he kept repeating it, like. So, he had my clothes. Like, no, just sit down. Relax. No, i want my clothes. He pushed me, walked out. Another guy come in, like, yeah, you know, im his brother. Uh, listen i told him, no. Im not having sex with you. And he pushed me down, pinned me down, raped me. He left. So, another guy came in. I fought him. He still raped me. Left. And another guy came in. Fought him. I blacked out after 10. I didnt tell anybody until i was 14 years old. I think i didnt tell nobody because i know i was supposed to be home. My mother was at work. My grandmother and grandfather was very strict. I was lost in life. Like, i didnt care about nothing. Me and my mother wasnt really getting along. I had to leave. I was never home. And its a matter of survival. Thats how i got into the life. Well, my mother didnt know what to do. She was very concerned, and she was working very closely with law enforcement, so. She seeked the Gateways Program, and she brought me up there. Gateways saved my life, number one. Gateways helped me realize my selfworth and, you know, realize i have to make myself happy and not everybody else and help me set goals for myself. I obtained my cosmetology license, i got my High School Diploma like, certain things the advice i would give to a young girl is. Its hard. If you feel like you cant tell your friends or you cant tell your parent, try telling your doctor. If youre on the streets, try telling somebody, anybody. Like, Say Something like, can you just make a call for me . Could you tell me how to get this way or that way . Theres a lot of programs out here to help. Theres always a way out. Its hard, but theres a way out of it. The Gateways Program at the jewish Child Care Centers cottage schools helps exploited children find their way out of sex trading and gives them hope for a better life. Joining us today is the director of the Gateways Program, janmarie brown. So nice to meet you. Welcome to here and now. Thank you for having me. Youve been doing this work for a long time. Yes. What draws you to help these kids . These youth have experienced these are young girls that they should be experiencing dating boys their age. They should also be you know, some of them have never jumped rope, some of them have never gone to the movies with their friends without being persuaded or pulled into this underground world of trading sex for money and drugs. Mmhmm. Many of our youth, we have the youth that we have have been between the ages of 12 and 17. Weve had as young as 10, and weve had as old as 18. All of the youth that we have are from new york city and new york state, whether it be westchester or new york city. And what does the Gateways Program help them do . And how is it different from some other existing programs . So, Gateways Program is a Residential Treatment Center that takes the youth out of the community where the trauma ensued and takes them to a place of security and protection. These youth are away from the community, away from their pimps, away from the madames, actually purchasing them and the pimps and the madames that were selling them. And also, at the hands of these people, not only did they experience emotional, they also experienced physical trauma. Mmhmm. And physical abuse that is with them. So we are giving them safety first, their basic needs safety, shelter, clothes and then, from there, you work on the inner trauma. You work on the rebuilding selfesteem and recognizing the trauma. You rebuild them so that they can return to the community, that they are now continuing to be productive citizens. And they move away from this they move from victim to survivor. Mm. How do many of the girls come to your attention . So, we are an organization that works with the administration for children services, and we also work with the department of social services in westchester county, come to us. Their parents will seek help, and when they seek help, then they contact us, because we are the only Residential Treatment Services youth that have been sexually exploited. Now, how many girls have you are you working with right now . And how long has the program been we have been open since march of 2009. So how many girls do you think youve served since then . We have served over a hundred girls in the program. There is definitely a higher number of girls that have been exploited. It is definitely being able to identify. You know, one of the estimates says, in new york, maybe 2,200, but a lot of people think the numbers probably higher. Its definitely higher. 2,200, i guess, a year. That is extremely low. Mmhmm. You know, we receive we do interviews regularly and speak to these youth and see what has actually happened to them, what services we can provide to them. 2,200 is very low. And how do you find many of them are sort of lured into this lifestyle . A lot of it is with the times that were in right now, there is a glorification of of a certain lifestyle, and that promises. And, you know, youre teenagers, so. Youre talking about a nothing. Theyre children. They dont. But if there is anything say, for instance, theyre seeking that attention or its a matter of them feeling that this person loves them, is going to fill a void or make them feel better than they are theyre not thinking that this persons gonna take advantage of them and do anything thats gonna hurt them, because this person is giving them everything they need in the beginning. But when the tables turn and its a matter of, this is what i need you to do, theyre already there. Its too late for them to get out. You know, and how difficult is it when you find a child thats been living like this, to convince them that you really are a safe haven and to get them to open up and to talk to you . Its very difficult, but it takes dedication, and it takes your continuing to let this youth know, listen, im here. No matter how much you think im push me away or play tugofwar and think that im just gonna leave because youre having difficulty expressing yourselves or youre not ready to get to this trauma and discuss it, when youre ready, were here. Is it difficult to convince people that dont work with these girls every day that this is a bigger problem than most people think and that it is happening in their backyard, in their neighborhoods . Its gotten easier, in the sense that now that its no longer taboo, people are having these conversations, and its being discussed, that its not just overseas. It can literally be happening in your backyard. People are now more open to it and are having conversations around it. Its more so around the language of people understanding that theyre not prostitutes. Mmhmm. They are victims of commercial Sexual Exploitation. Yeah, because one of the things thats happened recently is this antitrafficking law that is focusing less on criminalizing the victims theyre considering these young people victims rather than i want to ask your advice for parents and for a young person to avoid being lured and signs to look for if youre a parent with a child in this age range. If youre a parent with a child in this age range, its having that conversation, being open, and not being afraid to discuss things that you might think theyre too young to have the conversation about or my child doesnt know about that, so why have that conversation . Because they might not have experienced that, but their friends might have. A lot of this is the age where theres a lot of peer pressure. Pay attention to your child coming home with certain things that you didnt purchase. Pay attention to them going out and breaking curfew and then coming back and then leaving. Its just a matter of a pattern and being open and having those conversations with them. And young people, what do you say to them about ignoring the person that is seeming to offer something . If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Very much so. Working with the girls, one of the main things that i talk to them about is being priceless. You cant put a price tag on yourself. In this day and age, money is glorified. These things are what people are seeking, so. Youre priceless. And you have to think of yourself as being that way. I can send people to the website jccany. Org. Yes. And they can find out more about the Gateways Program. Yes. And i want to ask you, how are you funded . We are funded through new york state and through the administration for Childrens Services in the department of social services. Okay. But obviously, it would be always great to get some more support. Yes, it would. Because theres a lot of other kids that need the assistance. Yes. Janmarie brown, the Gateways Program, thank you so much for being with us this afternoon. Thank you. Still to come, how a nonprofits gift of shoes is changing the lives of children stay with us. All across america families are coming back to Time Warner Cable for a whole new experience. Thats because weve been working hard to give you better service, and it shows. We came back for internet speeds so fast even the kids are impressed. Oh shes impressed. Were catching up on movies and shows on demand just as fast as we can watch them. For 89. 99 a month youll get 100 meg ultrafast internet, popular hd channels and unlimited calling. Twcs home wifi is so strong so we can all watch whatever we want. And thats kinda cool. Call now. For 89. 99 a month youll get internet, tv and phone. Theres no contract, no risk and our moneyback guarantee. Come back today and well give you free installation with our exclusive onehour arrival window. Feels good to be back. Come back today. Youll get free installation, tv equipment and epix included. And now get a 300 reward card. One step at a time. Billy4kids is a Nonprofit Organization thats providing shoes for underprivileged children in places like haiti, colombia, and the dominican republic. Well, to date, they have donated more than 4,000 pairs. Joining us today are billy4kids cofounders billy lerner and alexson roy. Thank you for being here. Good afternoon. Thank you for having us. We love this love this organization. And you said it before, it seems like such a simple idea that goes so far. Where did the idea come from . I was watching a Netflix Documentary one night on children living in thirdworld countries who were getting hookworm and losing their legs or losing their lives due to raw sewage in the streets. So, in conversation with alexson, we came up with this idea of getting donations of sneakers in all of the ipark garages. So everybody started spring closets, and giving us sneakers. And you thought, you know what . I can sign up with this. Well, yeah. I mean, when we had the conversation, it was pretty much about, you know, helping kids throughout the world. And based on all of the things that i saw when i went to haiti and when i went to ghana and how i just saw kids, like, playing soccer in sandals and in bare feet or shoes that were cut in the back, you know. And there were some kids that werent even playing because they were injured. You know, they had, like, just injuries to their feet and to their extremities. Because theyd been doing it barefoot. Yeah, cause theyve been doing it barefoot. So, me and billy had this conversation, and he was like, well, i saw this documentary, and i said, well, this is what i saw in my travels, and he said, do you think theres anything we can do about it . And i said, lets see. Lets try it, and thats pretty much what we did. You know, we took donations, and here we are. And you started doing this in i said, when i introduced you, 4,000 shoes. Whats interesting to me is that you guys went a step farther. Its not just collecting shoes. Now youre even manufacturing shoes to give away. Talk to me about that. Yeah. So, i guess, what happened was, we were collecting shoes at all the ipark locations throughout the city. And we were getting a lot of shoes. I mean, your count was correct we got like over 4,000 pair of shoes just on donations. But a lot of them were heels and boots and, you know, stuff like that. And, i mean, we appreciate it, and if you want to continue to send that, please do, because when we cant help kids, we go out to shelters, and we go out to different organizations to get rid of them. But we didnt have any kids shoes, and so i spoke to billy and i said, billy, why dont we make our own shoes . And im pretty sure he was probably thinking in the back of his mind, like, make our own but, i mean, he went along with it, and he thought that was a great idea. And so we sought manufacturers, and we started making our own shoes. Mmhmm. A very simple canvas shoe. Yeah, a sneaker, basically. Yeah, a sneaker, something that they can go to school in, something that they can play sports in a very versatile type shoe. And, billy, what has been the reaction when you show up with the shoes for these people . You have to see the faces of the children. Thats what makes it really all worthwhile. Alexson and i have been very fortunate in life, and we both feel that we have to give back. And just by seeing the smile on the faces of these children when you hand them a fresh pair of sneakers or shoes, theyre elated, and that makes it all worthwhile. How often do you travel, and how often are you able to get shoes out to particular places . Well, i guess it definitely depends on, pretty much, what we have to deal with a lot of paperwork when it comes to customs and delivery of the shoe. For the mainly, it takes maybe about two months to, i guess, organize what we call a mission. Mmhmm. And we contact the organization in that particular country, and then we do whatever we can, as far as the paperwork. And then, as far as shipment, it takes up to two to three weeks. And no, go ahead. So, on average, its about every two months, every three months. And are folks generally receptive to the idea of these guys two big guys showing up, saying, we got some free shoes . Extremely. Weve pretty much been dealing through church groups. Thats the easiest way to have an inroad into the real needs of children that are in need of these sneakers. So, we contact the parishioners, and we make arrangements to be there on a certain date, and they set it up and have the children there. Now, are there any places that you havent had a chance to theres a particular need and so its on your list . Its all over the world. Theres 740 million children living in countries that do not have adequate sewage systems. Weve all been to caribbean islands, we go to a nice hotel. And a mile down the road from the hotel, you see that trough on the side of the street. Thats their sewage system. It rains, and that sewage flows out into the streets, and the organisms are sitting on the streets. Mm. This is not look, this is not an inexpensive proposition. So do you accept donations . How does that work . Weve been accepting besides shoes. I mean, i know you accept the shoes, but do you have financial donations, or. We have not sought out financial donations yet. Its been selffunded by us. At some point in the future, we hope to go out and financially help support this. Yeah. I mean, i would think, just talking to you right here, im thinking, what an amazing, and, really, in a lot of instances, i would think, youre saving lives. Exactly. Yeah, just put a new pair of shoes or new beginnings, have an old pair of shoes we all have these shoes sitting in our closets from our teenagers. Take them and put them to use. Yeah. Drop them off at ipark garages. Yeah, and i should mention, because this is this is it sounds like youre passionate, but both of you obviously have day jobs. Your family runs the biggest parkinggarage system in the city. Yes. And you are mr. Magic hands, i understand. I do my best. Alexson therapies . Alexson therapy, yes. All right. I think that this is just a wonderful program, and im hoping that you really spark interest here, and i suspect theres gonna be a lot of people that want to help you with this. If were gonna send people to billy4kids. Org, they can find out more about the organization, what you do, and where youre helping people. 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