Miles Mean Money for Project Rescue

What if there was a way to financially support Project Rescue, an AG World Missions’ anti-trafficking, life-saving, and restoration ministry, at no cost? That’s right. Donate not one dime, yet individually or as part of a group help raise tens, hundreds, thousands, and potentially tens of thousands of dollars for the ministry!

How is that possible? The Freedom Challenge.

According to Jennifer Barratt, Project Rescue’s executive director, matching donors have pledged to give $1 to Project Rescue for every mile individuals or groups participating in the Freedom Challenge report doing — whether that be miles run, walked, biked, swam, skated, or even pickleballed!

“This year’s Freedom Challenge runs for two months — from the beginning of June through the end of July 2026,” Barratt says. “The Freedom Challenge originally began during COVID. Some of our donors stepped forward and offered matching funds to encourage engagement and support during that season. Since exercise and outdoor activity became such an important outlet for people during COVID, the idea of connecting miles to giving naturally developed.”

Barratt explains that the cap for the upcoming Freedom Challenge has been set at 100,000 miles — $100,000 — with this year’s Freedom Challenge funds earmarked for care for children in Homes of Hope (safe homes) and scholarships for trafficking survivors to pursue education and employment.

“During the Freedom Challenge, we provide progress updates about every two weeks through social media and email communication, usually with some type of progress meter or graphic showing how close we are to the goal,” Barratt says.

Since the inception of the Freedom Challenge, 10,000 individuals and groups have taken part. Barratt encourages youth groups, churches, businesses, even high school and college sports teams to form groups to help involve more people and provide a challenge to each other and increase their overall mileage. However, individual participants are also welcomed and genuinely appreciated.

“In addition to the United Staes, we’ve had people from Finland, Germany, Canada, Korea, India, and the Philippines take on the Freedom Challenge,” Barratt says, adding that all email addresses and phone numbers (which are optional for registration) are kept confidential.

Barratt encourages those who are new to exercise, to commit to a routine and log their miles with the Freedom Challenge. Those already logging miles as part of their regular exercise routines are encouraged to push a little farther or “warm-down” a little longer as every mile helps rescue and restore survivors of sexual exploitation.

To learn more about Project Rescue and the Freedom Challenge, including a link to register, click here. Registration is open now. Late registrations (after June 1) are permitted.