“The stoning of Soraya M.” stars Jim Caviezel from “The Passion of Christ”. “The stoning of Soraya M.” won several awards and ultimately led to a reversal of stoning laws in Iran and across the Middle East. The screening of the film is sponsored by Treasured Lives, a Rapid City-based non-profit organization that provides advocacy services, support groups, housing and crisis care to survivors of sex trafficking.

The screening of the film is an opportunity for the community to meet Burns. He will be the guest speaker at Treasured Lives’ second annual fundraiser, Treasured Lives Presents Todd Burns, An Exquisite Dinner Event, on January 15 at the Monument in Rapid City. Tickets are available to hear Burns speak at 4 p.m., or tickets can be purchased for the entire VIP event. Tickets can be purchased at themonument.live/events/detail/toddburns; the deadline to purchase tickets is January 10. There is also a virtual option to watch Burns speak; for tickets, visit Treasured-lives.eventbrite.com.

“I’m going to share a bit of my anti-trafficking working life, a bit of my history in the film industry and other businesses, and then discuss how to impact the current issues that Treasured Lives seeks to address. resolve in South Dakota, ”Burns said.

This year’s VIP event includes Burns’ speech and starting at 6 p.m. live music by Rapid City jazz and blues singer Sophia Beatty, dinner, drink tickets and a silent auction. Each guest will receive a surprise gift from Black Hills Gems.

“We try to make it a very elegant affair. This is what makes it different from a lot of fundraising events. It’s exquisite and yet it’s a great fundraiser, ”said Kelly Patterson, Founder of Treasured Lives.

The “huge” silent auction includes works by well-known and local artists, stay packages from Liv Hospitality, hair and nail salon packages, Golden Cinema theater baskets, items from Vertex, mostly chocolates, desserts from The Millstone, antiques, homemade quilts and a lot more, Patterson said. To sponsor a table or donate silent auction items, call 605-381-4867. For more information on Treasured Lives, visit thetreasuredhouse.org.

Treasured Lives was started about two years ago by Patterson, who is a survivor of human trafficking. Treasured Lives is also raising funds to build The Treasured House, South Dakota’s first crisis house for survivors of sex trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation.

The Treasured Lives Presents fundraiser will benefit the organization’s work and its mission to build the Treasured House.

“Every penny helps us. Our big focus is the Crisis Home, but it’s also day to day taking care of these girls and guys, ”Patterson said. “The big picture is that we are able to work towards the goal of a crisis house and have the funds to continue day-to-day operations.”

In some cases, Patterson said, survivors of trafficking come to Treasured Lives in need of everything – rent and paid utilities, food, clothing, diapers and gasoline in their cars.

“All year round, donations keep us going. It’s a great company, but this community has been phenomenal, ”she said.

Burns is a human rights activist, in addition to being a filmmaker, lawyer and entrepreneur. He sits on more than 30 not-for-profit and for-profit boards of directors and is the executive director of the board of directors of Exodus Cry, an organization committed to abolishing commercial sex trafficking. Burns is passionate about human rights causes. One of his documentaries currently in production focuses on Native American issues related to murdered and missing women.

Burns is part of a team that is developing a film series based on Patterson.

“We are working to develop its story into a limited series or film – focusing on its story as a canvas for the ring smuggling problem – and how it happens around the world,” Burns said. “His story would be the anchor, then we would focus on the buyers who make the market (the politicians, the rich), the organized crime figures who sell women (the biker gangs), the government and the services police who are trying to find and fight. her, and her personal history sailing to stay alive while being abused and displaced through a violent and degrading system.