This is Rotary at its best—seeing a need, taking action, and creating a path forward for people in the community.
In Topeka, Kansas, members of the Rotary Club of Community Action Against Human Trafficking from Rotary District 5710 recognized a critical gap in support for women leaving jail.
For many women, release from incarceration can be a vulnerable and uncertain moment. Some have no safe place to go and little access to the resources they need to begin rebuilding their lives. In some cases, women were even being met in the jail parking lot by the very people who had trafficked them.
Rotarians saw an opportunity to change that.
Creating a Safe Transition
The club helped create Intersection to Care, a program designed to provide women with support during the critical transition from incarceration to a safer and more stable life.
Rather than leaving women to navigate that transition alone, Intersection to Care connects them with a network of resources and caring people ready to help. The program provides mentorship, housing support, health classes, art therapy, and other services designed to help participants move toward independence and a brighter future.
Perhaps one of the most powerful elements of the program is also one of the simplest: someone is waiting at the gate.
Instead of facing an uncertain next step—or potentially being intercepted by someone seeking to exploit them—women can be met by someone who is there to help them reach safety.
Since 2022, Intersection to Care has helped more than 1,000 women begin rewriting their stories and creating new possibilities for their futures.
Rotary in Action
The story of Intersection to Care demonstrates what can happen when a Rotary club looks beyond traditional service projects and addresses a difficult need in its own community.
Rotary members didn't simply identify a problem. They helped build a bridge between vulnerability and opportunity—bringing together mentorship, practical resources, compassion, and a commitment to helping women move forward.
This is what Rotary at its best looks like: recognizing a need, refusing to look away, and taking meaningful action to create lasting change.
Thank you to the Rotary Club of Topeka for showing what is possible when Rotarians turn compassion into action.
Read the Full Story
Learn more about Intersection to Care and the Rotary members helping create a safe transition for women leaving incarceration in the full story from Rotary International: