Label
RIA: Advocating Opportunity
Councilman Melden
Title
Recognizing Advocating Opportunity for Ten Years of Service to the Community
Summary
WHEREAS, Advocating Opportunity was founded in 2015 in Toledo, Ohio, by Megan Mattimoe, to provide legal services and whole-person advocacy for survivors of human trafficking, pioneering a trauma-informed, human rights-based model that has since become a national best practice; and
WHEREAS, Advocating Opportunity is the only Ohio-based legal services nonprofit that exclusively serves all trafficked and exploited persons, with expansion into Columbus and Nashville, Tennessee, and works in collaboration with agencies across the country; and
WHEREAS, in 2014, Advocating Opportunity was named the Outstanding Organization of the Year by the Ohio State Bar Foundation and in 2016 received an Innovation and Excellence Award from the Toledo Community Foundation, recognizing its innovation and impact in supporting trafficking survivors; and
WHEREAS, Advocating Opportunity’s leadership team has received numerous state and national awards including: the Access to Justice Public Interest Law Award from ABLE and LAWO and the Jefferson Award for Outstanding Public Service by an Individual both awarded to President Megan Mattimoe, the Champion for Human Rights and Social Justice from The University of Toledo awarded to Kizzy Williams, MPH, MSW, and honorary awards for staff such as the Marlene Young Leadership Award and the Tadini Bacigalupi Award from the National Organization of Victim Assistance; and
WHEREAS, Advocating Opportunity provides expert training, policy consultation, and legal education to law enforcement, courts, and service providers across the State of Ohio and beyond, shaping national and state legislation and best practices for victim advocacy; and
WHEREAS, founder and President, Megan Mattimoe, J.D., has testified before the U.S. Congress, the Ohio Legislature, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, and has served on the Ohio Human Trafficking Commission, earning national recognition as a thought leader in legal advocacy for survivors; and
WHEREAS, on June 5, 2024, the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) granted Special Consultative Status to Advocating Opportunity, recognizing the organization’s global leadership and expertise in advancing the rights and protections of trafficking survivors, making it the only anti-trafficking organization in Ohio in consultative status;
NOW, THEREFORE, Be it resolved by the Council of the City of Toledo:
SECTION 1. That Toledo City Council celebrate Advocating Opportunity on its many accomplishments and honor the occasion of its tenth anniversary; and
SECTION 2. That this Resolution shall take effect and be in force from and after the earliest period allowed by law.
Adopted: June 17, 2025: yeas 9, nays 0.
Attest:
Julie A. Gibbons Carrie Hartman
Clerk of Council President of Council
Approved: June 23, 2025
Wade Kapszukiewicz
Mayor