Next Tuesday, May 1st, Jeremy Affeldt of the San Francisco Giants, will be speaking at the University of San Francisco campus from 11:40-12:40 at CO 106. Aside from being a pitcher and 2010 World Series champion, he is also a human rights advocate and an ambassador for the anti-slavery organization, Not For Sale.
Not For Sale is a campaign started by USF School of Management professor David Batstone that mobilizes activists to abolish slavery and fight human trafficking through a variety of grassroots initiatives. He founded the organization after reading in a local paper that his favorite Indian restaurant had been trafficking women to wash dishes, cook meals and perform other types of labor.
Currently Not For Sale helps victims of human trafficking in Thailand, Uganda, Peru, Cambodia and Romania. The organization goes on to provide shelter, education and support to surviving victims of human trafficking. It also works with businesses to examine their supply chains and practice ethical hiring.
Affeldt will be speaking about his profession and work for Free2Play, a Not For Sale campaign that works to create new futures for children who have been rescued from exploitation and slavery. Free2Play was founded on the United Nations Rights of the Children, which guarantees each child the right to rest, leisure and participation in recreational activities no matter what nationality, race or economic level. It is founded on the idea that play has been proven to foster profound effects on ones mental, physical and emotional health.
Last year Affeldt donated $20,000 to support sports programs for kids around the world who have been offered refuge by Not For Sale. In 2009, when he was first drafted to the Giants and made his name as one of the top left-handed setup men in baseball, Affeldt promised to donate $100 for every strike-out he threw during that season to Free2Play. Now, after his World Series championship, Affeldt has upped his contribution to $250 per strikeout.
Not For Sale and Free2Play emphasize that activists can use their own talents and passions to make their contribution toward abolishing slavery. In fact, student athletes on the USF women’s soccer team have made the promise to donate $15 to Free2Play for every goal they score this season.
These donations and future donations to come have allowed Free2Play to build a full sized basketball court at their Thailand location as well as sponsor a surf tribe in Peru, that allows former street children and sex slaves to discover a love for sports.
The event is free to attend and open to the public.
