BANGOR, Maine — In 2015, Beth Stumpfel noticed her community was in need right in her backyard.
Stumpfel started Restoration Ink, a nonprofit organization that connects human trafficking survivors with local tattoo artists to modify or cover marks, scars, or tattoos, often left as physical reminders of their trauma.
"Just the results of just that small effort has been incredible,” Stumpfel said.
Now CourageLIVES, a program in Bangor that provides support to survivors of human trafficking, will be taking over those services and continuing their mission hoping to expand that support statewide. Together they provided restorative tattoo care services for around 30 women who are human trafficking survivors.
"It gives that person an opportunity to literally reclaim their skin. They get to decide what is on their body rather then someone else having that power, having that control over them," Carey Nason, the executive director of CourageLIVES, said.
Sam Wood, tattoo artist and owner of Forecastle Tattoo in Bangor helped to provide restorative services.
"I know that no matter what I do, what I tattoo over them, it's going to be world's better than what they have, and could be a very therapeutic, lifechanging, lifesaving thing," Wood said.
Wood and others involved in the mission are encouraging community awareness. "We just need to watch out neighbors," Stumpfel said.
If you would like support the mission of CourageLIVES, you can visit their website here.