Marion Mayor Wayne Seybold (R) announced Feb. 9 that he will run for U.S. Congress, according to The Indianapolis Star.

Dan Burton (R), who currently represents Indiana’s 5th district in the U.S. House of Representatives, notified his constituents Jan. 31 that he would not pursue a 16th term. Burton reportedly decided to punctuate his 30-year congressional tenure for family reasons rather than political ones.

“After much consideration it is my intent to run for the 5th Congressional seat,” tweeted Seybold from the handle @wayneseybold Thursday afternoon.

Seybold joins a growing list of contenders in a primary with a total of five Republican candidates, not to mention the two candidates in the Democratic primary.

Republican hopefuls include Susan Brooks, a former U.S. attorney; Dr. John McGoff, former Marion County coroner; David McIntosh, a former U.S. representative; and Jack Lugar, an attorney from Fishers, Ind.

Check out next week’s issue for perspectives on issues facing Indiana voters from Indiana’s 5th district congressional candidates.

The leadership team of the Reach Week project is preparing for their fourth annual outreach to the Marion community.

Six graduates from Indiana Wesleyan University founded Reach Week in 2009, originally calling it Mission2Marion. Along with founding the group, they handpicked a team of their peers to continue the work. Among others, they asked C.J. Ward, a freshman at the time, to volunteer and lead.

Ward (sr), a youth ministry major, has continued to work with the group and keep it on track with the original vision of the ministry.

“The trip’s not about ‘saving’ Marion.  It’s about getting to know the community wherever we’re at, which happens to be Marion,” Ward said.

The week long trip takes places around the end of spring semester and targets serving local organizations. The Marion Boys and Girls Club opens its doors to act as the group’s headquarters for the week. The Reach group sleeps and spends the afternoon there getting ready for the day and hanging out with the kids. In the mornings, the team divides into smaller groups that go to different locations each day. In the evening, the team regroups and eats supper with different Marion churches, which share with the team their ministry strategies.

Mark Brand (jr) participated as a volunteer three years ago and worked as a team leader for the past two years. Brand sees Reach Week as an opportunity to bridge the gap between students’ future plans and the way they live their lives today.

“Our goal is really teaching people how to find ministry on their own. We have ministry handed to us on a silver platter – we’re told where to go and what to do.  In my opinion, one of the biggest things we do is helping people learn how to network and build connections and develop ministry,” he said.

Linda Johnson, director of the Women’s Shelter, said, “anytime they’re here, they help.  It’s a blessing.  And we help them, too, by showing them the other side of life.”
According to Brand and Ward, some changes for Reach Week include partnering with the Dean of the Chapel Office and requiring all volunteers to fill out an application.

The limit for the trip is no more than 40 volunteers and the cost will be $200 per person, all of which goes to the organizations they service.

The dates for this year’s Reach Week are April 29 through May 5. The team is hosting its first information meeting at 9:30 p.m. Feb. 21 in the Piazza Terrace.

Representatives can also be contacted at here.now760@gmail.com or HERE.NOW on facebook.

In an effort to fight human trafficking, a nonprofit group collected donations to purchase bars of soap with the national trafficking hotline number on them to be placed in hotels in Indianapolis during the week of the Super Bowl, which took place Feb. 5.

The money being raised was to be given to “Save Our Adolescents from Prostitution,” a project started in Columbus, Ohio, by Theresa Flores, a human trafficking victim.

According to Indystar.com, Flores went into a hotel bathroom after what she described as her “worst moment” and washed with a bar of soap. She had been blackmailed into prostitution by an inner-city Detroit gang as a teenager.

Years later, recalling that episode, Flores began to distribute free bars of soap to hotels with the national trafficking hotline number on them, in the hopes that victims of human trafficking would call the number and be rescued.

At Indiana Wesleyan University, a group of students is very active in anti-human trafficking measures. The group began under the name Viva Voce. In 2010 the group hosted an anti-trafficking day in downtown Marion. A senior adviser to George W. Bush on human trafficking was a speaker at that event.

Kirsten Miller, a (sr) social work student, remembered the event and said she was “blown away” by what God was doing.

“It just goes to show that the subject is close to God’s heart,”  said Amy Yoder, a senior psychology major and member of IWU’s anti-trafficking group. “He [God] took it beyond our dreams and imagination.”

Since 2010 the group has dropped the Viva Voce name and is now under the umbrella of Doulos, a social justice organization on campus. The dean of chapel’s office and the Prayer Furnace have also provided support for anti-trafficking efforts on campus. Doulos is planning a benefit concert April 13 to raise money for anti-sex trafficking efforts.

Sex trafficking is not the only form of human trafficking that takes place. Other forms include “forced labor, bonded labor, debt bondage among migrant workers, involuntary domestic slavery, forced child labor … organ trafficking and child soldiers,” according to the FBI website.

“A lot of trafficking victims in the U.S. are from the U.S. They’re not just brought in from other countries,” Miller said.

“There is a strong correlation between missing and exploited children and underage sex trafficking”, according to Linda Smith, founder of Washington-based Shared Hope International.

Doulos is considering starting a chapter of International Justice Mission. The purpose for such a group would be to continue to raise awareness and join people together in fighting human trafficking.

Miller listed a number of ways that students can get involved in anti-trafficking measures.  Some suggestions she made were to learn more about the subject, help raise awareness, attend the upcoming benefit concert, consider joining the International Justice Mission (should the group decide to start a chapter) and pray.

“Sometimes we underestimate the power of prayer.” said Miller. “But it’s more powerful than we can ever realize.”

More than 500 Grant County residents joined together at Marion High School Saturday, Feb. 11, to celebrate the lives of Ray, Ramie and Shey Harris through “Rejoice in Dance: a Benefit Concert.”

A small plane crash outside Crystal Lake, Ill., killed Ray, Ramie and Shey Harris, and family friend Chris Backus, a junior at Indiana Wesleyan University, Nov. 26, 2011. Ray was taking daughter Ramie back to school at Wheaton College when the plane crashed.

Saturday’s benefit concert ran approximately three hours and included performances from dance companies all around central Indiana and vocal performances by Kora Edwards (so) and Nathan Mazellan (alumnus’). Dance companies included Jamie Bragg’s Signature Dance, Dancer’s Edge, the Community School of the Arts, Anderson University and the G. Scotten Talent Center.

The benefit raised money for a Grant County Community Foundation scholarship fund founded by Sherry Harris in memory of her daughters Shey and Ramie.
Allison Florea, a former roommate of Shey Harris, was one of the coordinators for the event. Florea said the two were involved with the dance group Rhythms Dance Troop at Ball State University.

“I went back to practice, and everyone was really wanting to do something to help,” said Florea, “so we were thinking we should really do a benefit show.”
Stormie Robinson, a friend and fellow classmate of Shey and Ramie Harris, said, “It’s really affected the community. I want to be there for support.”
Through a night of tears, worship and talent, the benefit raised $2,500 for the scholarship fund.

“It was truly an amazing benefit and a night I will never forget,” said Kora Edwards, a Harris family friend, “I think I speak for all of us when I say we felt like they were there with us, smiling.”

One hundred percent of the profits went toward two scholarships, one for each daughter. Shey’s funds went to the Community School of Arts,vv while Ramie Harris benefited a student at Wheaton College.

“We were all so blessed to have Ray, Ramie and Shey in our lives,” said Edwards. “They loved God, and they loved people. The testimony of the way they lived their lives will live on and continue to inspire and touch people.”