THIS IS EPISODE 66 OF THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST
Adam LaRoche played 12 seasons in the Majors with 6 different teams, most notably the Pirates and the Nationals, where he won a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Award in 2012.
LaRoche abruptly retired from baseball in March 2016 after his club, the White Sox had placed a restriction on his 14-year-old son entering the team’s clubhouse every day. By retiring, LaRoche walked away from a $13 million contract.
Adam’s platform has allowed him to bring to light the issue of sex slavery and human trafficking.
Gary Haugen is the founder and CEO of International Justice Mission, who’s mission is to rescue those enslaved in human trafficking, protect them from violence and bring hope and justice for the poor.
Before founding IJM in 1997, Gary was a human rights attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice, where he focused on crimes of police misconduct. In 1994, he served as the Director of the United Nations’ investigation in the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide. In this role, he led an international team of lawyers, criminal prosecutors, law enforcement officers, and forensics experts to gather evidence that would eventually be used to bring the perpetrators of the genocide to justice.
Gary has been recognized by the U.S. State Department as a Trafficking in Persons “Hero” – the highest honor given by the U.S. government for anti-slavery leadership. His work to protect the poor from violence has been featured by Foreign Affairs, The New York Times, the New Yorker, The Times of India, Forbes, U.S. News and World Report, the Guardian and National Public Radio, among many other outlets.
On this episode of the podcast, Jason Romano sits down with Gary and Adam in front of a live audience at a conference in San Antonio, Texas to talk about the real issue of human trafficking and sex slavery.
TIMELINE:
4:10 – What is IJM and why was it created?
6:15 – Taking the first step to start a foundation or non-profit.
7:20 – What broke Adam’s heart to get involved with the cause of human trafficking.
10:35 – What was it like for Adam to have that conversation with his wife to get involved in this cause.
12:20 – How is there 40 million slaves still in existence?
14:45 – Giving an example of how you find where slaves are, and getting them out.
17:05 – What Adam learned on a trip with IJM he took to the Dominican Republic.
19:15 – How prominent is human trafficking in the U.S.A?
22:30 – What does Adam say to a person who wants to help but is apprehensive?
24:50 – What has Adam learned from God in this time of fighting for this cause?
26:35 – How can people get involved in this fight?
#NEWS: A desperate mother and her two small children were rescued from slavery at a brick kiln last week! Officials were even able to grant a release certificate, officially breaking her bonds to the kiln owner. #untilallarefree pic.twitter.com/Yr4P4vdAPV
— International Justice Mission (@IJM) December 15, 2017
QUOTES:
“Jesus gave us the clue to that — Love your neighbor. He always cares about the one.” (Gary)
“I always had a heart for the people that were defenseless.” (Adam)
“My prayer was just — ‘Give me the eyes of Jesus’ — It’s still chokes me up thinking about it. That was the greatest answer to prayer I’ve ever had.” (Adam)
“This is something we’ve been called to do.” (Adam)
“There are more people today than in any other time in human history.” (Gary)
“In a very short period of time, you can see slavery collapse when you have actual enforcement of the law.” (Gary)
“This was just something that would not leave over the course of a year, to where I felt obligated.” (Adam)
“If we ask Jesus ‘hey what do you want to show me?’ and i think that would just lead you to some compassion that you can’t put out of your mind.” (Gary)
“I’ve seen God work in some ways in some really dark areas, it’s been neat to be a part of.” (Adam)
