FRESNO, Calif. (KGPE/KSEE) – A campaign to raise awareness about human trafficking kicked off in Fresno and Madera counties on Tuesday. It was part of a larger Pledge 2 Stop Trafficking (P2ST) event held by anti-human trafficking organizations and community leaders from across the Central Valley. Officials in Fresno marked the day with a kick-off event on the corner of Shaw and Blackstone avenues at 6 a.m.  Amber Secundino is the Board Chair for P2ST and made sure to hand informational fliers out.  “We have a location in Clovis, we have one in Kerman, we have one in Madera, and then right here in Fresno," she said. "The overall goal of it is first, to provide education, identifying what human trafficking is and how it's impacting our community, and then to raise funds." The donations collected go into a foundation that helps organizations working to fight against human trafficking. The most recent awardees are OLIVE Madera and Central Valley Justice Coalition.  Debra Rush is the founder of Breaking The Chains, the nonprofit behind the creation of the pledge. "We really did this in order to help the community build a raise awareness and raise funds for not just Breaking The Chains, but for all the different organizations that are combating human trafficking. "I think what is really important for people to understand is that no one person, no one organization can do this work alone. Having this right here in our community where we're able to bring this topic to the table and raise the critical funds that are needed to provide the direct services to those who are identified as being victims of human trafficking, has been pivotal for so many organizations here in the valley," Rush said. For Rush, it is a personal fight - last year, she lost her daughter to human trafficking.  "We've lost 12 individuals just in the last two years, 12 individuals that I'm very close to that lost their lives in the throes of human trafficking. "My child was well aware of what was happening within human trafficking, and she was still able to be lured out and victimized. This quite literally affects all of us. And so it's really important that our community understands that it's going to take all of us getting involved to make an impact to make sure all of our children make it home safe," Rush said. She is now focused on helping show others the importance of speaking out. "We're always trying to make sure that people understand that when you see something and say something or get involved, you quite literally are saving the life," Rush said. "If you do not know what you're seeing, a lot of times we are reluctant to speak out, then call the National Human Trafficking Hotline." Those who would like to donate can visit P2ST online.