Selah Freedom fundraiser to feature TV personality and bounty hunter Duane 'Dog' Chapman

Special to the Herald-Tribune
·2 min read
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Duane "Dog" Chapman became a national celebrity with the television reality series "Dog, the Bounty Hunter" on A&E (2004–2012).
Duane "Dog" Chapman became a national celebrity with the television reality series "Dog, the Bounty Hunter" on A&E (2004–2012).
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Duane Chapman, an American television personality and bounty hunter, and his wife Francie will be honored by Sarasota-based Selah Freedom, Florida’s largest anti-sex trafficking organization, during its annual fundraiser on Nov. 9 at Embassy Suites Hotel in Sarasota.

Chapman, a former bail bondsman known as "Dog, the Bounty Hunter" from his original TV reality series on A&E (2004–2012), and Francie Chapman have formed a nonprofit called the D.O.G. Foundation and House of Bounty that provides housing, counseling, life-skills training, soul healing and intervention services to victims of trafficking. The Chapmans also organized a team to chase down perpetrators who are kidnapping and grooming women for sex trafficking.

The focus of Selah Freedom's fundraiser, "Light the Path," is to raise funds to fight sex trafficking and raise public awareness. The event includes live music, speakers, silent and live auctions, and offers a “meet and greet” cocktail hour with the Chapmans and dinner. For tickets and more information, visit tinyurl.com/4uxsksns. For sponsorships, contact Marketing@SelahFreedom.com.

Since the beginning of 2022, Selah Freedom has provided 99 awareness training events in eight counties in Southwest Florida, reaching 4,100 adults on the issue of sex trafficking in the U.S. In 2022, Selah Freedom held over 300 training events, educating and empowering nearly 6,000 youths and adults.

Free support, outreach programs

Sarasota-based Selah Freedom held over 300 training events in 2022, educating and empowering nearly 6,000 youths and adults.
Sarasota-based Selah Freedom held over 300 training events in 2022, educating and empowering nearly 6,000 youths and adults.

Selah Freedom's outreach program serves both male and female survivors with no age limit. Accomplishments in 2022 include:

· 16 survivor graduates from residential programs.

· 87% of survivor graduates do not return to "the life."

· Assisted 10 foreign national human trafficking survivors, including eight from Cuba (sex trafficking) and two from Turkey (labor trafficking).

· A survivor testified against a trafficker who was found guilty of five felony charges and is facing four life sentences at an upcoming sentencing hearing.

Selah Freedom offers two campuses – a short-term home and a long-term campus with three homes. The program is free. The short-term "Assessment Home" goal is to develop a plan of action with a typical stay of 6-10 weeks. The long-term program allows up to two years of stay where residents receive all basic needs, including medical and dental care, trauma counseling, mental health counseling, group therapy, art therapy, equine therapy, basic skills training, transportation, and spiritual counseling.

Selah Freedom also has mentored over 60 organizations in 11 states and three countries to help provide safe and sustainable programs in their communities. For more information, visit selahfreedom.com.

Submitted by Andrea Martone

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Selah Freedom fundraiser to feature TV personality Duane 'Dog' Chapman