The Inaugural NAHT Luncheon Offers a Message of Hope and Healing

On a sun-drenched spring afternoon, the Nashville Anti-Human Trafficking Coalition (NAHT) hosted its inaugural Daisy Circle Ladies Leadership Luncheon in Conservation Hall at the Tennessee Governor’s Residence. The sold-out event, chaired by NAHT board members Cecile Gideon, Mary Morgan Ketchel and Memree Roberts, welcomed supporters for a day of joy, purpose and powerful storytelling.

Bethel World Outreach Church and NAHT members greeted guests with gospel-inspired music. Hands raised and voices lifted, immediately setting a joyful tone in the room. As worship leader Kristin Hill said, “Well, we took you to church!”

Spring lunch capped with petits fours baked by sex trafficking survivors at the Sweet Daisy Petit Four Shoppe. Then, NAHT founder and executive director Mary Trapnell delivered a sobering message about the scope of human trafficking. According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, a child is bought or sold for sex every two minutes in the U.S. — with an average age of only 13. Human trafficking is the second-fastest-growing criminal industry, just behind drug trafficking. It is found in every state and every ZIP code. And yes, it happens here.

Mary shared NAHT’s history and explained that nearly all the survivors they serve battle addiction. Traffickers often use drugs as a tool of control, reinforcing trauma bonds and deepening dependence. “A woman has not been freed from human trafficking until she has been freed from addiction,” she said. 

Survivor LeAnn Walters stepped forward with an emotional testimony that brought the room to a reverent hush. She closed the event with her powerful story of 23 years of addiction and over eight years of being trafficked. “Hope is real. I once believed I had no future,” she said. “But now, because of Mary Trapnell, and through faith, freedom and fierce resolve, I help others step into theirs. And so can you.”

With that clarion call, the inaugural luncheon became more than a gathering. It was a declaration of hope, healing and the power of women leading the fight for freedom.