Coming together to make a difference.

In 2007, our founder, Jessica Evans, traveled to Nepal, where she met survivors of human trafficking and was deeply impacted by their stories and experiences. She returned home to Indiana changed, praying that God would show her how she could make a difference.

The following year, Jessica felt led to raise awareness about human trafficking and sexual exploitation. She invited friends to join her, and together they organized a benefit concert called Purchased. What began as one concert grew into a movement. After another awareness concert in 2009, we began looking for ways to take the work further. In 2011, Purchased became an official 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

For the next several years, awareness and prevention education were at the heart of our work. We educated thousands of Hoosiers about human trafficking and reached hundreds of at-risk girls with prevention education. But as we built relationships with young people and listened to their stories, we began to see a gap: prevention education could teach a young person what healthy relationships look like, but it couldn’t provide the experience of one. That realization led us to mentorship.

In 2015, we launched our mentorship program, pairing young survivors of trafficking and sexual exploitation with trained mentors who could walk alongside them through consistent, healthy, supportive relationships. Over time, mentorship became the heart of Allies, and our understanding of healing deepened. We believe healing comes through relationship.

In 2021, after 10 years as a nonprofit, Purchased became Allies, a name that better reflected who we had become and the role we believe we are called to play.

As our understanding of what young people and their families need has grown, so has our work. Today, we walk alongside vulnerable youth through mentorship, community, and practical support, while also equipping parents and caregivers through Thrive. Together, these programs help young survivors heal, build healthy relationships, maintain stability, and move toward independent lives free from exploitation.

What started with one person asking, “What can I do?” has become a community of people choosing to walk alongside young people who need an ally, and wherever the journey leads next, we’ll keep showing up.