Saving Girls From a Horrible Fate

It’s a small, bright, upscale resale boutique on Buford Highway in Duluth filled with an array of home furnishings and clothing at prices that are far better than any other similar shop you'll find. 

Wellspring Treasures is located at 2785 Buford Highway in Duluth and is a very successful venture; not because it brings in good money, but because the profits are used to save the lives of young women – and even underage girls – who are trapped in the hell of forced prostitution.

On any given night, an estimated 100 adolescent girls – average age 14 – are walking the streets of metro Atlanta, forced into a life of prostitution. And each is expected to raise $1,000 per night.

“It’s a real ugly side of life,” said Sarah Borek, who is in charge of Community Outreach for Wellspring Treasures. “People want to think that it just happens downtown or around the airport, but recent studies show that about 65 percent of it happens on the north side of metro Atlanta. Nine percent is the figure for areas around the airport.”

The volunteers who work in the boutique or downstairs in the intake area, helping to sort donated items, are just as bright, cheerful and optimistic as the feeling one gets in the boutique itself. They know they are making a difference in the lives of these abused girls – most often runaways who usually come from a dysfunctional family and who are often running away from physical or sexual abuse in the first place.

“These runaway girls don’t have an advocate,” Borek explained. “They mostly come from the Atlanta area and have found themselves in a really bad spot.”

Borek’s work with Wellspring Living – the organization that operates three Wellspring Treasures boutiques in the area as well as three safe houses for these girls – has made her quite familiar with the typical story of a runaway girl who quickly finds herself trapped into forced prostitution. It is the horrible fate of one in four runaway girls.

“What typically happens is a girl runs away from home,” said Borek. “Within 48 to 72 hours of being out on the street, she’s approached by a ‘John’ who knows how to target young girls like her.”

At this point the ‘John’ gets the girl something to eat, perhaps a motel room and maybe even some new clothes to wear.

“Then what typically happens is that she’s raped or beaten,” said Borek, “and the ‘John’ says to her: ‘Now, what are you going to do? Where are you going to go?  Nobody cared about you in the first place – they’re not even looking for you.  What are you going to do?”

At that point the girl is trapped, severely abused and, perhaps, even locked in a closet to keep her from escaping.

“There was one, not too long ago, who was locked in a dog cage during the day,” Borek said. Currently, Wellspring Living helps up to 50 girls and young women each year. But Borek said there’s a waiting listing of over 100, often stemming from the court system which typically receives these girls once they’ve been arrested for prostitution.

But once the girls have been brought into the Wellspring Living system and provided with a safe place to live and counseling to help them overcome their trauma and self-imposed abusive lifestyle cycle, often a result of their time in forced position, the success rate is high. Nearly 85 percent go on to lead productive, happy lives.

“They get a job, finish school – even get married,” Borek said with pride. 

The girls do, sometimes, come back to visit and thank the people at Wellspring Living for saving their lives. But, on occasion, it just doesn’t work. About 15 percent resume a downward spiral – a life of abuse and despair. 

Still, the people volunteering in the Wellspring Treasures boutique in Duluth, as well as the Wellspring Treasures boutiques in Peachtree City and Kennesaw, know they are making a real difference in the lives of girls and young women who have no advocates.

“It’s amazing,” Borek smiled.  “It’s neat to be given the privilege to be a part of this.”

(Editor's note: Wellspring Treasures in Duluth sells gently used furniture and home decor and gently worn women's and children's clothing. Hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Donations are accepted  from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. For more information about the non-profit organization that helps women 20-35 with childhood trauma issues and girls 12-17 who are in forced prostitution in Atlanta, call 770-623-3166 or visit www.wellspringliving.org.)