Jim Duncan started Project LIGHT in 2020 so Rowan County would have a local nonprofit devoted entirely to fighting human trafficking. Jim and his wife Linda were the only volunteers and it was all they could do to keep the lights on. Three years later, Project LIGHT, which stands for “Let’s Interrupt Growing Human Trafficking,” has grown enough that the organization is searching for a part-time office manager to join as the first paid staff member.

In 2013, Jim worked with Salvation Army and helped write a grant that brought in full-time staff that specifically aimed to help local human trafficking victims and raise awareness about the crime. He also worked with the nonprofit Triad Ladder of Hope, who had an office in Salisbury. Eventually, however, both of those resources would move away from the area.

The Salvation Army moved their staff that focused on human trafficking out of Rowan County and the Triad Ladder of Hope moved their office from Salisbury to Lexington, according to Jim. That is when he realized that he needed to start another organization that focused entirely on stopping human trafficking and Project Light was born.

Since then, Jim has given numerous presentation at school, churches, and other venues as well as worked to partner with other nonprofits in the area and the local police departments and governments.

“People always ask me something, they always ask me when I’m doing a presentation. How bad is it here? I say how bad does it have to be? Does it have to be your daughter, your granddaughter? Is one too many? Does it have to be 10? We don’t want any of our kids to be trafficked. None,” said Jim.

In the past year, support for the nonprofit has grown enough that the organization will be able to hire paid staff to support the ranks of volunteers that Project Light relies upon.

“We’ve had some fantastic supporters. Clayton Manufacturing, in Rockwell, they let their employees decide who to support, for a non-profit. And we were one of the two agencies that they supported, and that was a generous amount,” said Jim.

Jim also listed off several other key supporters that have helped Project Light reach its current status. He said Cheerwine and the Kiwanis Club provided support along with numerous individual donors that Jim said “just have a heart for it.”

The organization is hosting a fundraiser at The Garrison Venue on Aug. 18. Jim said that for now the 176 seats at the fundraiser are filled, but that they are still taking down names in case any of the planned attendees cancel. At the fundraiser, Project Light will have guest speaker Deven Tucker, a former human trafficking victim, as well as a live auction.

For now, the organization is focusing on using its growing support to continue to build upon its existing relationships with local police departments and schools. It is paying to send four local officers to a three-day course from the NC Demand Reduction Task Force on reducing demand for sex trafficking. Jim is also working with the Rowan County Board of Commissioners to create a position in the sheriff’s office that would focus solely on stopping human trafficking in the county.

“I feel that in our organization that once we get all the positions filled, I think we’re going to be a role model for other counties all over, not just in this state,” said Jim.