August 24, 2016
Exciting Progress, plus Elizabeth Smart Speaks Out
Dear Friend,
This summer has been so productive in our efforts to make the Internet safer for children and families. In summary, a few of our key victories include both McDonald's and Starbucks' commitment to filter their public WiFi, Donald Trump's signing of our Children's Internet Safety Presidential Pledge, and the launch of our summer $22K in 22 days funding campaign. Since a few weeks have passed since our last update, I am writing to give you a few brief updates!
Update on Pledge - As you know, Donald Trump signed EIE's Children's Internet Safety Presidential Pledge agreeing to aggressively enforce all the laws on the books to prevent the sexual exploitation of children online. We're very grateful for his leadership! Last week Hillary Clinton's national campaign director called me and told me she is sending me a letter in support of the Pledge. As soon as I get it, I will share it with you.
We can't just rely on our political leaders - we need our citizens to take action if we're ever going to truly prevent the sexual exploitation of children online. That's why we're introducing the The Children's Internet Safety Citizens Pledge which lends support to Presidential Pledge. This pledge is for citizens like you who support the tenets of the Presidential Pledge. Our goal is to collect 25,000 signatures to send to both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton to show them how important the Presidential Pledge is to everyday Americans.
Also, citizens who sign this Pledge promise to do their part as Americans to protect children online and offline, whether they are their own children or the children of others. Please let your voice be heard by signing the Pledge here.
An example of why the Presidential Pledge is so crucial is evidenced in the Elizabeth Smart video which recently went viral. Elizabeth's story is a prime example of the devastating link between hard-core porn and sexual abuse and victimization.
Sadly, Elizabeth's abuse at the hand of a porn addicted child abuser is not uncommon. It is very typical for sexual predators to use porn to arouse themselves and to train and desensitize their victim to the sex acts they will be forced to perform. Pedophiles do this all the time with children - porn is their "educational tool" and is also used to sexualize the victim. This is one of the myriad reasons as to why we need to continue to educate and mobilize our nation to combat obscene pornography, predation, trafficking and child porn.
To continue to build on our many victories this summer, such as McDonald's and Starbucks decision to filter child pornography and pornography from their public WiFi, we need your to help. We seriously cannot operate without your kind and generous donations.
As you may know, summer months are lean for fundraising. Unfortunately, we have not yet reached our $22,000 goal, so we are extending the deadline. We simply must raise $22,000 by Labor Day in order to continue the fight. You can make a one time donation of $25, $50, $100, $250, $500 or you can join our President's or CEO Circle with ongoing Pledge of support. Please CLICK HERE to make your contribution today.
You can also support EIE financially by doing your online shopping through Cause Network. Over 1000 popular online stores like Amazon, Best Buy, Macy's, Expedia, etc participate and pay back a percentage of your purchases to support EIE's ongoing programs to make the Internet safer for children and families. Labor Day and Back to School sales are just a few of the great deals offered. Shop, Save and Support EIE!
Thank you in advance for your consideration.
I'll be in touch soon with more exciting announcements. But as always, thank you for all that you do. I'm grateful to be in the fight with you.
Gratefully,
Donna Rice Hughes
President & CEO