At age 15, Marlene became one of the tens of thousands of girls who are sexually exploited. Through her faith in Jesus Christ and sound biblical teaching, Marlene’s misery became her ministry. Here is Central Ohio, it has been reported there are over 1100 missing and exploited children. “Some may be runaways, some may have been taken; all are vulnerable to exploitation. It is imperative that we, as a community, come together to help to prevent and abolish human trafficking and keep our children safe.” Marlene implores us to watch for some of the warning signs of humantrafficking: branding tattoos, sexualized behavior, as well as withdrawn, distressed, distracted personality; less appropriately dressed than in the past; brags about making or having lots of money; possessing more than one cell phone; and unexplained absences. Yes, Major League Marlene, as her friends refer to her, in her boundless energy, educates, empowers, and inspires others to dig deep within to mine what it takes to make their dreams- no matter how big - become reality. And, no longer does she try to do this on her own; Marlene has learned how to delegate, so that she is freed-up to do the work she loves most. She shows others how to put their social causes to work for profit, as well as for good, by relying on their greatest possession and resource of all — their relationships with others who believe in them, as well as in their causes. In her newest book, “Relationship Equity,” Marlene eloquently describes how people who believe in you will invest in you. Marlene believes that social enterprise is a way to sustain social justice causes. She, herself, has learned to take her transferable skills from the trauma of her life and turn them into treasure, and she collaborates with other inspiring and aspiring women to help others to do the same. To this day, though, after all the accolades and magazine articles written about her and the TV appearances broadcast; after all her accomplishments and establishment of thriving enterprises; the work Marlene cherishes most is sharing herself, i.e., her time — the most valuable of all treasures — at a time when one is most desperately in need of lifesaving hope. In fact, as I interviewed Marlene, there was a woman with her, who, overhearing our conversation, requested to speak to me, directly. Through her choked-back tears, she told me how Marlene had shared Jesus Christ with her and prayed for her… how Marlene had taken her shopping to buy decent clothes and make-up. Marlene Carson pours herself into this survivor, as she pours her time, talent, and treasures into everything she set out to do. Marlene expounded that some time ago, she had searched, to no avail, for a young woman after a pastor in Macon GA, had described how an exploited, young woman had been badly burned and her fingertips cut off by her pimp. Fast forward two years… toward the closing of a speaking engagement, a young woman in the audience posed a question to Marlene, which led to Marlene relaying her story about her search for this girl. By the overwhelming ways of God, it turned out, “the girl” was seated right beside the one who had asked the question which provoked the story. Marlene’s search had come full circle when the young woman announced, “I am that girl,” and I came here to meet you. Lorie McCaughan Formerly a practicing nurse, Attorney McCaughan joined the legal clinic staff at Capital University Law School in 1998. In addition to representing indigent clients, Ms. McCaughan supervises students enrolled in Capital’s General Litigation Clinic and the Civil Protection Unit of the Family Advocacy Clinic. She is also a court-approved mediator for Franklin County. Ms. McCaughan is a member of the American Bar Association, Ohio State Bar Association and the Columbus Bar Association. She serves on the Delivery of Legal Services Committee of the Columbus Bar Association and participates in the CBA’s Homeless Project. 30 | ENVISION PROVEN SUCCESS MAGAZINE
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