Need Help?
Contact the Human Trafficking Hotline
TTY: 711
*Text: 233733
Our story begins with Founder and President Kathryn Koning
Fifteen years ago, Kathryn started working on a movement to help find missing and exploited children, and consequently developed a software platform for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) to move the images of missing kids from regular paper posters to digital posters that were managed in real time. The software platform was so well received that it was downloaded by hundreds of thousands and gained media attention to be named by CNN as “The modern-day milk carton”. Kathryn tells the story to many that she encounters in hope of showing that everyone is in a position to make a difference.
Darkness2Hope’s founding continues the tradition of assisting persons in need. Kathryn has spent over 20 years working and traveling in the hospitality industry. During that time, she has heard countless horrific stories surround the tragic instances of human trafficking. Each story left an indelible impression on Kathryn. She has always felt that more needed to be done to detect and deter human trafficking within hospitality. Finding the right opportunities to increase awareness of the issue and provide support for other agencies and organizations engaged in the fight would prove to be challenging.
When I heard these stories, they always really hit me and I knew I had to do something.
I have been in this situation before, feeling devastated that no human being should be treated so poorly. I felt that I was in a position that with the right resources and support, I could make a difference.
I have been in this situation before, feeling devastated that no human being should be treated so poorly. I felt that I was in a position that with the right resources and support, I could make a difference.
2018 would prove to be pivotal in the founding of Darkness2Hope. Hoteliers started to approach Kathryn about ideas to keep guests securely connected and safe while on the road while protecting the integrity and reputation of each hotel property. The right kind of technology would be able to alert GM’s about issues on their property while not causing disruption to other guests during their stays. Kathryn’s team got to work as to how to deploy such a solution.
In 2019, while attending a conference for hospitality, Darkness2Hope members took part in a demonstration that successfully proved that a system could be devised for mass communication of messages to other participants’ mobile devices. The led to the development of in room solutions for guests to summon assistance in situations involving human trafficking. Hotels were ready to adopt the technology. Then, the COVID-19 pandemic caused much devastation. The hospitality industry was decimated and Darkness2Hope had to halt its development schedule.
Kathryn spent much of the latter part of 2019 and 2020 identifying potential board members with the relevant knowledge and experience to develop technological solutions that could be used to deter instances of human trafficking in hospitality, and in May of 2020 founded Darkness2Hope Corp. The Darkness2Hope team is dedicated to the mission of the organization, and is working to secure public and private funding while:
- developing technologies to detect and deter instances of human trafficking
- providing no-cost consultative services to other not for profit organizations engaged in the fight against human trafficking
- providing guidance to companies in the manufacturing, distribution, and services industries to assist with the development and implementation of anti-human trafficking policies within their organizations.
