Sun Gate Foundation

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Sun Gate Foundation The Sun Gate Foundation is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization that provides educational opportunities to survivors of human trafficking.

Survivor engagement should not begin and end with storytelling.Survivors are researchers.Educators.Executives.Policy exp...
10/23/2026

Survivor engagement should not begin and end with storytelling.

Survivors are researchers.
Educators.
Executives.
Policy experts.
Healthcare professionals.
Consultants.
Entrepreneurs.
Students.
Board members.
Community leaders.

Lived experience can provide important expertise, but survivors should never have to repeatedly disclose their trauma to prove that expertise.

Make room for survivors at the beginning.
During program design.
During implementation.
During evaluation.
In leadership.
In governance.
And yes, compensate survivors for their expertise.

Moving beyond storytelling means seeing survivors not simply as people who experienced a problem, but as people capable of helping build the solutions.

10/21/2026

(NBAA) today awarded Signature Aviation and the SunGate Foundation the association’s 2026 Al Ueltschi Award for Humanitarian Leadership for leadership in combating human trafficking, in part through collaboration with NBAA and other stakeholders.

A MOMENT OF HONOR. A MILESTONE OF IMPACT.Today, we celebrate our CEO, Shamere McKenzie, for accepting the prestigious Al...
10/21/2026

A MOMENT OF HONOR. A MILESTONE OF IMPACT.

Today, we celebrate our CEO, Shamere McKenzie, for accepting the prestigious Al Ueltschi Humanitarian Award, presented by NBAA to Sun Gate Foundation and Signature Aviation for their collaborative efforts to combat human trafficking in aviation.

This award honors the lives, hope, and change made possible through partnership, education, and survivor leadership.

As a trafficking survivor, Shamere’s recognition reflects the power of lived experience to transform systems, protect others, and inspire action.

We thank NBAA for this honor and Signature Aviation for its partnership. May this award renew our commitment to creating an aviation industry that connects people not only to destinations, but to safety, dignity, and freedom.

HumanTraffickingAwareness AviationAgainstTrafficking BusinessAviation FreedomThroughAction StrongerTogether

This week, as communities recognize Week Without Violence, we are thinking about a question that should be at the center...
10/19/2026

This week, as communities recognize Week Without Violence, we are thinking about a question that should be at the center of every youth-serving organization:
Are we creating programs for young people, or with them?
Young people experiencing violence, exploitation, or vulnerability have expertise about their own lives.
Listen to them.
Include them.
Give them meaningful choices.
And when developing solutions that will affect their lives, create opportunities for them to help shape those solutions.
We should never confuse being young with having nothing valuable to contribute.

10/15/2026

Today we wear purple in solidarity with survivors of domestic violence.

But solidarity must extend beyond what we wear.

It looks like believing survivors.
It looks like respecting their choices.
It looks like adequately funding services.
It looks like safe housing.
It looks like employment opportunities.
It looks like accessible education.
It looks like helping create a world where survivors have choices after the crisis is over.
Awareness matters.
Action matters more.

Today, we recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day and honor the histories, cultures, contributions, resilience, and leadership...
10/12/2026

Today, we recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day and honor the histories, cultures, contributions, resilience, and leadership of Indigenous communities.

Social justice requires more than acknowledging communities during an awareness day. It requires asking whose voices are missing, whose experiences have been overlooked, and whether our programs and systems are truly accessible to the people we say we serve.

At Sun Gate Foundation, we believe survivor-centered work must also make room for culture, community, identity, and lived expertise.

Today is an opportunity to listen, learn, and honor.

10/09/2026

Day 2: From Commitment to Action

DAY 2 WAS EVERYTHING! A POWERFUL ENDING TO AN EXTRAORDINARY GLOBAL FORUM!

What happens when voices from around the world come together not just to talk about freedom, but to commit to making it a reality? A movement moves forward.

As we reflect on Day 2 of the 2026 Freedom from Slavery Global Forum in Nairobi, Kenya, we extend our heartfelt appreciation to Free the Slaves and the entire planning committee for the vision, intentionality, hard work, and heart that brought this global gathering to life.

Our CEO, Shamere McKenzie, joined Bryon Lippincott, Communications Director at Free the Slaves, and Ndagire Joanita Joshirah, Founder and CEO of Mwagale Foundation in Uganda, for a powerful closing panel.

Together, they embraced the Declaration of Principles for Aligned Action to End Modern Slavery and reaffirmed a vital truth: survivors must not simply have a seat at the table. They must help shape the decisions, policies, and solutions that impact their lives.

One of the day’s most moving moments came when all survivors in attendance were invited to the stage, where Joanita shared a heartfelt poem honoring their journeys, courage, and humanity.

Then, participants who had signed the Declaration were invited to stand, not simply to be seen, but to symbolize a commitment to standing TOGETHER.

Because ending human trafficking cannot rest on one survivor, organization, government, or nation. We must lock arms, share power, and move beyond promises into action.

Above all, survivors are not simply the people this movement serves. They are leaders this movement needs.

We leave Nairobi with full hearts and renewed determination, carrying this reminder:

A declaration is only as powerful as the actions that follow it. Let us ensure that what we committed to in Nairobi does not remain in Nairobi.

The work continues. The commitment must deepen. Together, we can build a world where freedom is not just promised, but experienced by all.

From Nairobi, Kenya, to the World: Survivor Leadership Matters!On Day 1 of the 2026 Freedom from Slavery Global Forum, o...
10/08/2026

From Nairobi, Kenya, to the World: Survivor Leadership Matters!

On Day 1 of the 2026 Freedom from Slavery Global Forum, our CEO, Shamere McKenzie, took the global stage alongside distinguished leaders for the opening panel, “Freedom in a Changing World: Key Perspectives.”

Speaking before more than 250 participants representing 76 countries, Shamere delivered a powerful reminder: Survivor inclusion, survivor engagement, and survivor leadership are not the same—and we must stop treating them as interchangeable.

Inclusion means survivors have a seat at the table.

Engagement means their voices, experiences, and expertise meaningfully inform the conversation.

Leadership means survivors have the power, resources, and authority to shape decisions, influence policies, and lead solutions.

Survivors should not have to continually tell the stories of what happened to them to prove they deserve a place in conversations about what needs to change.

For too long, survivors have been invited to share their pain while being excluded from the power to shape the very systems designed to protect them.

At Sun Gate Foundation, we believe survivors are more than their experiences. They are visionaries, experts, innovators, and leaders capable of transforming the global response to modern slavery.

As the world gathers to discuss freedom, we must ask ourselves: Are we simply making room for survivors to speak, or are we making room for survivors to lead?

Because true survivor leadership is not about having a seat at someone else’s table. It’s about having the power to help build the table, set the agenda, and shape the future.

76 countries. One global responsibility. A future where survivor leadership is the standard, not the exception.

SurvivorInclusion EndHumanTrafficking ModernSlavery NairobiKenya LivedExperienceLeadership SurvivorLed

Sometimes education changes a life because of what is taught.And sometimes it changes a life because of who believed in ...
10/05/2026

Sometimes education changes a life because of what is taught.
And sometimes it changes a life because of who believed in you while you were learning.

For survivors rebuilding their lives, a professor, teacher, advisor, mentor, or counselor can become one of the first people to see their potential instead of their past.

On World Teachers’ Day, Sun Gate Foundation celebrates the educators who create classrooms where students feel seen, respected, challenged, and capable.

Never underestimate the power of telling someone:
“I see something in you.”
You may be speaking to a future graduate, CEO, social worker, attorney, pilot, professor, entrepreneur, or leader who hasn’t discovered that part of themselves yet.

Beyond survival is education. 💛For survivors of human trafficking, education can be part of what comes next, the opportu...
10/02/2026

Beyond survival is education. 💛

For survivors of human trafficking, education can be part of what comes next, the opportunity to learn, grow, pursue a career, build stability, and create a future that is not defined by what happened to them.

A past experience may shape someone’s story, but it does not have to determine how far their future can go.

At Sun Gate Foundation, we believe survivors deserve more than the opportunity to survive. They deserve opportunities to learn, achieve, lead, and thrive.

Liberation Through Education.

Address

Alexandria, VA
22304

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm
Sunday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+15714031495

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