Bella Voce Singers Help Women in Need

By Amy Hughley, Associate Artistic Director & Director of Bella Voce

As part of Indy Do Day last October, the Bella Voce senior leaders chose to organize a collection of toiletry items in order to donate to needy women. We chose to give the items to Kristy’s House, a counseling center and rehabilitation center for women who have been victims of human trafficking and prostitution in Indiana. This particular project made quite an impact on all of Bella Voce because the victims afflicted are women right here in our own city, many of whom are the same age as our BV singers. I am grateful to Emma Renner for suggesting we help such an organization, and for all of the senior leaders who organized and collected the supplies. Emma, her mother Anna and I spent part of a morning together to deliver the toiletries to Kristy’s House. There we met with a volunteer who educated us further as to the mission of their organization and the good they do for so many women who are leading such undervalued, displaced and fearful lives.

Here is what Emma had to say about this project:

I have always enjoyed helping others, even when I was in kindergarten, when I helped my mom in a food pantry and baby pantry. I wanted to look into different ways to help others. I first learned about human trafficking at my church when they hosted an entire day to learn all about it. I found it inspiring as well as informative on how human trafficking is happening right here in Indianapolis. It is an ongoing problem that I wanted to help with. I hoped to help victims in even small ways.

Earlier this year, the senior leadership group talked about all the outreach programs we could do. One member mentioned passing out toiletries to people in need. I knew my church had hosted the day about human trafficking, so I contacted my pastor. She showed me to Kristy’s house, a women’s human trafficking rehabilitation center for women ages 18 and up. I looked on their website and saw the work that they do with women, so I pitched it to the leadership group. They loved the idea of collecting toiletries, and over the span of three weeks, I am proud to say the Bella Voce collected over 700 items! I am very proud of the initiative that my choir took wanting to help women in need and I am excited to know that Bella Voce will be helping others in the future.