Thanks to all the participants in the 2010 first annual, Candlelight Serenade Acoustic Festival.
Because of our generous volunteers, supporters, and sponsors we were able to raise funds for local victim services and our other Utah non-profit partners. The most impressive success of Candlelight Serenade was the overall awareness that was generated for this cause. Through our efforts in promoting the concert hundreds of thousands heard about Child Rescue and our efforts.
Candlelight Serenade was an opportunity to shed light on the dark topic and the fact that kids are being trafficked, exploited and prostituted in Utah.
We invited Non Governmental Organization partners to our "Charity Circle/Exhibit" at the event which featured our collaborative efforts to protect children and hopefully educated our participants as well as promote all the successful efforts other groups are doing about this issue. We had remarkable speakers ranging from Libby Spears, the director of the documentary "Playground" to our law enforcement specialist Marc Evans to Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff to a child trafficking survivor Amanda Bonella. Beautiful unique acoustic music, an educational program, over 90 vendors and activities of all kinds were just a few of the reasons people called Candlelight Serenade, "Epic" and "Moving" but the highlight of the evening was when each participant received a candle, donated by Candle Impressions , and sang along to our Child Rescue theme song, "Light in the Dark" written by John Allred. Each candle represented a victim of child trafficking and how all of us can act as a light in the dark for those who need us.