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Demi Moore wins $250,000 Grant in Pepsi Refresh Celebrity Challenge

to support NYC Human Trafficking Organization, GEMS

Girls Educational & Mentoring Services

New York, N.Y., March 1, 2010— Actress Demi Moore secures victory over actor, Kevin Bacon to win the Pepsi Refresh Celebrity Challenge and Demi’s selected cause, GEMS: Girls Educational & Mentoring Services will be awarded the top prize of $250,000. GEMS is the nation’s largest non-profit organization designed to empower American girls and young women, ages 12-21 who have experienced commercial sexual exploitation and domestic trafficking.

A committed anti-trafficking advocate, Demi unleashed the power of her social media network to get out the vote for her cause to benefit GEMS.  “The Pepsi Refresh Grant will allow GEMS to train 10 former victims as outreach workers and employ them to go back to their community and refresh the lives of thousands of victimized girls.  I believe the work that GEMS is doing is nothing short of heroic!,” says Demi who along with her husband, Ashton Kutcher, launched The DNA Foundation committed to protecting the freedom of the world’s most vulnerable citizens by forcing sex slavery out of the shadows and into the spotlight.

“I am thrilled that GEMS has gained powerful allies in Demi Moore and The DNA Foundation and honored to be the beneficiary of a Pepsi Refresh Grant.  The grant will support us in the important work of transforming survivors of domestic trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation into future leaders. This transformation is most evident with GEMS Outreach workers, young women who advocate for  legislation to protect other young victims, challenge misperceptions of survivors and educate and support peers and at-risk girls,” says Rachel Lloyd, GEMS founder/Executive Director.

“I am excited that GEMS won the Pepsi Refresh grant.  As a GEMS Outreach worker, I travel to juvenile detention facilities, group homes, and schools, to educate girls on the issues of commercial sexual exploitation and trafficking. This is very important to me because often girls have no idea what really goes on and if I can reach them before an exploiter ever does they will know the truth of what that life really offers. I let them know that if they have been a victim of trafficking, GEMS is a place where they can get help and wont be judged,” says Shaquana who was forced into the sex trade at 14 and with the support of GEMS, graduated as high school valedictorian and is now a college sophomore.

Pepsi will also award $100,000 to support Kevin’s cause, SixDegrees.org, which will distribute thousands of $20 SixDegree.org Good Card, a gift card which they can use to support a charity of their choice. Demi and Kevin’s ideas are one of hundreds that have been submitted from around the country for a chance to win some of than $20 million available from the Pepsi Refresh Project.

Pepsi Refresh Project

In an effort to support those who generate innovative, optimistic ideas, the Pepsi Refresh Project (www.refresheverything.com), will award more than $20 million in 2010 to move communities forward.  Individuals can apply for grants to benefit a variety of projects and site visitors can vote for the best ideas for funding.  The Pepsi Refresh Project is an evolution of the Refresh Everything initiative Pepsi launched in 2009, which showed the brand as an optimistic catalyst for idea creation, leading to an ever-refreshing world.   Pepsi will fund projects that make a difference in six categories: Health, Arts & Culture, Food & Shelter, The Planet, Neighborhoods and Education.

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PEPSI REFRESH PROJECT OPENS FIRST VOTING SESSION TO PUBLIC WITH MORE THAN $1 MILLION TO BE AWARDED IN FEBRUARY FOR IDEAS THAT MOVE WORLD FORWARD

Demi Moore and Kevin Bacon Join Campaign with Their Own Refreshing Ideas

“The Pepsi Refresh Project puts the financial resources in the hands of those who are passionate about creating a better world. I am very pleased to be a part of this creative initiative to refresh our world,” said Demi Moore. Moore will campaign for her own Pepsi Refresh Idea as part of the Pepsi Refresh Celebrity Challenge in support of GEMS – Girls Educational & Mentoring Services. The grant would provide support to outreach workers who help women who have experienced sexual exploitation and domestic trafficking integrate back into society as healthy, safe, productive individuals.

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President Obama has also proclaimed January National Human Trafficking Awareness Month. Read his Presidential Proclamation on the White House website.

On this day, organizations across the country will take the opportunity to educate thousands of people about the realities of human trafficking. What will YOU do to spread the word?

5 Things You Can Do:

1. Host a Viewing Party for Very Young Girls on January 11th.

2. Inspire 10 Friends to buy This Is to Mother You on January 11th to fund services for young victims of sex trafficking in America.

3. Write a letter to your local paper urging them to report on the lack of funding for victim services. Read the LA Times recent expose about this important topic and urge your paper to investigate the issue in your town.

4. Buy a Girls Are Not for Sale T-Shirt and wear it on the 11th. Have one already? Donate $11 to GEMS instead!

5. Sign the Petition launching on January 11th calling for greater attention to the needs of domestic victims of child sex trafficking.

We can’t end child sex trafficking in one day, but we can all do #JustOneThing on this day to grow the movement of concerned people who have a vision for a day when girls are celebrated – not sold.

We have also been funded to work with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Forces (ICAC) to help identify ways in which the internet helps facilitate CSEC and how to effectively intervene. We will be in five regions of the country over the next two years.

And last but not least, through the Office of Victims of Crime, GEMS will develop a program manual based on our expertise in service provision to CSEC survivors, and provide training and technical assistance to ten partners in five cities around the nation.

We thank our funders for their recognition of our hard work and commitment to empowering young women and girls who’ve experienced CSEC and domestic trafficking!

December 7 at 10:10 PM – On Showtime Next

December 16 at 1:30 AM – On Showtime Next

December 22 at 8:00PM – On Showtime Next

December 27 at 3:40AM – On Showtime Next

January 6 at 9:30 PM – On Showtime Showcase

If you haven’t seen the film, please take these opportunities to find why this film has inspired over 3 million people around the world to join the movement to protect and empower girls.  If you have seen the film, tell 5 people in your life about these air dates to help us spread the word.