Magdalene Hope holds first golf fundraiser to stop human trafficking in Kern County
Richard Bumatay watches his golf ball after his swing.
September 13, 2018
Several golfers showed up on the fair-weathered morning of Sept. 8 to participate in Magdalene Hope’s Tee Off for Hope golf tournament at the Kern River Golf Course.
The fundraiser sold tickets at $100 per person or $400 per team. Nearly 40 teams, which included families and friends of all ages, were able to drive club cars, receive lunch and beverages, and practice their golf swings in the organization’s first-ever charity golf game.
Since Magdalene Hope’s founding in March 2009, the Bakersfield-based nonprofit for sex trafficking awareness has become the primary transport for the National Human Trafficking Hotline in Washington D.C. It has sponsored outreach events in Las Vegas, California’s central coast, and even Tijuana, Mexico.
In addition to small programs, the nationally-recognized organization also co-produced “The Trafficked Life,” directed by Michael Fagans, a documentary about human trafficking in Kern County that was recently entered into the Sundance Film Festival.
Doug Bennet, golfing for the Magdalene Hope’s first-ever charity golf tournament.
Richard Bumatay (left) and Josh Ratliff (right) laughing and having a “great morning” during the golf tournament.
Most of Magdalene Hope’s events take place in Bakersfield. Its services—relocations, housing, college counseling—are provided to sex workers and human trafficking victims all over Kern County. Those who called into the National Human Trafficking Hotline are transferred to Magdalene Hope to discuss the different options to get freed from sex trafficking.
