Monica, or Ms. Quincy, as she’s known, is a passionate volunteer and community servant in Tallahassee and in her hometown of Quincy in Gadsden County.
She is an important part of STAC’s outreach, particularly in Gadsden County, where she helps organize an annual community forum on human trafficking in January during Human Trafficking Awareness Month. (This year’s forum is from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 18, at the Gadsden County Public Library, 732 Pat Thomas Parkway, Quincy.) Register here.
Monica is an In-Home Family Consultant at Boys Town North Florida, where she assists families with enhancing family stability. She has a B.A. in Criminal Justice from St. Leo University in Tallahassee, Florida. She has received several awards for volunteering with many organizations. The most memorable is a near extreme makeover of Shanks Middle School in Quincy, Florida, in 2009. As a result, the organization saved the county’s school board approximately $100,000. Monica’s goal is to leave a legacy of building her community through giving. Monica is a lifelong resident of Gadsden County, Florida, and volunteers frequently in her community as a means to give back to the village that gave so much to her. She currently lives in Quincy.
Why are you passionate about STAC’s mission?
I am passionate about STAC’s mission because I want to inform and educate my community about human trafficking. I have always volunteered in my community, however; human trafficking did not appear to be a concern. Now is the time to make sure that all of our communities are educated on this subject by learning ways to combat the issue.
How has being on the STAC board changed your worldview?
My view has changed due to the education I have received from this organization. I am more aware of the who, what and how as it relates to human trafficking.
What’s one thing you wish everyone understood about human trafficking?
I would like for everyone to know that human trafficking is not about race. Anyone can be trafficked at any time.
What would you like to see our community do to support trafficking survivors and the STAC mission?
I would like for our community to support our efforts by attending the forums, supporting STAC through donations, attending the Imagining Freedom Culinary Tasting & Marketplace, as well as be a presence in the community. SPEAK UP!