Project 17 and Project 41 joined forces and reached out to students for a cause.  

Tyler Gerfers, a Chi Alpha minister, introduced the idea of Project 17 to unify all of the campus ministries.

Those ministries included the BCM, CCM, the Wesley Foundation, Chi Alpha and Thrive. 

According to Alan Johnson, a preacher at the Wesley, the campus ministries have come together two or three times in seven years. 

One of these occasions occurred during last spring, when these ministries came together to worship in Bayou Park.

The campus ministries in Project 17 met there once again on September 4 to draw the student body’s attention to a rising issue not only world-wide but also locally. 

“Project 17 is a great example of students working together to better our campus and community,” said Mary Wyatt, a senior speech pathology major.

Though similar to Project 17 in its basis in faith, Project 41 is a separate movement with a specific cause to raise awareness and to stop human trafficking. 

These projects came together for Thursday’s event.

Mackenzie Townsend, one of the four founding members of Project 41, helped to host this event and shared what her organization was about. 

“Project 41 ‘for the one’ is based off of the parable in Luke 15:1-7,” Townsend said. “That is our heart for Project 41.”

Townsend said they believe that even if one woman is rescued from the sex industry, it is completely worth it. 

“Be the one to help the one,” Townsend said. Human trafficking is when people are kidnapped and forced into a sort of slavery. They are then sold for manual labor or often for prostitution. 

About 27 million people are trafficked worldwide with 14,500 to 17,500 of them in the United States. 

Project 41 blossomed after the first annual White as Snow Gala fundraiser event took place last January.

The organization strives to raise awareness of human trafficking and help free those who have been enslaved.

Townsend said they go to OCC to teach a Life Transformation class specifically for women in the sex industry.

These women include those who have been trafficked, in prostitution, molested or raped.

“Along with the class, we meet one-on-one with women in prison to help them with a release plan,” Townsend said.

At Thursday’s event, students were able to read about and watch an informative video on the human trafficking situation. 

They walked through a short maze the organization set up in Bayou Park. 

Derry Jones said he found it to be enlightening.

“It’s an eye opener for sure. When you think of human trafficking, most people don’t pay any attention to it,” said Jones, a senior mass communications and psychology major.

Jones thinks Project 41 will draw more attention to human trafficking.

Project 41 is making plans to have an outreach called Highway Heroes at truck stops, where trafficking is common.

“It was very informative and heartbreaking to realize human trafficking happens near us,” said Taylor Foss of the BCM.