OUR VISION
"For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet, till her vindication shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch [...] They will be called the Holy People, the Redeemed of the Lord; and you will be called Sought After, the City No Longer Deserted."
Isiahi 62:1-12
OUR MISSION
We strive to provide trafficked children with safe and loving homes through properly supported, trained and equipped resource families, allowing them the space they need to heal and chase after the unlimited future they deserve.
You see when a trafficked child is either rescued or escapes their trafficker, not only are they traumatized on every level, they, in one moment lose their home, job, phone, transportation, safety, provision and everything else. Without resources to support them effectively, chances are very high that they, unable to survive on her own, will return to their trafficker. They don't just need one thing, they need EVERYTHING all at once.
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The weight of restoration is too difficult for one person or one organization, but instead requires a community. A community where each person or institution takes its role and works together to promote stability and create an environment for healing to take place. Sought After is continuously working not only to provide these necessary services, but to establish a network of individuals and agencies and organizations that can address the needs of our kiddos.
Here we understand the need for a multi-disciplinary, integrated, holistic, victim-centered, trauma-informed approach. We must include all sectors including the children themselves, churches, social services, law enforcement, businesses, non profits, education, medical professionals, therapists and community organizations to be effective in restoring these beautiful young lives.
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Our solutions are based in building a Transformational Culture that accomplishes more than any of us could do on our own.
Meet the Sought After Family
Loreal is the co-founder and president of Arukah Project, the non-profit that started Sought After. She graduated with a BA in Psychology from the University of Santa Cruz in 2013. She found her true calling in 2015 when she took a mission trip to YWAM in Perth, Australia where she worked toward the prevention, release and care of those enslaved in sex trafficking. Loreal returned from Australia with a resolve to rescue, restore and reintegrate survivors here in Santa Cruz, especially children. Along with having worked as an Early Intervention Behavioral Specialist and traveling on international missions and pastoral leadership, Loreal is a Certified Human Trafficking Case Manager in California and is graduated with her Master’s Degree in Intercultural Studies with a focus on Children at Risk at Fuller Seminary in June 2022. She enjoys hikes, playing with her Golden Retriever, Kaya, cats, Lily and Tucker, reading, and spending time with her husband, daughter, friends and family.
Loreal Weitzel
Administrator for the Sought After Agency
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loreal@soughtafterffa.org
Tovah is a wife and mom of two children. Her family resides in beautiful Santa Cruz, California. She is a Social Worker with over 15+ years of experience working with children, families, and individuals in a variety of settings. She helps restore, renew, and rebuild the lives of survivors of sex trafficking. Her approach is to offer a safe, non-judgmental place to release shame and trauma as obstacles to personal freedom, and to discover new pathways to deepen and strengthen the inner self. Social Work has been at the core of Tovah's identity. Holding space for people to empower themselves and create change in their lives is truly a calling and a privilege. She believes every person has the right to a nonviolent life. Filled with respect, justice, personal power, dignity, prosperity, love, and hope. Today you can do more than just survive. You can thrive. Tovah loves working with people one-on-one, to help them see that the light within is the strongest force, and that they are not alone. Helping survivors find their voice and their inner strength, fills her heart. Every day is an opportunity to make the world a better place. Tovah holds a Master's Degree in Human Development with a specialization in Social Change from Pacific Oaks College in Pasadena, California.
Tovah Kolodinski
Sought After Foster Family
Agency Social Worker
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tovah@soughtafterffa.org
Anastasia will be joining Foster Family Agency as our Social Worker Supervisor. She graduated with her BA in Communications Studies from San Francisco State University and she received her Masters degree in Social Work from San Jose State University. During graduate school she did extensive research on human trafficking as she experienced working with human trafficking survivors at a local group home in Los Angeles. This is where she found her love for social work. Anastasia has been working with children and families for over 15 years in a variety of settings including the educational setting, non-profits, and government agencies. She strives to have a humanistic centered, trauma-informed, and strength-based approach to promote healing and wellbeing when working with children and families. She loves working with people one on one to form connections that promote light, love, and healing, but she also understands that it “takes a village” to help our communities prosper. Her hobbies include spending time with family and friends, cuddling with her dog Tango, working out, reading, and writing poetry or dabbling in art when she feels inspired.
Anastasia Nunez
Sought After Foster Family
Agency Social Worker Supervisor
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anastasia@soughtafterffa.org