This year’s Restored Wings Gala will be held on September 19, 2019, from 5:30 – 8:30 PM at Embassy Suites La Vista. Once again, your tax-deductible gift (minus the cost of each meal) will help Rejuvenating Women to provide long-term restoration, recovery, and aftercare services in our community at no charge.

The 2018 event drew just over 600 attendees and raised nearly $147,000 for survivors of human trafficking. This year’s needs are even greater now that the Restored Wings Home is consistently at capacity. Please come join us and help make an impact in a survivor’s life!

Keynote Speaker – Shamere McKenzie

Shamere McKenzie is a consultant, activist, and subject matter expert on human trafficking. Turning her past adversities into an opportunity to liberate and protect others, Shamere has brought about social and political change in America and around the world.

Shamere has a strong passion for education and policy and is the Chief Executive Officer for Sun Gate Foundation, an anti-trafficking organization that provides educational opportunities for survivors of human trafficking. As a former program director, she authored an anti-trafficking program from the ground up and oversaw an emergency residential program for adult survivors of human trafficking. Shamere is also the co-chair for the victim’s services committee of the Maryland State Human Trafficking Task Force.

This year, Shamere responded to a call from the Ministry of Justice in her birthplace, Jamaica, and currently serves as the Ambassador for Jamaica in the fight against human trafficking.

In 2015 graduated from Loyola University Chicago with her Bachelor of Science degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice. Additionally, she serves on the speaker’s bureau for the Fredrick Douglas Family Initiative and Survivors of Slavery organizations. Shamere is a member of the National Survivor Network, the GEMS Survivor Leadership Institute, the Survivor Alliance and a mentor to survivors of sex trafficking. She has received numerous awards in recognition for her work.

Her strong determination, passion for success and her faith in Jesus Christ helps her to keep her eyes on the prize. Shamere does not consider herself a victim because she is no longer enslaved; she is not a survivor because she is more than surviving; but, she considers herself a liberator – one who has broken free from the chains of her past, determined to pave the way for others who have been enslaved.

Gala Sponsors