Today we’d like to introduce you to Sandy Storm.
“I have experienced a powerful transformation and now live what can only be described as a brand-new life.”
Sandy, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Once I entered the anti-trafficking world I refer to as the “Justice Movement,” my life was changed forever. My heart was pierced when I first heard the term Human Trafficking at a small women’s event in 2009. Beginning with volunteering for nonprofits, I spent my time researching the facts and engaging with political, business, and community leaders to get accurate information about the crime of human trafficking into the hands of people who could do something positive – those who could either protect the vulnerable or punish the offenders.
After years of volunteer work and while researching specific trafficking cases, a floodgate opened in my mind, and I realized that term human trafficking applied to me and to my life. From the age of 6-26 years old, I had been a trafficking victim, but it was not until I was in my 30s that I realized just how much I had survived.
That revelation propelled me to share a story of hope and write my first book, Hello Navi, a novella about human trafficking. In 2016, I held a microphone and stood on a stage to declare the freedom I now walk in as a survivor. Since that day, I have published two additional books in the Navi trilogy and dedicate every day of my life to bringing an end to the buying and selling of bodies and souls.
This work led to a divine connection with the leadership of DeliverFund, a private, nonprofit intelligence organization led by former special operations and intelligence professionals using their skills, expertise, and training developed overseas when they worked to combat terrorism to now counter human trafficking. Our team works daily to train, equip, and advise law enforcement to hunt, arrest, and prosecute human traffickers and rescue their victims. Since 2019, my service to the team as Director of Strategic Impact allows me to use my lived experience to inform investigations and train law enforcement, medical
professionals, concerned citizens, and other leaders.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
My motivation is to crush evil every day, and each morning I wake up knowing that the work I do today will play a part in ending human trafficking and literally setting captives free. The fact that we are working against the most evil and horrific crime imaginable, and the very fact it has so personally impacted me are unique challenges, but I have all the support I would ever need to successfully accomplish this mission.
My past may uniquely qualify me to do this work, but it does not define me. My life has been redeemed from victim to survivor, and now my life is truly thriving! Writing and speaking about the traumatic experiences I faced was not an easy task, but I drew strength from knowing these stories will share truth and spread hope. The positive feedback I have received from some of the thousands of people who have read my books has helped propel me forward with the confidence that my transparency and vulnerability has been an empowering illumination for the readers.
What else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
DeliverFund is using technology and innovation to solve the problem of human trafficking at scale, and our team is known for being the trusted trailblazers in our market. The DeliverFund team is dedicated to crafting scalable solutions to the human trafficking problem, starting here in the United States, and around the world.
In the high-stakes, fast-paced world we are navigating, it is important to operate with integrity and discretion. We have expert understanding of the systems and networks traffickers use to do their dirty deeds, and we assist our law enforcement partners to connect the dots and construct their cases using our proprietary data and technology tools.
DeliverFund’s intelligence team provides reports to local law enforcement that identify human trafficking activity and offers ongoing support to law enforcement operations at no cost to them, through the support of our private donors.
Working daily with law enforcement agents who are building cases to hold traffickers accountable for their crimes requires a level of expertise and trust that is not easy to come by, but the decades of experience our team has from careers with law enforcement and in military special operations and intelligence agencies sets us apart from others.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
I risk rejection, judgment, and ridicule every time I take a microphone and address an audience. But by allowing myself to be vulnerable when I work with the law enforcement partners who come through our training program, I can help them gain unmatched insight into the illicit world of trafficking so they can see behind the curtain, more effectively identify victims and put traffickers behind bars, where they belong.
By taking a risk to be vulnerable and educating doctors, nurses, and medical professionals, I can advise them in how to recognize possible trafficking victims and teach them the proper steps to respond to and report their concerns, which could literally save a victim’s life.
When I allow myself to be transparent on social media and share glimpses into what it was really like to be a victim of trafficking, I risk condemnation and persecution, but it’s worth the risk if it can help a vulnerable teenager to learn the sneaky tactics of traffickers so they can stay safe and protect their friends.
If my temporary discomfort can lead to a captive being set free, I think these risks are all worth it, especially as we work diligently every day to eradicate human trafficking.
Contact Info:
- Email: sandy.storm@deliverfund.org
- Website: authorsandystorm.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorsandystorm/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorsandystorm
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/sandystorm0077
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKnmWctww4gl89AUXuEBY2Q
- Other: deliverfund.org
Image Credits
Fallon Michael
