ATLANTA – Oct. 25, 2021 – Theodore I. Blum, managing shareholder of global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP’s Atlanta office, was presented with Wellspring Living’s 2021 HOPE Award on Oct. 24 in recognition of his work to fight human trafficking in the city of Atlanta.
Blum leads several initiatives in the Atlanta community to stop the human trafficking crisis, serving as chair of the Rotary Club of Atlanta’s Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force from 2018 to 2021. He has also been instrumental in formalizing Greenberg Traurig’s partnership with Wellspring Living, an Atlanta-based nonprofit organization that provides residential and community-based programs for survivors of sexual abuse, trafficking, and exploitation.
“It is a great honor to be recognized by Wellspring – a transformative organization that gives human trafficking survivors the hope and the skills they need to build a better future,” Blum said. “When I first learned of the human trafficking crisis in Atlanta, I was overwhelmed by the severity and motivated to do something to create change. As a firm, we realized we could make the most impact by focusing on individual survivors, which is why the care Wellspring provides has been so inspiring to see.”
As an expansion of Blum’s commitment to fighting human trafficking, Greenberg Traurig’s Atlanta office began partnering with Wellspring Living’s Women’s Academy in 2019 to host seminars on a variety of career-readiness topics. The 10-week program for women ages 18+ is followed by a 12-week apprenticeship at various companies in Atlanta, including Greenberg Traurig, which has welcomed a handful of apprentices who learn additional professional skills in a business environment.
“Our job as lawyers is to protect and advocate for those who often can’t advocate for themselves. The career training seminars we host each week at our office have not only allowed us to make an impact on the community we serve but brought our entire office together,” Blum elaborated.
“I applaud Ted’s efforts over the past four years to strengthen our community and create a lasting impact in the fight against human trafficking,” Greenberg Traurig Co-President Ernest LaMont Greer said. “Ted’s comprehensive and collaborative work with Wellspring and the Atlanta Rotary has connected business leaders representing hundreds of thousands of employees, all working hand-in-hand to fight trafficking in our great city of Atlanta.”
Under Blum’s leadership, the Rotary Club of Atlanta’s Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force brought together over 50 Atlanta-based companies to accelerate anti-human trafficking programs already in place and create a forum to share ideas and work together to drive change. Using an approach that asks companies to take on the fight both within their own organizations as well as joining forces as a united front, the task force created a large-scale effort designed to make a significant impact on human trafficking in the city of Atlanta.
About Wellspring Living: Since 2001, Wellspring Living has provided domestic sex trafficking victims and those at risk (ages 12+) with comprehensive, trauma-informed, victim-centered recovery services through residential programs, community-based programs, and graduate services. Each program utilizes a multi-disciplinary service model to provide transformative care through five service pillars: therapy, education, life skills, career readiness, and case management. Wellspring Living also trains and consults organizations nationally and internationally to multiply impact through the Wellspring Living Institute. For more information, visit www.wellspringliving.org.
About Greenberg Traurig: Greenberg Traurig, LLP (GT) has approximately 2300 attorneys in 40 locations in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. GT has been recognized for its philanthropic giving, diversity, and innovation, and is consistently among the largest firms in the U.S. on the Law360 400 and among the Top 25 on the Am Law Global 100. The firm is net carbon neutral with respect to its office energy usage and Mansfield Rule 4.0 Certified Plus. Web: www.gtlaw.com