Local Business Joins Fight Against Human Trafficking

Jill Card, the owner of Jeans and a Cute Top Shop, does more than run a business that has boutiques in Downers Grove, St. Charles and Wheaton.

Lately, she’s been a champion of raising awareness of both the local and global trafficking of young women. She has been supporting Free the Girls, a nonprofit organization helps recently freed women start their lives over. Free the Girls works with safe houses and after-care centers to give women a chance to earn a living selling secondhand clothing while while they attend school, restore their health, and care for their families.

In October, according to a release, Card hosted a monthlong Bra Drive and held an event at each of her boutiques, collecting donations of more than 1,200 bras and nearly $500 cash.

The Free the Girls program allows each participant to work as much or as little as her school schedule permits. Each participant receive a donation of starting inventory. They then buy from Free the Girls additional inventory for prices below wholesale value to help them give them an edge in the marketplace. The inventory sales generates money to subsidize overseas program costs.

“Card’s support of philanthropic organizations is one of the reasons I love her store,” patron Donna Weber said in the release. “She goes above and beyond to support the community, and this time she educated me about an issue that is going on in our backyard.”

The Jeans and a Cute Top Shop Bra Drive provided refreshments, swag bags, raffles, $1 treasures, and every attendee received a $10-off coupon for every bra they donated, up to five.

Shayne Moore, who co-authored Refuse To Do Nothing: Finding Your Power to Abolish Modern Day Slavery, attended the events to sign books and talk about this issue.

Jeans and a Cute Top Shop has stores in:

• Wheaton,  at 210 W. Wesley St., 630-690-5287.