Meet Carrie Gurley

Today we’d like to introduce you to Carrie Gurley.

Hi Carrie, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I was a stay-at-home mom when three women showed up at my front door one day and said, “We were told if we came here, you would be nice to us.” I had no idea why they were at my door or who had sent them. I found out they were all stripping at a club in Fort Worth and they wanted a way out. That’s when they were directed to me. At the time, I didn’t know what I was doing at all, but I just kept inviting them into my home and came to love them dearly. Years later, I began volunteering with an organization that served women in the DFW area who had been sexually exploited in every way and knew this was my calling. So, for the past ten years, I have been working here locally as well as around the world in places like the Philippines, Iraq, India and Scotland, I love my job! I love seeing women get free and reclaim their true identities.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
It has definitely not been a smooth road! There have been many struggles along the way, both professionally as well as personally. Back in 2014, I was working as a case manager helping women who had been exploited or trafficked. I got home one evening and received a call that my own father was under investigation for ongoing sexual abuse of minors. I was asked to participate in the investigation, which I agreed to do on behalf of his victims. My father ended up being convicted and will spend the rest of his life in prison. His story ended up being all over the news. I will spend the rest of my life fighting for those who’ve been abused, exploited and trafficked. I hope to leave a different legacy than my father. It is also challenging at times to hear the horrific stories of the women whom we have the honor of serving. They don’t always get free. We aren’t always able to get to them. Those women still linger in my mind daily. I pray they will find freedom!

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am the Executive Director of Freedom Shield Foundation, a non-profit that has been combatting human trafficking since 2009. For the past ten years, I have created programs and curriculums for survivors of human trafficking that have been used here locally as well as around the world. I specialize in consulting for other non-profits, training communities in understanding human trafficking, equipping teams in compassionate care for survivors and establishing safe houses for survivors around the world. I am most proud of the team I get to work with every single day. They are the best of the best!! We have former FBI, CIA, special forces military and law enforcement agents who are so skilled at helping to free these captives.

I am also especially proud that I was able to serve in Iraq after the invasion of a terror group in 2015. I spent a few years making trips there to provide trauma care for the survivors who had been rescued. It was the hardest and best work so far in my career. What sets us apart from others, I believe, is the combined years of experience in this field as well as the level of expertise of each team member. I was so impressed with this organization that two years ago I actually left the organization I had founded in order to be a part of this team and the impact they were making. They have always operated at such a high level of excellence and impact. I was honored to have been invited to join them as the Executive Director. I think the second factor that makes this team so special is the genuine love and respect we have for one another; It is such a unique work dynamic to truly love and care for each other the way we do. It is more like a family.

What matters most to you?
What matters most to me is that I care for my team well and they, in turn, care for every single survivor at the highest level of excellence, respect, honor and love. I tell them all the time; we must each be a tangible encounter of the love of Christ to everyone we are honored to serve. That is what is most important to me. Genuine love is sensed, it is felt deeply and it has a lasting impact. When I serve a woman, I always think, if this were my own daughter, how would I want her to be treated? That’s the standard of care I want for every single one.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: https://www.freedomshieldfoundation.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freedomshieldfoundation/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FreedomShieldFoundation

Image Credits
@heathermercedephotography