A year of hugs, healing and headway

Nov. 7 will mark a year since the ribbon cutting of the St. Jude’s Ranch for Children Healing Center and shortly after, the opening of the since renamed school, Amy Ayoub Academy of Hope.

Since returning to Boulder City two and a half years ago, I’ve been honored to see the Healing Center build from the ground up. Being that I live off the next exit, I got to see the progress on my daily commute. So, when it finally opened, it was far more than just walls and roofs. It was, and still is, a place where victims of sex trafficking could feel safe and at the same time, get an education.

The ribbon cutting was an emotional day for many, even a jaded old journalist like myself. As I noted in my article on the event: “As Dr. Christina Vela spoke to attendees for the ribbon cutting of the new St. Jude’s Ranch for Children’s Healing Center for sex-trafficked children, a hummingbird appeared in front of her during an emotional part of her speech.

For a brief moment, the St. Jude’s CEO choked up and lost her place, only to find it again as the bird flew off. But after a half-dozen speakers took the stage, Vela returned for closing remarks and with her came the same hummingbird.

“Hi, mom,” she said, adding, “I know she would have loved to have been here.”

As I did that day, I’m getting misty-eyed just writing this. I know I wasn’t the only one.

Prior to the ceremony, Boulder City Mayor Joe Hardy told me, “This is a perfect place for those who are healers and those who need healing. And Boulder City couldn’t be a better place for it. St. Jude’s started here a long time ago and has been an integral part of our community. This (Healing Center) is that next step up and they’re doing something no one else has done before regarding a very difficult situation. I am thrilled that Boulder City is able to partner with St. Jude’s on this worthwhile endeavor.”

When I moved back, the Healing Center project had been already approved and the design completed. I was disappointed when I heard that there had been some pushback from the community. Not to justify it, but it was probably both fear and the fear of the unknown. After all, the Healing Center, in a joint effort with the Clark County School District, is the first of its kind in the nation. With that carries a lot of trial and error but at the same time they are creating the blueprint for what will hopefully be many more of its kind.

In 2023. Nevada was ranked 13th in the nation in terms of the reported cases of sex or human trafficking. The key word being reported.

I had covered a few human/sex trafficking cases while working in Arizona but since coming back, I’ve learned so much more while writing stories about the Healing Center. Kudos to Dr. Vela and her staff for seeing the need for the Healing Center and not taking “no” for an answer when seeking donors and political backing to ensure it became a reality.

One of Vela’s biggest supporters has been U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto. At the ribbon cutting she said, “This is about moving forward and an opportunity to help so many,” she said. “This is our community; this is our state. If we don’t work together to benefit all of us, then we are doing a disservice to so many who need our support.”

A couple of weeks after the ribbon cutting, I had one of my most emotional interviews in four decades as a journalist. It was with Annika Huff, who at the time was the center’s program development coordinator. When she was in her late teens, she had been sex trafficked. Not only was she forced to sell her body to strangers but if she didn’t was beaten daily by her pimp. When she was finally saved, she was down to 93 pounds, had 29 broken bones and was suffering from sepsis.

Huff had shared her experience with many others before I interviewed her. I was so impressed with her ability to overcome something so horrific. I wanted to give her a hug and say, “On behalf of human kind and those who let you down, we’re sorry.”

Last month I was honored to win first place in the annual Nevada Newspaper Association awards in the category of profile for my article on Annika. I was worried that I wasn’t going to do her story. Despite the award, I still wonder the same thing.

So, a big shout-out to Dr. Vela and Amy Manning, principal of the Amy Ayoub Academy of Hope, and their staffs for the work they have done this past year. I’d like them all, especially the girls who call the Healing Center Home, to know that Boulder City is giving you all one giant hug.