Recently, Environmental Pest Control hosted Lorilee from The Red Cord, who walked our technicians through human trafficking awareness.
We asked her to come for a reason. Our technicians move through homes and businesses all day. That puts them in a position to notice something a stranger driving by wouldn't catch. Protecting this region shouldn't stop at pest control. We don't run this business through a call center, and we don't want a script standing between our people and the property they're standing on.
We think showing up for this community means more than treating a pest problem. Call (877) 414-7478 or reach out through our online form if you want to talk with our family-owned team about pest control, wildlife removal, or anything else going on across Southwest Oklahoma.
Why We Brought The Red Cord into Our Office
Lorilee told our technicians about real situations, the details people miss, and why a victim might not look like what someone pictures in their head. That kind of training lands differently when it comes from someone who lives this work every day.
Our team walked out with a sharper eye. Awareness only matters if it reaches people who are out in the field, and our technicians are in a different house or business almost every hour of the day. A trained eye in that many places adds up. A raccoon call and a trafficking red flag don't look anything alike, but noticing either one starts with paying attention.
What The Red Cord Does for This Region
The Red Cord is Southwest Oklahoma's anti-human trafficking organization, founded by Cindy Evans. The group trains schools, churches, first responders, hotels, and businesses like ours free of charge, aiming to teach people to recognize trafficking before a victim needs rescuing.
The training is only part of what the organization does. The Red Cord also runs a monthly prayer calendar, holds a Freedom Gala each fall that brings survivors and advocates into the same room, and organizes the Piercing the Darkness Walk so the issue stays visible instead of fading once the news cycle moves on. Anyone who wants to learn the warning signs or request training can find free resources on the organization's website.
The Red Cord traces its work back to a line from Martin Luther King Jr.: injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. That line shows up in the prayer calendar. It shows up in the walk. It showed up in our office this week.
Grateful for Partners Like The Red Cord
At Environmental Pest Control, we're grateful this organization exists, and we're glad Lorilee gave our team an afternoon of her time. The work she and the rest of The Red Cord team do is work most people don't see and few could do every day.
One training session won't fix a problem this size. But it puts more eyes on it. Next time one of our technicians walks into a home or business in this region, they'll carry this afternoon with them.
Thank you, Red Cord, for the work you do every day. Reach out to the organization if your business wants its own training, and call (877) 414-7478 if you need a family-owned pest and wildlife team on your side.