When Wendy Triana joined the Navy in January of 2001, her intentions were to see the world, earn money for a college education, and generally broaden her horizons beyond the scope of her life as a graduate of Roosevelt High School in Southern California.
  But on September 11, 2001, sailor Wendy Triana found herself in a military at war. She was attached to an air wing of the U.S. Navy and served aboard a nuclear powered aircraft carrier which was one of the first ships deployed to the Persian Gulf. There, she became a “Plane Captain,” responsible for 25 other sailors and the care and maintenance of an F-18 Hornet Fighter/Attack aircraft.

     Henry Sanchez is on his way to turning his life into a success story. But it wasn’t always that way. Born in one of the toughest neighborhoods in Los Angeles in 1986, Henry grew up poor, unmotivated, and when he was all of 13 years of age, began making the wrong choices in his life.

Dr. Michael Smith and Monica Carrasco interviewed during Human Trafficking Awareness Day Prayer Vigil

    January 11 was the National Day of Human Trafficking Awareness. In Los Angeles, The Salvation Army joined other anti-trafficking organizations in The LA Unity Coalition to help bring much needed attention to this serious social problem. U.S. State Department officials opine that nearly one million children are forced into the sex trade each year. U.S. government experts estimate that as many as 27 million persons worldwide are trafficked; of that number 17,500 new victims are brought into the US each year.

Just before Christmas those in need in South Los Angeles received a very special gift courtesy of the “Feed the Children” ministry based in Oklahoma. Working in conjunction with The Salvation Army, especially through The Salvation Army’s South Los Angeles Community Center, five semi-trucks full of food and personal care items were distributed to needy and deserving families. Along with other organizations like Feminine Enlightened Entrepreneurs (Feed 333) and the World Trust Foundation, volunteers and media gathered at the Celerity Nascent School in Los Angeles and participated in the single largest food distribution in the county on December 17.