Entrepreneurship Clinic Spotlight: Rescue Her, Inc.
Over the Summer, students in the Baylor Law Entrepreneurship Legal Clinic had the opportunity to work with Rescue Her, Inc., a nonprofit organization on the front lines of the fight against human trafficking. Rescue Her exists to empower survivors of sex trafficking to live in freedom by providing both crisis response and long-term advocacy to adult trafficking victims. The staff spends its days talking directly with survivors and supporting them in various ways, from coordinating with law enforcement to locating shelter and providing necessities. For over a decade, the company has been helping victims from all over the globe and developing community engagement tactics to achieve one goal: to end sex trafficking.
Sarah Phillips is passionate about developing strategies to combat trafficking in her community. She believes in the mission of Rescue Her and works each day to expand its reach and allow it to greater support survivors of sex trafficking. Her career at Rescue Her started with an internship, and now, after over ten years of devoting her life to the cause, she serves as the company’s Executive Director. She oversees the company’s day-to-day operations and helps set its strategic goals for the future.
At the beginning of the Summer, Sarah connected with Professor Allen Page, the director of the Baylor Law Entrepreneurship Clinic. She reached out looking for help with updating Rescue Her’s bylaws. The clinic’s students were put to work on drafting a new set of bylaws that fit the organization’s evolving needs. They were tasked with retaining the structure of Rescue Her while building in the flexibility for it to adapt to new challenges and opportunities. The students and the clinic staff built a draft that fit the organization’s current and anticipated future needs.
After completing the project, Sarah was asked about her experience working with the Entrepreneurship Clinic. Overall, she was pleased with the process, her interactions with the clinic staff, and its results. She remarked, “Everyone I interacted with from the clinic was kind, patient, prompt, and completed their work with excellence. I really appreciated the staff taking the time to answer my questions and create a document that reflected the specific needs of our organization. We were not just another “project” to them. I felt heard.”
With its new bylaws in place, Rescue Her is ready to launch into its next chapter. When asked about the company’s plans for the future, Sarah responded, “Over the next three years, we are focused on expanding both our crisis response and long-term programs. Our focus in each program is to provide depth and quality care to every survivor we serve. This takes time and financial resources, as many trafficking survivors have many needs. This means that our staff can normally only serve about 3-4 survivors simultaneously to ensure each survivor gets the best care possible. We hope to triple our staff over the next three years to serve more survivors without compromising their quality of care.” Rescue Her aims to widen its reach to provide even more survivors with quality care and support through crisis response and throughout the legal process.
To learn more about Rescue Her, visit rescueher.org. If you want to contact the Baylor Law Entrepreneurship Legal Clinic, please email the clinic at elawclinic@baylor.edu.
