Darnell Davis - Aspire To Autonomy

Our program featured Easton Rotarian Darnell Davis who gave us a glimpse into the activity of his Aspire To Autonomy organization. Their focus is empowering individuals and communities by providing essential resources, advocacy, and unwavering support. It was founded to address the needs of those affected by human trafficking and exploitation, but their mission has since expanded to serve broader community needs, fostering healing, recovery, and self-sufficiency.

Aspire does street-based outreach and works alongside local police, state police, and the FBI. The recent deployment of ICE teams have made their job more difficult as people arc afraid to be seen. Trafficking is a broad term that is often associated with prostitution but also includes underpaid workers who often toil in hazardous conditions.

The COVID shutdown introduced new community issues. People were being gouged for small containers of hand sanitizer. Darnell found a way to provide an affordable alternative. Later he was able to do the same thing with masks. People were out of work and had trouble receiving unemployment compensation which led to rising food insecurity. This led Aspire to create a box food project that provided food for 150 families (and also left the ProJeCt parking lot with some lovely pink arrows). A grant from Just Bom allowed them to expand the project to 2 locations in Bethlehem and Easton.

Their first Thanksgiving dinner was held in 2024 where they served 140 meals. This year's event will expand to 300 meals. The organization received a $2,500 grant from the Easton Rotary* Service Foundation which was matched by a grant from Rotary District 7430. This will allow them to operate box food giveaways at four Easton locations.