Exploring Life & Business with Jared Miller of Freedom Aviation Network

 

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jared Miller

Hi Jared, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Jared Miller has served with international development, government, private, and nonprofit agencies in a variety of leadership capacities globally. He has established medical clinics, identified, and brought aid to people living with HIV/AIDS in rural villages, led at-risk youth and family services initiatives, supported counter-human trafficking efforts, and actively serves on an international disaster response team. Jared is an entrepreneur at heart who seeks out opportunities to create innovative solutions to modern challenges. He holds a Masters of Security & Disaster Management and fosters a lifelong passion to develop resilient people, communities, and systems.

Since 2018, he has led the operations and served on the board of a global anti-human trafficking agency. In 2020, he recognized that survivors do not have adequate access to safe transportation when leaving their situation, and that anti-human trafficking agencies struggle to secure efficient and rapid transportation for survivors when needed most. Discerning that general aviation may hold the key to these problems, he set out to become a private pilot to discover how this could be accomplished. Since then, a network of aviators has been assembled and lives have been changed through these efforts. In the summer of 2022, he and Co-founder Stephanie Lamar decided it was time to establish an organization dedicated to the safe, efficient, and rapid air transportation of survivors and their advocates. Thus, Freedom Aviation Network was born.

Stephanie Lamar began flying in 1996 and is currently a First Officer with GoJet Airlines/United Express. She holds a Master’s Degree in Special Education, and is a wife and proud mother of three exceptional young men, two of which she continues to homeschool.

In 2020, Stephanie helped start a pilot program flying for Rescue 1 Global which has now grown into Freedom Aviation Network. She flies and organizes flights that transport survivors of human trafficking, along with their advocates, who are taking their first important steps to recovery. “At first, I was overwhelmed by the idea that we couldn’t save everyone, and that as many people as we fly to safety, there would always be those left behind.  Then Jesus reminded me that he is the shepherd, and he will leave the 99 to get the one. So, we at Freedom  Aviation  Network are here ‘For the One.’”  Each flight carries someone to safety. One at a time we are making a difference.

Prior to her work with Freedom Aviation Network, Stephanie was Board President of Nashville Peacemakers for three years working side-by-side with community activist, Clemmie Greenlee.

Stephanie is actively involved with FAST (Female Aviators Sticking Together), the Ninety-Nines, and Women in Aviation. She is also the proud recipient of the Global Service Award for her work with Rescue 1 Global.

As well as having a heart for education, teaching, children and mothers, Stephanie is an advocate for promoting women in aviation by introducing young women to careers in the aviation industry.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The concept of providing free, safe, efficient, and rapid transportation of any kind for victims of crime, let alone survivors of human trafficking, has been unheard of prior to the creation of Freedom Aviation Network in 2022. When Jared first recognized that general aviation could hold the key to breaking barriers for survivors and help them have access to life-changing services by creating an aviation network, he was told by many people in both aviation and anti-human trafficking that it was impossible, too challenging, too risky, and too costly. People tried to convince him that since it had never been done, it must not be possible or that he must be having a pipe dream and not know what he’s talking about. Instead of moving on from the idea, he was more motivated by the feedback to find a solution. He rested in confidence that God had given him this idea after a seriously complex and risky rescue operation in early 2020 and believed that with God all things are possible. When Covid-19 shut the world down, he capitalized on his newfound free time and sought out to become a Private Pilot in efforts to better understanding Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations and to connect more deeply with the aviation community in Nashville. Less than a month into his training, an old friend, Stephanie Lamar, reached out through social media seeing that he was becoming a pilot. At the time, Stephanie was a Certified Flight Instructor and offered to help Jared through his training. Shortly after their reunion, Stephanie encountered a situation at her work with Nashville Peacemakers where a young woman had gone missing in a suspected trafficking case. Knowing that Jared worked in counter-human trafficking, Stephanie reached out to Jared, who activated the rescue team, and the young woman was able to reunite with her family. From that point, Jared shared the vision for a nonprofit that provides air transportation for survivors of human trafficking. Stephanie began working tirelessly to rally the pilot community in Nashville, and the rest is history! The absolute credit for Freedom Aviation Network goes completely to God and the many miracles He has performed to make this organization possible from the very beginning. We believe every life is infinitely valuable. We seek to restore value to human life and point people to hope.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Freedom Aviation Network is the first organization in the world dedicated to transporting survivors of human trafficking and their advocates. Our mission is to provide safe, efficient, and rapid air transportation for survivors of human trafficking and their advocates. Our goals are to break barriers for survivors and advocates, provide access to life-changing services, restore value to human life, and point people to hope.

Somewhere between identifying that trafficking is occurring and the survivor seeking full restoration, there is currently no guaranteed, safe, and efficient way of transporting survivors or their advocates. Often, the solution is putting survivors back onto some form of public transportation where they are subjected to chaotic travel environments and the risk of re-exploitation. The need is dire and supported by research conducted by The Polaris Project which says that 54 percent of survivors of human trafficking said transportation was a barrier to leaving their situation.

We are composed of aviation professionals who remain on-call to use our time, resources, and skills specifically completely free of charge for counter-human trafficking efforts. However, this is not a “one-size-fits-all” solution. We seek to utilize all methods of aviation transportation to fulfill our mission. Sometimes the utilization of commercial or charter tickets is necessary for long-haul or multi-passenger flights. We look to the aviation industry to rally behind the solution Freedom Aviation Network is bringing to counter-human trafficking and to help support our efforts as we stabilize survivor care during transitions.

We provide these desperately needed services through two primary activities, Survivor & Advocate Transportation

Survivor transportation includes:

– Leaving Situation

– Shelter Relocation

– Home Visit

– Family Reunification

– Court Appointment

– Reintegration

Advocate transportation includes

– Site Visit

– Survivor Interview

Education & Advocacy

We aim to provide life-saving information to the general public and our volunteers on matters concerning human trafficking facts and mitigation tactics.

We educate pilots on trauma-informed methods for interacting with survivors in an aircraft and survivors’ advocates on intervention methods for de-escalation while in flight.

What matters most to you?
I believe most, if not all, pain and suffering in our world occurs because of a devaluation of human life. What matters most to me is helping people believe that they are infinitely valued by their Creator. That there is hope in this world, and that they are worthy of a full and beautiful life. I believe culture change begins with me – or the individual. When we are able to accept how valuable we truly are, we are empowered to show others their value, and that will change the world – one person at a time.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.freedomaviationnetwork.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freedomaviationnetwork
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100087168619701
• Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@freedomaviationnetwork8796