Project Dignity, Grand Forks nonprofit that assists crime victims, will host sixth annual silent auction
May 6—GRAND FORKS — Project Dignity this week will hold its sixth-annual silent auction fundraiser at the Eagles Club, located at 227 10th St. NW in East Grand Forks.
Project Dignity is a Grand Forks-based nonprofit that was established by Noelle Myers in 2018. The organization's mission is to restore dignity to victims of sexual assault, human trafficking and violent crime.
"We do this in multiple ways," Myers told the Herald. "We have clothing and toiletries in the ER, which are utilized (during sexual assault responses.) We provide sheets, through law enforcement, for people who have been assaulted in their homes."
To provide these resources, Project Dignity accepts donations and fundraises. The largest fundraiser of the year is the silent auction, which will be held from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, May 11. There are more than 50 items available for bidding.
"A lot of local businesses have donated, and some national ones as well," board member Crystal Tangsrud said. "We just received a signed football from the Green Bay Packers, and we have (a mini helmet) coming from the Vikings. It's going to be great."
Other donors include River Cinema, Scheels, Northern Air and The Jolly Jalapeno.
Bidding on auction items is one way to contribute to the nonprofit. However, a donation bin will also be available for anyone who wants to drop off toiletries, clothing or sheets. Specific current needs are sheets in all sizes, hard-sided tumblers with straws, travel-sized mouthwash and dental floss, men's and women's razors with three or more blades, fidget toys and leggings of all sizes.
Those who are interested in donating but cannot attend the event may reach out through social media, send an email to projectdignitynd@gmail.com or fill out the website's
contact form
to schedule a drop-off time.
Project Dignity is an independent organization, but law enforcement, CVIC, Altru and others utilize its services.
"We work with different entities in town — and in Fargo now," Myers said. "Fargo law enforcement just came and picked up a big load of sheets and toiletry bags."
She believes the community would be surprised how common sexual, violent and human trafficking crimes are in the area.
"(Human trafficking) is very, very much an issue in this community," Myers said. "We're on kind of a weird cross-point between Minneapolis and the oil fields, and we're not very far south of the (U.S.-Canada) border, so we have a lot of statistical stuff that raises our numbers."
The issue may go unnoticed or unreported for a few reasons, Myers said. Small communities with sparse law enforcement presence and lack of communication may play a role.
"Human trafficking doesn't look like what people think it does, either," she said. "There's children being shipped across state lines in train cars. There's people that are actively moved across state lines, but that's less (often) than the person who's in a relationship or who's married."
Often, people are trafficked by someone they know and, because of that, it may be perceived that they're making a choice to participate, Myers said.
"It's not really a choice," she said. "They're afraid to say no, or they don't know that they can say no."
Certain crimes also have to be kept quiet so that criminals can be linked to others all the way at the top of the chain, resulting in a larger bust that might not even happen within the state, Myers said. Also, privacy is paramount for human trafficking victims, "because if they've escaped from something, more than likely, somebody's looking for them."
