Changing the World: by Fighting to End Human Trafficking
When we allow our children to be sold, to be used as a commodity, to be violated, persecuted, neglected, discarded, and preyed upon by criminal influences, we deteriorate as a civilized community. There is nothing civilized about the exploitation of the weak, the innocent, and the vulnerable for selfish gain.
–Andi Buerger
As CEO/ReImaginator for 360° Nation and Chief Encouragement Officer of our affiliated pro bono social impact enterprise; GoodWorks 360° Foundation, I was delighted to have the opportunity to get better acquainted with Andi Buerger, JD, Founder of Voice Against Trafficking, with a mission to bring together national and international partners dedicated to eradicating the business of profiting in human lives. Learn more as you enjoy my recent interview with Andi below.
Who is Andi Buerger?
There are many, many ways for me to approach this, but the genuine heart of who I am I believe may be represented best in this story-form bio that I wrote just last year. God-inspired so that’s what I am going to go with here:
“Go and get the cast out, the downtrodden, the least likely, those that others have given up on…. and tell them I have chosen them to be My jewels. I will dig them out of the pits of life, chisel them according to My will, polish them up, and set them aside as My peculiar treasure.”
–Unknown
So it began for me. From my first breath of life, I had to fight to climb out of the deepest, darkest pit known to any child. Those who were supposed to love me, nurture me, and safeguard my well-being were the very ones who stole my innocence, my hopes, and my dreams. Violence, intimate violation, hatred, and abuse by every member of my immediate family forged a journey that none would envy, but which would ultimately lead to the rescue of many vulnerable lives trapped in a pit. Lives that became brilliant lights radiating hope and promise in a world that sells its children and exploits their truth as it did mine.
I survived not because I am extraordinary, but because I simply chose to win over those who hurt me – by living. As many times as my life was endangered and threatened, I knew that if I could get through the next moment, the next hour, the next day, I would make it. At that time, there wasn’t any safe place for me to run to – not without having to bring those who abused me with me. When I was five, God interceded and I began a life I never expected to see unfold.
Education and work were my outlets for affirmation, success, and a false sense of identity. I overachieved by finishing college in three years and going on to law school part-time seeking the justice I had never known. I found out that the world wasn’t interested in justice. At least not the kind I was looking for – where bad people were punished for hurting innocents and good people were protected.
As my success in business continued, I realized I needed help to heal. Counseling helped me find my “voice” and a way to work through things I never fully revealed, even to the few close friends I enjoyed in my early thirties. Eventually, I would meet the most amazing human I’ve ever known – and marry him! Together, we would combine our passions for the unsheltered, abandoned youth in our community who needed their own intercessors in order to heal and find hope for futures they had given up on.
None of the awards and accolades I have received throughout the years compares to seeing the light in the eyes of even one of the teens I rescued as he or she transitioned into successful independent living as a result of the safe house shelter system my husband and I developed.
Knowing that his or her generation will never be the same because I chose to live, I chose to win, makes everything I survived worth it. I’m honored to be a treasure hunter, no matter how peculiar. I am a voice for the voiceless, a Warrior-Esther for the oppressed and persecuted innocents in life, and have been called a ‘mother to all nations’. Whether it be Africa, Pakistan, or the U.S., God has brought spiritually (and physically) orphaned ‘children’ of all ages to fill them with the Perfect Love that first loved me.
If I had Facebook ‘tags’ for who I am, they would probably be: Voice of Truth, Voice of Hope, Warrior-Esther, Shepherdess, Teacher, Protector, ‘force of nature meets fountain of joy’ (someone else’s tag for me!), mother to many nations, Ambassador of Perfect Love (Jesus).
We’d like to hear about your professional journey up to now, and the Wisdom gained/lessons learned along the way, including any pivots/course changes.
I started ‘working’ at age 11. Anytime I could sweep floors, take out trash, or help shop owners in a small outdoor strip mall, I did. The shop owners didn’t pay me, but I learned a lot from watching how each of them conducted their business. Plus, it was better than being ‘home’ with familial predators. Although I had no Money of my own, I would often sit and watch people at the food counters (today’s food courts) – how food servers treated customers, how customers reacted to good or poor service, attitudes of all involved in the food transaction, and whether ‘management’ was called in to assist in certain situations. I learned so much simply by watching ‘business in action’ and considered these moments the beginning of my business education. At age 13, I cashiered for a private seasonal Christmas store, much to the disdain of an older woman who felt I had no place there. I always found something to do, organize, and promote to customers while she sat at the counter or took cigarette breaks. She smoked a lot of cigarettes.
Fast forward to working three jobs as a senior in high school. Retail, food service at the high school cafeteria to offset tuition and a fledgling import/export company. The owner of the failing business was a dreamer, schemer, and not good at paying his bills. I remember as if it was yesterday the gruff Sheriff who asked us all to leave the building so he could lock up the warehouse, against protestations from the owner of course who knew he was in the wrong. From that moment on, I knew everything I did would always have to be done with impeccable ethics, responsibility, and an immovable moral compass. In other words, I would have to control every circumstance I could in my very young adulthood. I was driven – and bankrupt emotionally and mentally.
The number of university students who felt and lived the way I did was surprisingly (to me) slim to none. While most were off partying, running wild, and getting very little for their parents’ tuition money, I was taking 18 credits a semester, taking summer and Christmas term classes, writing for the university newspaper as the first freshman to be a regular features writer, and Volunteering for the Special Olympics as a coach. I had never been a coach for special needs athletes, but they advertised for one and I applied. They needed help, and I needed to help.
My writing professor at college encouraged me to go to law school. He was hugely successful as a television producer but didn’t get going on that path until his early 40’s. He said it would change my writing and he wished he had gone himself. I was highly creative and probably needed some ‘logical balance’ but I never thought I would actually pass the test or have the money to go. He sounded so certain I would be successful. I had my doubts – but also a desire to believe what he believed in me. I planned then to become an Entertainment attorney. If that didn’t work out, then maybe I would become a senator someday and help people like me who came from nothing except pain and hardship and had little hope for a better future.
While I had enjoyed working in name-brand resorts and hotels from the front desk to reservations and VIP services, my film writing professor’s words still echoed in my mind about law school. Every day was different in the hospitality industry.
I worked hard, was recommended for management training, and was noticed by one particular hotel chain president. I could have had ‘everything’ in exchange for what he wanted as evidenced by his not-so-subtle physical passes.
Those gestures were noticed by eight other employees who suddenly lost their memories when I asked them to stand up for me when I went to report the situation. I later learned that every witness felt the incidents were wrong, but not worth the risk that they may lose their jobs. This particular lesson would unfortunately repeat itself over the next couple of decades in my various career paths. Everybody is with you – until the potential cost becomes all too real. Still, as disappointed as I was, I continued to maintain positive connections with my fellow workers because they were doing the best they knew how to do with limited options for cultural reasons.
A year after graduating early from college, I began law school part-time. I worked whatever jobs I could manage to pay rent and keep the ‘party bully roommate’ at bay with a supply of cheap snacks. Taking care of people, even if they’re adversarial in a real or perceived way, was another lesson I learned. Giving people what they needed – time, attention, some tangibles perhaps, basic acknowledgment – made me a noticed and valuable commodity in the business world. I had few friends and fewer confidantes. My childhood background was never discussed and female roommates were very challenging for me since my birth mother was the primary orchestrator of all predatory evil in my family. I had to learn to manage both personal discomfort and control issues and still function as a positive, caring human being. These roomies were churchgoing gals. Church was still a relatively safe place for me – and I did not want to upset that apple cart.
Wearing an impenetrable game face for almost any situation conceivable came in handy for success in business. No matter what the potential opportunity was, I was like a chameleon who worked hard to be the top pick. Law school was expensive and school loans didn’t cover extras. The times I had $20 left over at the end of the month made me feel rich- and responsible. It meant I was carrying my own backpack in life so to speak. To celebrate, I’d spend $1.99 for a fast food special and thank God for every mile I drove to get home and savor every tiny morsel! Today, I still appreciate those humble moments. Eventually, I won the hotly contested position of Editor-in-Chief of my law school newspaper. The fight was intense but I needed the paid credits that the position would provide because I was broke. I was so grateful for the ‘break’ despite the many extra hours daily the task would take. The humility learned from some of these experiences impressed my heart and I try to honor that lesson wherever I go.
Originally Published on https://www.bizcatalyst360.com/author/dennisjpitocco/
