The Fanciest 5K. Ever.

8 a.m. to noon Saturday, Dec. 29

Courthouse Club Fitness — West

$30, deadline to register online is Dec. 22

Angela Watts had run about a mile and a half by the time her eight-pound wedding dress became onerous.

But the weight of the dress could never outweigh her purpose for running.

It was also the inspiration for a new 5K in Salem this month that will benefit survivors of human trafficking in the Willamette Valley.

Watts learned about Dressember, an annual challenge to raise money and awareness about human and sex trafficking, from a friend in 2014. She decided to participate the next year and has ever since.

Participants are challenged to wear either a dress or tie for the 31 days of December, using social media to raise money and educate people about sex trafficking.

Sex trafficking, a form of human trafficking, is when a sexual act is traded for profit through coercion, fraud or force, according to Polaris, a national nonprofit working to fight and prevent human trafficking.

Human trafficking, sometimes called "modern slavery," affects more than 20 million people worldwide.

Refresh:Salem woman passes $3,000 goal in 'Dressember' challenge, runs 5K in wedding dress

Since creating the National Human Trafficking Hotline in 2007, Polaris has received more than 26,000 phone calls, with more than 2,000 coming from Oregon.

It's an issue that has not spared Salem — Cpl. Gerrit Roelof, a detective with the Salem Police Department who has worked street crimes for almost two years, said sex trafficking in the area is "prolific".

Watts, 35, said she wasn't aware of the issue until four years ago.

"I didn’t really know what it was," she said. "I want to be part of the solution instead of part of perpetuating the problem."

Watts' personal goal in 2017 was to raise $3,000, not including funds raised by the rest of her group, Northwest in a Dress.

She pledged to run a 5K in her wedding dress if she reached her goal, which she met the day before the Resolution Relay in Boring on New Year's Eve.

Watts crossed the finish line with her sister, Bethany Johnson, and friends Arielle and Michael Miller, who also wore nuptial wear.

She knew she had to one-up herself in 2018. That's when Watts came up with The Fanciest 5K. Ever.

Not the fastest, but the fanciest

It started as an idea — a fun run in Salem benefiting survivors of human trafficking.

The Fanciest 5K. Ever. will take place on Saturday, Dec. 29, beginning at Courthouse Club Fitness' West Salem location. Runners are encouraged to wear some sort of formal wear — think tiaras, gaudy jewelry, top hats or flashy outfits.

And since it's a 5K, it was only fitting to make the fundraising goal $5,000.

Watts posted her plans on Facebook in September, seeking people and organizations who wanted to be involved.

Inquiries started flooding in and, before long, Watts gathered the support of enough local businesses to cover the cost of The Fanciest 5K. Ever. That means proceeds from registration will go directly toward survivors of human trafficking.

Since the run has local sponsors, organizations and runners, Watts decided to find a local organization to have as the beneficiary.

That's when she was connected with Safety Compass.

"They are the ones helping the victims here in town," Watts said.

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Safety Compass, a Silverton-based nonprofit advocating for survivors of commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking in the Willamette Valley, served 89 survivors of sex trafficking from July to September and offered intensive case management for a total of more than 1,300 contacts with them during the quarter.

With an annual operating budget of about $380,000 for 2018, they provide survivors with services including emergency hotel stays, Uber rides to safety and basic needs, said Esther Nelson, founder of Safety Compass.

As of late-November, 60 people had registered for The Fanciest 5K. Ever. and more than $2,000 had been raised for Safety Compass.

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Bridging barriers for survivors

Nelson, of Silverton, has been an advocate for survivors of human trafficking for more than a decade.

Through advocacy work in Nevada — the only state with legalized prostitution — and at the Sexual Assault Resource Center in Portland, Nelson developed a passion for helping survivors.

Nelson founded Safety Compass in 2016 to bring those same resources to the Mid-Valley and rural Oregon towns.

Advocacy can be everything from helping survivors navigate the criminal justice system, in-person support for survivors and leading training for professionals and community members.

Safety Compass is "the front end to a whole continuum of care," Nelson, 37, said.

"We are just the first step that reaches out and gets people trusting that there is help out there," she said. "We are kind of like the bridge.”

The nonprofit focuses on providing care to survivors of commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking who are 25 years old or younger through direct service and 24-hour hotlines.

Safety Compass also assists police agencies at their request.

When it comes to human trafficking cases, Safety Compass is the Salem Police Department Street Crimes Unit's first call for victim advocacy.

"Safety Compass is just an enormous asset for us when it comes to these trafficking cases," Roelof said. "(Esther) and her staff has been phenomenal for us in trying to deal with a problem that's way bigger than the staffing that we have available."

If someone is arrested for prostitution, he said, they will have an advocate from Safety Compass with them or come to meet them afterward, providing advocacy while also conducting a criminal investigation.

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Because they work closely with the criminal and social justice systems but are not a part of them, Safety Compass advocates work confidentially with survivors, some of which may not trust authority figures, and help them approach prosecution or additional forms of care.

"If they want to go make a police report, we go with them. If they want to actually take something through to trial or to court to see if they can prosecute their trafficker, we go with them," Nelson said.

"Sometimes that takes years to build up their confidence to make those reports."

Understanding the crime

Extreme trafficking crimes portrayed in mainstream media and Hollywood movies do occur, but sex trafficking comes in many forms.

It can include people forced into prostitution, pornography, lingerie modeling and dancing, Nelson said.

Lack of options and resources make it harder to leave or get out of those situations.

"A lot of people do not leave unsafe relationships for many understandable reasons even when they are not tied up or locked in a room," she said.

Advocates at Safety Compass believe when survivors are made aware of resources, they can make more informed choices.

And Nelson said the community needs to understand how they can, unknowingly or not, be part of the problem.

"I think we have come up with ways to distance ourselves from culpability as a culture, but the ways that we perpetuate the demand are the reasons why people are still exploited," she said.

For example, someone who thinks human trafficking is terrible but still goes to a strip club can perpetuate the demand for exploitation if the dancers are not participating on their own free will.

It's a complicated issue that can seem far removed from most people's lives, Nelson said. But helping be part of a solution can be as simple as becoming more aware and making more informed choices, or choosing to volunteer and donate.

Or, as Watts would have it, by throwing on a feather boa and running a 5K.

A way to contribute

When someone invests their time or money in something, they become more connected to that issue or cause, which is what happened with Watts and Nelson — who both plan to run in The Fanciest 5K. Ever.

"I had that moment where I was like, my whole life has been leading up to this," Watts said. "I hope even if someone came for the fun of the run, they would leave with having learned about the issue."

Visit runsignup.com/race/or/salem/thefanciest5kever to register.

If you are a survivor or victim of commercial sexual exploitation, human or sex trafficking, visit www.safetycompass.org to learn more about resources or call 971-235-0021.

For additional resources, visit www.safetycompass.org/contact-us.

Abby Luschei is the entertainment reporter for the Statesman Journal; she can be reached at aluschei@statesmanjournal.com or 503-399-6747. Follow her on Twitter @abbyluschei or facebook.com/luscheiabby.

Interested in telling a story at one of the upcoming Salem Storytellers Project events? Submit a story here: storytellersproject.com/salem/speak. Learn more about the project here.

If you go

What: The Fanciest 5K. Ever. is a new fun run in Salem that benefits survivors of commercial sex exploitation and human trafficking in the Willamette Valley. Runners are encouraged to wear formal attire.

When: 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, Dec. 29; run begins at 10 a.m.

Deadline to register: Saturday, Dec. 22, people can register day of at the race but won't be guarenteed a bib

Location: Courthouse Club Fitness — West, 300 Glen Creek Road NW, Salem

Cost: $30, includes t-shirt and snacks

Information: runsignup.com/race/or/salem/thefanciest5kever