Record Haul For A Walk Together Event Benefits Sexual Assault Center

(KNSI) – A record $36,000-plus was raised for the Central Minnesota Sexual Assault Center on April 30th during the A Walk Together event. Taking place at Shear Dynamics Salon in Waite Park, owner Linda Wander estimates around 130 people in attendance.

Participants gathered at the salon, completed a three-mile walking route, and returned for a gathering with speakers from the Central Minnesota Human Trafficking Task Force and the sexual assault center.

Direct services staffer Andrew Kaehler from the center talked about the good the organization does, and why the funds are desperately needed.

“So, we serve four counties; Stearns, Benton, Sherburne, and Wright Counties. We have a very high velocity area. On average we see five- to six-hundred new sexual assault cases each year,” says Kaehler.

A common theme through the presentations was the prevalence of human trafficking and how it happens in settings you might not expect, such as high-end hotels or within homes between husband and wife. Kaehler says the one constant is how young boys and girls are when they fall into being trafficked.

“Talking about that age of entry. The average age is 11 to 12 years old, for boys and girls. And most of the time when we are encountering these individuals it’s after they are the age of 18 or older.”

Presenters warned that many human trafficking victims view their abusers as saviors and develop deep bonds with them that have to be broken. Drug addictions are a common way to create dependence.

The previous record for A Walk Together was set in 2021, with over $31,000 raised.

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