Story of Survival

Carissa Phelps, author of “Runaway Girl: Escaping Life on the Streets” spoke at the inaugural Circle of Hope Founders’ Luncheon. Her message was about how she escaped certain death while in the hands of sex trafficking predators. Her courageous and riveting story begins when she was riding in the backseat of a white Pinto driven by her captor, a pimp who had forced her into childhood prostitution. She knew even at the tender age of 12 that she was being taken to be murdered, which is a paralyzing feeling of hopelessness.

Phelps' Rescue

Thankfully, there is more to Phelps' story than a tragic ending as she was miraculously rescued by a patrolman. This police officer pulled the Pinto over and then arrested her along with the other occupants. She was taken into custody and sent to Frescno’s juvenile hall and then placed in a group foster home. Thankfully, although overall this was a painful emotional experience, she did stabilize and get her education. She ultimately achieved a law degree and MBA from UCLA. 

Her Book

After her rescue from the human trafficking world and her eventual healing and stabilization, Phelps desired to write a book to share her journey with others. Her book entitled “Runaway Girl: Escaping Life on the Streets”, was published by Penguin Books and quickly garnered critical acclaim and national attention. Since that time, Phelps has worked to campaign against human trafficking and started her own organization dedicated to aiding youths in crisis called Runaway Girl Inc. Phelps’ experiences unfortunately exemplifies the circumstances of far too many children within San Diego County. 

Personal Hero

A county district attorney called Phelps her personal hero when they took the stage to speak at the luncheon and explained how they began working the sex crimes division in their district attorney’s office and were shocked to learn the extent of such crimes and how they were so prevalent in San Diego. The DA said “How could this be going on in this beautiful place?” and encouraged the foundation and others like Phelps along with other organizations like our own at Saved in America to keep fighting against this scourge known as modern day slavery.