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From Grooming to Control - Join us Feb 13th

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 15:19:04 GMT

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Denver Catholic: From Darkness to Light: Maria Tell's Journey of Faith

Tue, 20 Jan 2026 17:13:54 GMT

From: DenverCatholic.org

Maria Tell's journey is one out of darkness into light. This survivor now gives of her time to support others in their own journeys. (Photo by Neil McDonough)

Warning: This article contains tough subject matter that may be hard for some to read.

In the dark rage of a downpour at a church in Fort Collins, a woman once screamed at a statue of Jesus, pleading for help. That woman was Maria Tell — a victim of human trafficking, clinging desperately to the hope of a way out.

Her anguished prayer was answered.

Today, Maria is not only a survivor of trafficking; she is now the founder of A Courageous Rose, a nonprofit dedicated to helping others reclaim their lives. Her story is at once one of unimaginable suffering as well as profound faith, healing and redemption.

Maria’s journey is not just a testimony of survival; it is a witness to the enduring power of Catholic faith and community to resurrect and reclaim souls from darkness.

Maria kneels in prayer at St. John XXIII Parish in Fort Collins. (Photo by Neil McDonough)

Seeds of Faith

Maria was born into the Catholic faith — a cradle Catholic, raised by a devout mother who taught her a deep reverence for the Eucharist, the power of the Rosary and to trust in the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. These seeds of faith, planted in childhood, would later become the roots she clung to through years of darkness.

“I think that’s why I’m sitting here right now, today,” Maria said. “Because of those seeds that were planted from day one.”

But that same childhood was also marked by trauma. At just four years old, Maria was trafficked by a woman running an in-home daycare in Fort Collins.

“I was a little girl going to daycare. My mom was dropping me off, I was getting picked up and I was going home,” she recalled. “There were other children there as well, and it was the same story for them.”

Despite the nice neighborhood, the predators came during the day to sexually abuse Maria and the other children. The abuse was hidden behind the façade of normalcy — no basements or chains, she said, just a suburban home where children played — and predators came and went, leaving behind scars that would shape Maria’s understanding of herself and the world.

Her mother, unaware of the exploitation, removed Maria from the daycare as soon as she learned something was wrong and immediately reported the physical abuse that was also occurring. Ashamed, Maria did not tell her mother about the sexual abuse she suffered. By the time her mother responded to what she learned, the damage had already been done.

“That left a gaping hole in my heart and set me up later to be exploited as an adult,” Maria said.

"He'd be like, 'You have to stop praying. Every time you pray, I go to jail.'"

Maria Tell

The Spiral of Pain

When children experience overwhelming distress, the behaviors surrounding it can shape their responses in the future. Maria spoke of the dissociation that is common among victims, where individuals detach from their emotions, memories or even their sense of self.

“You have these things happen to you as a little girl, and then that normalizes the behavior,” Maria explained. “I was checked out because my brain was just trying to comprehend what had happened to me.”

As a teenager, Maria’s trauma manifested in rebellion — sneaking out, substance abuse and promiscuity.

“It was my way to deal with the shame and the pain,” she said. “I didn’t truly understand God’s mercy. I thought, ‘Well, if I’m going to do these things, I don’t belong here. I don’t belong in this church. I belong in the streets.’”

Her cries for help were often misunderstood, and she was sent to rehab centers instead of being met with the love and affirmation she so desperately needed.

“All I needed was someone to sit down with me and tell me I was worthy of love,” she said. “People just saw a delinquent.”

In college, Maria was broke, vulnerable and searching for security.

“I was desperately seeking a man to protect me and make me feel like nothing bad was going to happen,” she explained.

She met a gang member who promised that protection and belonging, painting a picture of a life like Bonnie and Clyde — making money and facing the world together. Maria was drawn in.

What followed was years of exploitation, addiction and violence. Methamphetamine became a tool of control, administered by her abusers to ensure dependence.

“They tell you lies. When you are in it, you can’t see it,” Maria said. “They own you. They want you to think that you’re a dope fiend, a prostitute.”

As they strip their victims of their dignity, gang members can more easily exert control, she explained, noting that trafficking victims rarely understand that they are being trafficked while it is happening.

"I always prayed. Even when I was on meth, I would be praying," Maria said. (Photo by Neil McDonough)

A Flicker of Light

Even in her darkest moments, Maria never let go of prayer.

“I always prayed. Even when I was on meth, I would be praying,” she said. “I knew I was surrounded by evil, and I knew it was bad, so I would always pray Our Fathers and Hail Marys.”

Maria clung to faith, invoking the help of St. Jude, the helper of the helpless, the Blessed Mother, St. Michael the Archangel and Padre Pio. Maria attributes her safety during this time to St. Michael.

“He was that big brother that wouldn’t give up on me,” she remembered.

There were moments of divine intervention, like the time Maria prayed silently to St. Michael for help, and her trafficker was arrested minutes later.

“That was St. Michael coming for me,” she said. “The Lord comes to his lost sheep. He seeks us.”

Over time, her trafficker noticed a pattern and told Maria to stop praying.

“He’d be like, ‘You have to stop praying. Every time you pray, I go to jail,’” she explained. Maria clearly remembers thinking, “What do you think God is trying to tell us?”

Coming Home to the Church

Breaking free, Maria found her way back to Fort Collins. She’d always been drawn to the Church, but now, utterly broken, scared, with tattoos that set her apart, she did not feel welcome — at first. Only later did Maria recognize that as the enemy telling her she didn’t belong.

Maria persisted, though, returning to one, then another, local Catholic church.

On a providential night, desperate, alone and drenched in rain, in a moment of pure surrender, she screamed at a statue of Jesus outside the locked doors of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Fort Collins: “You have to do something!”

And he did.

The right people were placed in Maria’s path. She found a priest — Father Michael Freihofer — who helped guide her back to the sacraments, where she encountered the grace of God.

“I did not know that the confessional can be healing,” Maria said. “The confessional is not a shame box. It’s mercy.”

Confession was a gateway to other sacraments and healing ministries, and the crucial first step in breaking the trauma bond. Father Freihofer gave her a prayer prescription and invited her to return — an invitation she joyfully accepted.

The mother of three children, Maria now gives her time helping other women and families find their own way to the light of Christ. (Photo by Neil McDonough)

A Courageous Rose

Out of her experience came a mission. Later, when the nonprofit she worked for shut down, Maria turned to the Blessed Virgin Mary for guidance. Together, they named her new organization: A Courageous Rose. The name honors both Our Lady of Sorrows and every survivor who dares to reclaim their life.

A Courageous Rose offers survivor-led peer support, emergency assistance, boxing classes and spiritual guidance. It is a ministry rooted in Catholic values, but open to all.

“Most trafficking survivors are looking for one thing—and that’s Jesus,” Maria said.

The organization also partners with law enforcement and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), providing a bridge between survivors and the resources they need to heal.

Catholic Practices and Community

For a survivor, each day can bring new challenges, triggers and emotions. For Maria, combatting the darkness and trauma she carries requires daily spiritual attention and renewal. Her everyday life is steeped in Catholic devotion, where she finds strength in both Catholic practices and community.

She attends daily Mass at St. John XXIII Parish in Fort Collins, a practice she calls life-changing. She has found a family at her parish and a place where she belongs.

“People asked my name, gave me hugs, they remembered me, and then, you become a part of a community, and it’s so healing in itself for all of us,” she said.

Recently, her parish family hosted a baby shower for a non-Catholic survivor at A Courageous Rose.

“Everyone from the church went all out — decorated and got her gifts and made her feel welcome,” Maria shared. “That’s what we do as Catholics, right? We love people. We celebrate life. We embrace life.”

Maria’s prayer life is full. She prays both the traditional Rosary and the Servite Rosary, focusing on the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

“She’s powerful against evil,” Maria explained. “I’m fighting evil every day in anti-trafficking work, and I need Our Lady of Sorrows with me to help me.”

Maria also prays the reparative Holy Face Chaplet and goes to Confession at least weekly, saying, “even if I don’t think I need to go, I go.”

She spends time in Eucharistic Adoration, describing it as a place of quiet strength, of presence, where the soul finds rest.

“Adoration is absolutely huge. Even if it’s just five minutes, it’s never wasted,” she said.

Maria brings survivors to Adoration, too, to sit and feel a love she says cannot be seen or measured but is there all the same.

These practices are not just rituals — they are lifelines. They are how Maria stays grounded, continues to heal and helps others do the same.

"The confessional is not a shame box. It's mercy."

Maria Tell

True Freedom

For survivors of trafficking, control over their bodies, choices and even their sense of identity has been gradually and deliberately stripped away.

“When you’ve been trafficked, somebody has been making decisions for you for so many years. It’s something I still struggle with daily. There are days when the simple act of deciding what to wear is really overwhelming,” she explained.

But she speaks of a deeper kind of freedom — not the fleeting kind the world offers, but the enduring freedom found in Christ and rooted in faith.

“Being Catholic is freedom,” she said. “Freedom from all the lies that the enemy wants us to believe about ourselves and the world.”

Maria teaches survivors that true empowerment is found in Christ; in this freedom, they discover the grace to reclaim their identity. She knows this because she had to travel this path herself.

“I had to renounce those identity lies to become the woman that God meant me to be,” she shared. “Because he’s the only one that can truly tell us who we are and how he sees us.”

Not Alone

Recognizing she is no longer alone has been one of the most powerful realizations in Maria’s journey of healing. She has a community, a spiritual family and a mission. She has the nine choirs of angels, the saints, the Blessed Mother and Jesus alongside her in the anti-trafficking fight.

Maria’s favorite scripture is Matthew 25:40: “Whatever you did for the least of these brothers and sisters, you did it for me.” It’s a verse that guides her ministry and her life.

Through A Courageous Rose, Maria Tell is doing for others what was once done for her — offering hope, healing and the love of Christ. She and other survivors at the non-profit willingly step back into the darkness to reach for the hands of those searching for the light. Their work is rooted in lived experience and a deep commitment to Catholic teaching — proof that the enduring power of faith can reach into even the darkest corners.

A Pastoral Call to Action

This global crisis demands a united response. In his 2025 pastoral message, Pope Francis urged the faithful to:

Be “ambassadors of hope,” acting together to stand by victims and survivors.
Draw strength from Christ to renew our commitment, even amid injustice.
Listen with compassion to survivors and work to prevent future exploitation.
Address root causes — war, poverty and climate change — through global and local action.
Pray and promote initiatives that uphold human dignity and eliminate trafficking.

To read Pope Francis' Message for the Eleventh World Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking, click here .

To learn more or support A Courageous Rose, visit acourageousrose.org .

Jan 16th - Rooted in Resilience: The Crocus and Rose Ball

Fri, 09 Jan 2026 19:00:15 GMT

Join us January 16th!

Event location:

The Agave Room, The Rio, 149 W Mountain Ave, Fort Collins, CO 80524

Event date:

January 17, 2026 @ 05:00pm – 9:00pm MST

Rooted in Resilience: The Crocus and Rose Ball

An Elegant Night of Salsa, Strength, and Solidarity

Step into an evening where beauty meets bravery, and every step on the dance floor helps pave a path to freedom. Rooted in Resilience: The Crocus and Rose Ball is more than a gala. It’s a celebration of courage and community, raising vital funds for Justice Now of Northern Colorado and A Courageous Rose in their mission to fight human trafficking and support survivors.

Guests will enjoy:

�� A lively salsa dance lesson (dance partner not required to join)

�� An elegant ballroom celebration filled with music, joy, and connection

�� A full spread catered by The Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant, complete with their famous margaritas

��️ Opportunities to champion survivors

�� Real life testimonies from survivors of trafficking

�� Exciting paddle raise to move the missions forward

This is a night of rhythm, radiance, and resilience. A chance to dress your best, dance with purpose, and stand alongside those who have overcome unimaginable hardship.

Every ticket purchased, every toast raised, and every candle supports the fight against trafficking and fuels the journey from surviving to thriving.

A Courageous Rose on FOX31 Morning News

Mon, 05 Jan 2026 17:11:59 GMT

Watch Maria on KDVR FOX31 Morning News here.

Gasping For Air - Northern Colorado Medical Society

Mon, 27 Oct 2025 20:49:35 GMT

Maria Tell Founder of A Courageous Rose and survivor of human trafficking partnered with Fort Collins Police Department Criminalist Laura Knudsen to create a powerful human trafficking training for medical professionals.

LEARN MORE HERE

November 8th 2025 - Human Trafficking Awareness Training

Thu, 16 Oct 2025 20:01:58 GMT

RSVP TO: COLETTE.TEN24MINISTRIES@GMAIL.COM

‘Jesus loves you and wants you to come home:’ Local Priests Provide Healing After Abortion

Mon, 14 Jul 2025 15:10:57 GMT

From: DenverCatholic.org

In their role as spiritual fathers here on Earth, priests minister to many people, and those who have experienced abortion are no exception.

For Father Michael Freihofer, the parochial vicar at St. John XXIII Catholic Parish in Fort Collins, and Father Robert Wedow, the pastor at St. Scholastica Catholic Parish in Erie, the fruits from their healing ministry to these women and families have been great.

“The greatest fruit that I have seen is the women forgiving themselves and choosing to fight for God in the pro-life effort,” Father Freihofer said. “This fruit comes from the graces received through prayer and the sacraments.”

In fact, it was in Confession where Maria Tell, a survivor of human trafficking and satanic ritual abuse (SRA) who was pressured into getting an abortion by her trafficker, met Father Freihofer.

“He received my pain with love from a true father and immediately told me that he had a healing ministry,” Tell said. “He put me on a prayer prescription for 30 days, and I felt so much healing instantly from saying those prayers. That was the beginning of healing prayer sessions with Father Michael and his prayer team, who were wonderful, holy women who I still pray with weekly.”

In addition to his prayer team, Father Freihofer prays in front of Planned Parenthood and started the Holy Face Army .

“I asked many people to join me in praying the Holy Face Chaplet daily for four years,” Father Freihofer said. “So far, we have over 150 people signed up. One of our main petitions is for the conversion of those who are against the sanctity of life in the state of Colorado, especially the judges, lawmakers and elected officials.”

Aside from the government being ripe for change, Father Wedow believes reaching the men involved will go a long way in shaping the pro-life movement, even if the healing comes later in life.

Take Anthony, whose girlfriend had an abortion back when he was in his 20s. Now, he is a father and husband that Father Wedow helps.

“Father Rob said you have to name your child; it deserves a name and is a person, and pray on whether you had a girl or boy,” Anthony said. “The reconciliation part is so much different since I have a relationship with my child.”

Along with providing spiritual direction to people like Anthony, Father Wedow has a prayer team, does one-on-one ministry and was a priest at a retreat for Rachel’s Vineyard , a program Father Freihofer also refers women to as a resource for healing and reconciliation.

“I know a woman, Patricia, from a previous assignment who had an abortion and attended and promotes Rachel’s Vineyard,” Father Freihofer said. “I give Patricia’s phone number to any woman who wants it so that Patricia can steer her or help register her to go to a Rachel’s Vineyard retreat.”

Father Freihofer additionally points people to Tell’s 501c(3) nonprofit, A Courageous Rose (ACR) , which she founded to assist others who have experienced human trafficking, satanic ritual abuse and commercial sexual exploitation.

“Very often, women or men come to me through ACR and need assistance from a priest, such as other trafficked women who have had an abortion,” Tell said. “When you are trafficked, you have so many layers of healing that it really does take a lifetime. I will say this, however, to give others who may have had abortions hope: Jesus has healed me from my abortion. This is a sin you can confess, so don’t be ashamed. Jesus’ mercy is so much greater than all of your sins combined. He loves you and wants you to come home.”

Join Maria Tell on April 11th for a Lunch & Learn Webinar

Thu, 03 Apr 2025 19:57:47 GMT

Join Maria Tell on April 11th at Noon at our April 2025 Lunch & Learn Webinar Series

View additional info here.

Guest Barista Day - 4/24, 9AM - 11AM

Thu, 03 Apr 2025 14:29:18 GMT

Join us April 24th at The Human Bean for a Guest Barista Day!

Human Trafficking Event

Tue, 01 Apr 2025 15:09:50 GMT

Event on Thursday April 17

April Lunch & Learn Webinar Series

Mon, 17 Mar 2025 15:16:27 GMT

Sign up for our webinar here!

Join us every Friday in April at noon for a new Lunch & Learn Webinar Series on advanced topics in human trafficking. Experts from around the country will share critical insights on emerging issues along with strategies and solutions in the fight against trafficking. Geared for advocates, mental health specialists, educators, and other professionals, the sessions are free but require advance registration.

When? Fridays in April, from 12:00 – 1:30 PM (EST)

APRIL 4 - Invisible Chains: Understanding and Combatting Familial Trafficking of Boys, presented by: Robert Lung and Russell Wilson

APRIL 11 - Complex Trauma and Addiction: A Survivor’s Story of Childhood Exploitation and Adult Human Trafficking, presented by: Maria Tell

APRIL 18 - Sextortion: A Call To Action, presented by: Tim and Tamia Woods, and Kathryn Rifenbark

APRIL 25 - Understanding Ritual Abuse and Mind Control, presented by: Chelsea Van Essen

Scroll below for session descriptions and speaker bios.

Date & Time

You can choose to attend one or more of the following webinars.

Apr 4, 2025 10:00 AM

Apr 11, 2025 10:00 AM

Apr 18, 2025 10:00 AM

Apr 25, 2025 10:00 AM

Alliance to End Human Trafficking Event - 4/25/25

Thu, 13 Mar 2025 17:13:18 GMT

Alliance to End Human Trafficking

April, 25 2025: 6-8pm

Founded and Supported by U.S. Catholic Sisters

Human Trafficking Symposium

Hope in Action: Ending Human Trafficking

April 25, 2025

St. Norbert College

Cassandra Voss Center

311 Grant St.

De Pere, WI 54115

6:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Central Daylight Time

Speakers to include:

WI Rep. Jerry L. O'Connor (R-Assy.Dist. 52)

Katie Boller Gosewish, Executive Director

Sally Ann Brickner-Sisterger St. Francis of the Holy Cross

To register, contact marilyn@alliancetoendhumantrafficking.org

www.alliancetoendhumantrafficking.org

Engaging Your Culture - Open House - Ministry Fair - March 6th

Wed, 26 Feb 2025 15:38:57 GMT

ENGAGE YOUR CULTURE IN 2025

It's time we all engage our passions to have a godly impact on our culture. The Cultural Impact Team requests your presence at our Engage Your Culture Open House, Thursday, March 6th at 6:30pm. Local organizations from foster care, right to life, protecting kids, prayer teams, helping single momma's and many more will be available to share their mission and answer questions on how you can engage with them and follow your God given passion

Mar 6, 2025

6:30–8:30pm

Location

Citipointe NoCo

5657 McWhinney Blvd

Auditorium 2

Loveland, CO 80538.

GET DIRECTIONS

From UCOUNT: We are honored to partner with Fort Collins Police Services and A Courageous Rose in the fight against human trafficking!

Mon, 24 Feb 2025 15:14:11 GMT

FROM UCOUNT: We are honored to partner with Fort Collins Police Services and A Courageous Rose in the fight against human trafficking!

Laura Knudsen's work is hard but necessary, and we are so thankful she has stepped up to serve in this way. Maria leads A Courageous Rose with compassion and understanding, allowing it to have a respected place in our community and beyond.

We pray for wisdom, protection, and grace over both groups in their work as fierce advocates on behalf of trafficked individuals.

From Fort Collins police: "Human trafficking" describes a crime where traffickers exploit adults or children for labor or commercial sex to make a profit. We know that law enforcement agencies can play an enormous role in shaping perceptions and guiding the public conversation about human trafficking. FCPS Criminalist Laura Knudsen recently spoke at the Northern Colorado Medical Society awards, sharing how medical professionals can assist law enforcement, identify victims of human trafficking, and connect them to resources. Laura was joined by the non-profit Courageous Rose, who provided perspective from a survivor of human trafficking.

Be an advocate; learn more at the Colorado Human Trafficking Council Website https://dcj.colorado.gov/.../ovp/what-is-human-trafficking . If you think you or someone else is being trafficked, call Colorado’s Human Trafficking Hotline at 866-455-5075 or text 720-999-9724.

#SafetyAndServicForALL

TEN24 MINISTRIES & A COURAGEOUS ROSE ANTI -HUMAN TRAFFICKING 101 CLASS

Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:10:08 GMT

Friday Feb 28th 2025 - Join us for our Anti-Human Trafficking 101 Class

REAL LIFE TESTIMONY BY MARIA AND MORE!

From The Baltimore Sun: ‘It’s in every ZIP code’: Human trafficking is in Maryland too, experts say

Tue, 11 Feb 2025 16:45:45 GMT

FROM THE BALTIMORE SUN

More than a million people live in conditions of modern slavery in the United States today, according to the Global Slavery Index, or about 3.3 out of every 1,000 people in the country.

At least 240,000 of those — more than 22 percent — are victims of sex trafficking, according to other studies, a jaw-dropping average of about 4,800 per state. In Maryland, the numbers are stark.

The National Human Trafficking Hotline has received about 6,000 hotline calls and other types of reports from Maryland since its inception in 2007. It found 1,533 human trafficking cases involving nearly 3,000 victims in Maryland during that period, the Baltimore Sun reported last year.

Human trafficking is a term that refers to both sex work and other forms of exploitation, including forced labor. The SAFE Center, which primarily serves Prince George’s and Montgomery counties, has helped more than 400 sex and labor trafficking survivors since it was founded eight years ago, The Sun report noted.

The numbers are so overwhelming that those who devote their lives to fighting the multibillion-dollar human trafficking industry say they can find themselves losing hope.

That debate came to Baltimore this week.The Alliance to End Human Trafficking, a nonprofit established in 2013 by a group of Catholic nuns from across the United States , brought reams of facts, testimony from individuals who have survived the trafficking trade, and some of the latest best practices in the anti-trafficking field.

“Sometimes people scoff and say to me, ‘Is it realistic to try to prevent human trafficking when it’s such a huge and complicated problem?'” said Katie Boller Gosewisch, executive director of the Brighton, Michigan-based group since 2022.

“I say it’s a lofty goal, but it’s our identity,” she said. “It’s who we are and what we want to accomplish. Pope Francis declared this to be a jubilee year of hope, and that’s exactly what we want to bring to what we do.”

As befits an illicit industry with tentacles in so many familiar elements of modern life, a group of experts brought together by the organization in Baltimore opted to address the subject of human trafficking — mainly sex trafficking but also its less visible twin, labor trafficking — from multiple points of view.

Marianne Thomas, a survivor of human trafficking and a behavioral psychology specialist who teaches in a sex trafficking education program at St. Thomas University in Miami, spoke Wednesday about how adverse childhood experiences can leave young people more psychologically vulnerable to the predations of sex traffickers.

That much exposure to substance abuse, sex abuse or violence, known as Adverse Childhood Experiences (or ACEs), can be a catalyst for trafficking. That means experts in Maryland and elsewhere must find a way to break intergenerational behavior patterns within families to help prevent tragic situations in the future.

Eileen McKenzie, a member of the Catholic order the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, who works with asylum seekers in the U.S. Southwest, spoke of the vulnerability of immigrants to criminals seeking to enslave others for profit on both sides of the U.S./Mexico border.

According to the Polaris Project, a non-governmental organization that works to prevent sex and labor trafficking in North America, people from Latin America make up almost a third of the population of victims of human trafficking in the United States.

Most of the victims are from Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador and the Dominican Republic.

Marcia Eugenio, the director of the office of child labor, forced labor and human trafficking in the U.S. Department of Labor, outlined how trafficker-employers routinely threaten immigrant victims.

Those include threats of deportation, forcing immigrants to work in hazardous conditions without adequate safety gear or compelling them to live in overcrowded conditions they provide.

Cristian Eduardo, a 34-year-old immigrant, spoke of being a smart, well-behaved, high-achieving young man while growing up in Mexico.

But after he came to the United States, he fell into the company of skilled traffickers who used his then-undocumented status to compel him gradually into a life of sex slavery. He said he didn’t even realize he was being trafficked.

Had his parents or others around him taught him about bodily autonomy as a young man, he said he might have realized what was happening to him. And had he known about the danger and prevalence of smart traffickers and how they operate, he would not have been ensnared by it, said Eduardo, a trained engineer who has become an anti-sex trafficking advocate over the past decade.

He also stressed the importance of keeping an eye out for people who might be subtly displaying signs of enslavement, like downcast eyes or an evident lack of financial independence in the presence of another, older person, for example.

“It isn’t just young people from dysfunctional families who become susceptible to traffickers. Watch out for those kids who seem to be doing so well in life that the adults around them just assume they don’t need to be looked after,” he said. “Keep an eye on your kids. And if you don’t educate your kids, some trafficker out there will be happy to.”

Three other survivors echoed that theme.

Kris Wade, an anti-trafficking activist from Kansas City, Missouri, described growing up in a loving family in western Kansas. But she said she had such a rebellious attitude she gravitated toward older people with money and cars who could shower her with gifts, even though her parents tried to warn her away.

“I was the smartest 18-year-old in the world, and I knew it,” she told a rapt audience.

She said when she became a mother, she frequently told her daughter she’d always be there to take a phone call from her and help her, no matter what kind of trouble the daughter might have landed in.

“Don’t punish them for coming to you when they need you,” she said. “Praise them for calling you. Tell them, ‘I don’t approve of the behavior, but I love you , and nothing is going to change that as long as I live.’ That can make all the difference.”

Two other survivors who have become activists, Jennifer Footle of Denver and Maria Tell of Fort Collins, Colorado, also told their stories.

Both agreed that parents need to share age-appropriate lessons with their children, telling them they have a right to bodily autonomy, that it’s wrong for others to touch them without permission and to give children a realistic sense that there are people out there will them harm for money.

“I was naive,” Footle said. “If I had known more, my life might have gone in a different direction.”

Tell echoed the idea.

“I was looking around at the airport on the way here, and everyone I saw was on their cell phone. People aren’t talking to each other,” Tell said. “They aren’t interacting face-to-face. Put your phone down. Talk to your kids. And tell them the truth. Our kids deserve to hear the truth.”

Boller Gosewich said the alliance’s roots are in Catholic social teaching, which underscores “the dignity of the human person.” And the idea that human beings can be bought and sold as commodities is “a devastating blight on the dignity of the human person.”

Demand for the sex trafficking business, which Boller Gosewich said is so vast in the United States today that “believe it or not, it’s present in every ZIP code.”

Experts said that we must better educate young people, particularly boys — the vast majority who procure paid sex are men — of the need to respect women and inform them of women’s rights.

“Demand is the driver,” Eduardo said.

It’s but one part of a complicated puzzle, but to activists, that’s no reason not to keep pushing in the right direction.

“I always keep the words of Mother Teresa in mind,” Tell told her audience. “We are called to be faithful, not successful.”

Founder of A Courageous Rose, Maria Tell, is on the Survivor Advisory Council for The National Alliance to End Human Trafficking

Tue, 04 Feb 2025 16:47:46 GMT

Founder of A Courageous Rose, Maria Tell, is on the Survivor Advisory Council for The National Alliance to End Human Trafficking. She serves on this Council with several other survivor leaders throughout the country. The group met here, for the Pathways to Prevention Conference, located in Baltimore, MD, to discuss future plans for 2025 for Alliance. Pictured here are all the survivor leaders and members of the Alliance Board.

For more info, please visit: https://alliancetoendhumantrafficking.org/

Human Trafficking Survivor Panel

Sat, 01 Feb 2025 15:19:32 GMT

LISTEN TO MARIA SPEAK AT THE PATHWAYS TO PREVENTION CONFERENCE FEBRUARY 5-7, 2025

VIEW FACEBOOK HERE

A Courageous Rose survivor leaders, Founder Maria Tell and Joshua Constatine partnered with Justice Now

Wed, 18 Dec 2024 16:12:29 GMT

A Courageous Rose survivor leaders, Founder Maria Tell and Joshua Constatine partnered with Justice Now, Dax and Ashley Bush to train Loveland Police Department SRO’s on the warning signs and potential red flags of human trafficking in our local schools. Protecting our youth is our priority at ACR. Thank you to Justice Now and Loveland Police Department for allowing us to participate! We are truly honored!

A Courageous Rose at the Loveland City Council meeting

Wed, 28 Aug 2024 14:35:28 GMT

In a presentation that brought some members to tears, Loveland City Council learned more about how the worldwide phenomenon of human trafficking is impacting communities like Loveland.

Maria represented A Courageous Rose at the Loveland City Council meeting along with Loveland Police Chief Tim Duran, Lieutenant Heather Moore, and Greg and Vicky Dix with U COUNT. Lieutenant Moore did a training on human trafficking. To read the full article, please go here.

Maria with Seeds of Hope

Tue, 13 Aug 2024 16:38:33 GMT

“It’s like being in a family”: One mom’s experience of unconditional love through Seeds of Hope

Maria Tell’s story is one of tragedy, healing and God’s unending mercy, one that led her out of Denver as a victim of human trafficking to a small town in Nebraska and finally back to freedom with her children in her hometown of Fort Collins.

After years of being trafficked, Maria and her three children escaped their dangerous situation in 2020.

“Literally, by the grace of God, I got out, and I came back to Colorado,” Tell shared. “It was just a really scary time for me and my kids.”

Amid struggles to find a safe place to live while raising her three children alone, Tell filed for new identities for her family, and started going back to Mass and Confession in Fort Collins.

It was in Confession that she encountered encouragement, love and support from a priest, Father Michael Freihofer.

“My heart was shattered, and I needed help. Father Michael gave me hope in a very dark time in my life,” she said.

He encouraged her to continue to go to Mass, connected her with a prayer team and strongly suggested that she send her children to Catholic school. Still healing and recovering from her traumatic experiences, Tell didn’t think Catholic education was a realistic choice for her family. And so, she prayed, “God, if you want this to happen, make it happen.”

Through tuition assistance provided by Seeds of Hope in partnership with St. Joseph Catholic School in Fort Collins, Tell was able to send all three of her children to Catholic school last year.

“It was life-changing for me,” Tell said of the unforeseen opportunity for her children to attend Catholic school.

While much of her concern about sending her children to Catholic school was financial, she was also concerned about whether her family would be welcome.

“I'm a single mom,” she said. “I have tattoos, and I just feel like I stick out, but these people received me with open arms. It's like being in a family.”

At their previous public schools, Tell was concerned about her children's physical safety and what they were hearing from their peers or learning in class. But at St. Joseph Catholic School, she knows they are safe and learning the truth about themselves and God’s unending mercy and love.

“My kids would come home, and they'd be talking about Jesus and going to adoration,” Tell said. “They’re gushing about saints, new prayers they’ve learned and how to grow in virtue.”

She also loves that the students attend school Mass, and parents are encouraged to attend, too. “It's just so beautiful to be able to attend Mass with them and see all the faithful families in our community,” she shared.

This support, confidence and security in the safety of her children has allowed Tell to pursue a new mission with her non-profit which offers resources to empower trafficking survivors by helping them reclaim their independence and rebuild their lives.

“Because my mind is at ease and I know my children are safe and in the right place, it healed a part of me,” Tell said of the new freedom she feels to be able to serve and help survivors of trafficking who are in need.

“After what I’ve been through, I have complex PTSD,” she continued. “A lot of this pain stemmed from worrying for the safety of my children. But now I can drop them off at school and know they are safe; I was finally able to focus on what God was calling me to do.”

Through the support of Seeds of Hope, Tell was able to choose which school would best support her family with a quality education that focuses on the whole person. Her children are growing in their faith as well as their emotional, physical and mental well-being. She continues to find God and unconditional love in Catholic schools.

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Seeds of Hope provides more than 1,300 K-8 scholarships each year to families like the Tells who want a faith-filled education for their children. For more information or to make a donation, call 303-715-3127 or click here .

Join Us in a Prayer to End Human Trafficking and Abortion

Thu, 01 Aug 2024 15:25:18 GMT

Every Tuesday at 10:30 outside of Planned Parenthood

Happy Birthday Reese!

Thu, 04 Jul 2024 16:48:26 GMT

We want to wish our volunteer, Reese, a very Happy Birthday! We love you, Reese! Thank you for all you do!

Happy Birthday to our founder, Maria Tell!

Tue, 02 Jul 2024 16:50:20 GMT

Happy Birthday to Maria!

Pray the Anti-trafficking Movement be Guided by the Holy Spirit - PUSH (Pray Until Saturation Happens)

Sat, 01 Jun 2024 14:43:08 GMT

Watch the video now.

Rise Up Dance Project - Little Red Event

Thu, 18 Apr 2024 15:44:35 GMT

Little Red

Little Red is a family-friendly production that sheds light on human trafficking through a non-traditional telling of Little Red Riding Hood. Rise Up dance project will be partnering with dancers from Ballet Magnificat, Reverend Rhythms, and The Studio for this full-length production. This event is a fundraiser for the RISE campaign, which directly impacts kids in safe houses in El Salvador and Rise Up Dance Project's Rise Campaign. We are partnering with other non-profits in Northern Colorado that serve at-risk children locally and worldwide in this event.

Inner Vitality Chiropractic - Supporting A Courageous Rose

Sun, 10 Mar 2024 15:09:14 GMT

For the month of March, Inner Vitality is supporting nonprofit, A Courageous Rose

All New Patient Comprehensive Evaluation Just $49
100% donated to this amazing charity that helps to empower human trafficking survivors to reclaim their independence.

Mention this ad when scheduling at https://ivc.janeapp.com or 970-300-2166

BE THE CHANGE - Thursday March 28th 2024

Wed, 06 Mar 2024 19:33:42 GMT

Get Involved! CIT Engagement Fair. Come learn how you can get involved with issues closest to your heart. Several local organizations will be here.

Thursday, March 28th

6:30pm - 8:30pm

Citipoint Church 5656 McWhinney Blvd Loveland CO

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

TPUSA

https://www.tpusa.com/

Patriot Academy

https://www.patriotacademy.com/

Birthline of Loveland

https://birthlineloveland.org/

Winsome Ministries

https://winsomeministries.org/

Protect Kids Colorado

https://www.protectkidscolorado.org/

Colorado Prays

https://www.coprays.org/

Keep Colorado Free and Open

https://www.keepcofree.com/

A Courageous Rose

https://www.acourageousrose.org/

A Friend for You

https://www.afriendforyou.org/

City Reach

https://www.coloradohouseofprayer.com/cityreach

Don't Mess with our Kids

https://www.dontmesswithourkids.us/

Task Force Freedom

https://www.taskforcefreedomnoco.com/

Lighthouse - Faith Based Sober Living

https://www.lighthouseftc.org/

A Courageous Rose and Ten24 Ministries

Sun, 03 Mar 2024 15:39:25 GMT

Ten24 Ministries partners with Beauty Renewed to host economic empowerment workshops for survivors of human trafficking twice a month. ACR’s founder, Maria Tell, attended these workshops when she was in the beginning stages of healing. “I was so very touched by the love these women showed me when I felt like I had nobody on my side. I still find such a joy from all the women who helped me and they are still uplifting me constantly!” - Maria

Other survivors on our Board, Sandra and Nicole, also attended these workshops, and some still do!

Now ACR has a chance to also help! We put a huge emphasis on nutrition, and taking care of ourselves! We were able to give away 8 bags stocked with healthy foods and even some vitamins and supplements. Thank you to our generous donors for making this possible.

The Dusty Daisy Ranch crew was also present at the workshop, presenting to the group about values and goal setting.

Life Decisions Presents: Maria Tell

Sun, 03 Mar 2024 15:37:11 GMT

Special thanks to Pastor Randy and his wife, Julia, for supporting ACR and our mission.

Wed, 28 Feb 2024 16:11:41 GMT

Special thanks to Pastor Randy and his wife, Julia, for supporting ACR and our mission.

And to the one and only Kevin Williams: we love you! Thank you for introducing us to The Poudre Christian Fellowship family! We are honored to have spent this Sunday with you all. May God continue to bless you abundantly

Maria Tell - Sunday 2/25/26 at Poudre Christian Fellowship

Mon, 26 Feb 2024 14:40:40 GMT

Sunday 2/25/26 at Poudre Christian Fellowship, located in the beautiful Poudre Canyon, our very own Maria Tell shared her testimony of how Jesus saved her from human trafficking! PRAISE JESUS!

Missions - Missions Lunch & Learn

Thu, 11 Jan 2024 19:04:26 GMT

Join us as we hear from Maria Tell, founder of A Courageous Rose. She will share her own personal lived experiences of sexual exploitation and how she is using her story and degree in Criminal Justice to assist The Department of Homeland Security with undercover operations. Maria also works to educate law enforcement and fire stations in rural areas as well as school districts, jails, and anti-trafficking organizations. Lunch will be provided. RSVP's are required, RSVP HERE !

Monday, January 15th at 12-1pm

Fort Collins Timberline Church, Room 214

God will not allow you to be lost if you persist in your determination not to lose Him.

Wed, 25 Oct 2023 17:35:15 GMT

“Pray, hope, and don’t worry” is probably Padre Pio’s most famous saying. However, we cannot forget about the second part, which is: “Worry is useless. God is merciful and will hear your prayer.”

PADRE PIO - PRAY FOR US!

ACR and Ten24 Ministries trained Ault, CO police department.

Mon, 09 Oct 2023 19:22:47 GMT

ACR and Ten24 Ministries trained Ault, CO police department on human trafficking and the impact of law enforcement. Maria is pictured here discussing myths of what trafficking looks like in our country. Ropes, chains, cages - that is what comes up when you Google trafficking. However, this is not accurate. These images can be harmful because it makes it difficult to identify when this is what everyone is expecting to see. Trafficking victims are hidden in plain site.

Community Partner Meeting at Ziggi’s Coffee

Fri, 29 Sep 2023 13:08:44 GMT

ACR is actively planning and fostering relationships with other community partners to help the most vulnerable. Here are some game changers in the anti-trafficking movement here in NoCo and beyond!

U Count

https://ucountcampaign.org

Beauty REnewed

https://www.iambeautyrenewed.com

Zonta Club Greeley

https://zontagreeley.org

Dusty Daisy Ranch

https://www.dustydaisyranch.org

Ten24 Ministries

https://www.ten24ministries.com

A Video From Our Founder and CEO Maria

Fri, 22 Sep 2023 14:44:34 GMT

View a video of our founder and CEO Maria, giving her testimony and highlighting her addiction and how this played a huge role in her traffickers taking advantage of her vulnerability.

Photos From the 40 Days for Life Anti Human Trafficking Event

Thu, 21 Sep 2023 14:16:23 GMT

The 40 Days for Life Anti Human Tracking Event included a training with Adam String, a Senior Criminal Investigator in the Human Trafficking Unit at the Denver District Attorney’s Office and a Task Force Officer with the Cyber Guardian Task Force, with Homeland Security Investigations.

Other community partners who attended the event were Life for the Innocent and Dusty Daisy Ranch . View photos from the event below.

40 Days for Life - Human Trafficking 101

Wed, 23 Aug 2023 14:14:58 GMT