A pitch to end human trafficking

Jeremy Affeldt, relief pitcher for the San Francisco Giants, speaks out nationally against modern-day slavery.

Next week, the World Series-winning team member will be part of presentations at Whitworth University with the Not For Sale Campaign, an international effort to end human trafficking.

Affeldt, who pitched for Northwest Christian School in high school, still lives in Spokane during the off-season. He recently explained how this cause fits his values.

In the fifth grade, he said, “My dad was in the military in California and we were at an Oakland (Athletics) game. I remember watching Mark McGwire hit three home runs in one game. I looked up and said, ‘Dad, I’m going to play here one day.’

“My dad patted me on the head and said, ‘Keep that dream, son. You can do whatever you want to do.’

“He allowed me to dream. Slavery doesn’t allow you to dream. It kills every ability to dream.”

The Not For Sale Campaign educates people about modern slavery.

It doesn’t all happen in Asia with young girls and boys bound into prostitution, though that happens.

It doesn’t all happen in the big cities, where illegal immigrants live 15 to a room and work menial jobs, though that happens, too.

Modern slavery is a reality in almost all towns, large or small, Affeldt pointed out. Mail order brides are “shipped” to men in rural areas in Washington and Idaho, for instance.

And just last weekend in the Everett-Seattle-Tacoma area, 23 underage girls were rescued from prostitution by the FBI.

Affeldt, 31, got involved in the Not For Sale Campaign after signing with the Giants in November 2008.

He contacted the campaign’s founder, Dave Batstone, a University of San Francisco ethics professor. Batstone established the campaign in 2007 after discovering that one of his favorite Berkeley restaurants was staffed by men and women from India enslaved by the owner.

In an article at sfgiants.com, Batstone – a huge Giants fan – said of Affeldt: “When you spend time with Jeremy, you see he’s not just a casual participant. He reads up on it. He’s passionate. He’s a key part of our campaign.”

The Not For Sale Campaign is coming to Spokane next week because of Affeldt’s strong Eastern Washington ties.

He spent part of his childhood in Medical Lake but went to high school at Northwest Christian. His baseball-team buddy and still close friend is John Proffitt. Proffitt’s wife, Emily Proffitt, is public information officer at Whitworth University.

About a year ago, the Proffitts were visiting Affledt and his wife, Larisa, at the Affeldts’ north Spokane home. He told them about his involvement in the Not For Sale Campaign.

Emily Proffitt knew the campaign would be a great fit for Whitworth students, so she organized the workshops for November – after baseball season.

“We try to educate our students about issues that are happening in the world and let them figure out how they can use their talents, abilities and career paths to make a difference in the world,” Proffitt explained.

“Young people can really identify with the plight of human trafficking victims, because it’s usually children and teens who are the victims,” she said.

Proffitt’s hope is that the workshops will attract community members of all ages. The presentations will help people understand how their choices either encourage modern slavery or help eliminate it.

“There are people involved from all different faith backgrounds and political beliefs who see this as a clear moral wrong and something we can all come together to address,” she said.

Affeldt, meanwhile, is still coming off the incredible high of the World Series win Nov. 1. In a recent phone interview from San Francisco, his voice was hoarse from all the media interviews.

He still couldn’t believe the big win, nor the parade through San Francisco. Players jumped on and off street cars, giving high-fives to fans who packed the streets.

“It was an amazing ride,” he said. “Other than marrying my beautiful wife, and my two kids being born, it was one of the coolest things I’ve ever been a part of.”

He said returning to Spokane with his wife and children – Walker, 3, and Logan, 7 weeks – grounds him and allows him to use his blessings for a greater good.

“I want people to join in on this,” Affeldt said of the campaign against human trafficking. “We all need to be in this together.”