Mike Buresh, Marithza Ross playing in The Hope Cup, charity pickleball game for Villages of Hope

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Jacksonville ranks third in the state for reported cases of human trafficking. Each year, on average, thousands of cases are reported and the leading demographic is women.

The Villages of Hope Jacksonville is addressing the need to protect and empower these women with a 2-year healing program that includes safe beds so that they have the time and space to heal from the trauma.

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“If they have a job, if they have trauma therapy, they can have all those things, but if they don’t have a safe place to lay their heads at night, it can crumble really fast,” Donna Fenchel of Villages of Hope Jacksonville said.

This summer, the Villages of Hope will open 14 tiny homes in Jacksonville. To help raise money to furnish these homes, Chief Meteorologist Mike Buresh and Traffic Anchor Marithza Ross are participating in The Hope Cup, a charity pickleball tournament happening January 28 and 29 at the Yards in Ponte Vedra. The public is invited to come out and cheer them on.

To learn about other ways you can help the Villages of Hope Jacksonville, click here.

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