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File #: R-261-25    Version: 1 Name:
Type: Resolution Status: Approved
File created: 6/12/2025 In control: City Council
On agenda: 6/17/2025 Final action: 6/17/2025
Title: Recognizing Advocating Opportunity for Ten Years of Service to the Community
Sponsors: Sam Melden

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...

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