Rocklin Ballet Group performance to raise funds for non-profit

 ROCKLIN, Calif. - A unique performance by Ballet Rejoice will be Tuesday, May 24, at William Jessup University in Rocklin and will raise funds for local nonprofit Agape International Missions.
 
Agape, based in Placer County, has helped rescue and care for more than 200 girls victimized by sex slavery in Cambodia. The organization is led by Don and Bridget Brewster, who have returned to Placer County after spending the last six years building restoration centers in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and a community center to protect girls in Svay Pak, Cambodia, known internationally as a major hub for child sex trafficking.
 
The performance, titled "The Gates of Splendor," is a three-part ballet danced by members of the Conservatory of Dance in Rocklin. One act is a special dedication to the Brewsters and the girls who have been rescued.
 
"This ballet is so powerful because these talented dancers are able to convey through dance the pain these victims experienced," said Don Brewster. "They also dance in a way to symbolize the journey of recovery, so this performance should be incredibly moving."
 
In 2005, the Brewsters sold their Lincoln home and moved to Cambodia, where they began working with Agape International Missions. Over the course of six years, the couple spearheaded the effort to open and operate Agape Restoration Center, Rahab's House, the Lord's Gym and a community church. An accredited elementary school that teaches a Cambodian-approved curriculum recently opened in January 2011. These facilities offer children and their families free meals, medical care, spiritual guidance, housing, cognitive therapy and career training options.
 
"The Gates of Splendor" will be at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 24, at William Jessup University, 333 Sunset Blvd., in Rocklin. Tickets are $20 per person.
 
To purchase tickets, please visit www.agapewebsite.org and click on "Events." Tickets will also be available at the door. For more information, call (916) 784-2800. Questions or comments concering the Ballet Rejoice please contact Sarah Branaman, 530.301.2383.
 
About Agape International Missions
In response to the problem of human trafficking, Agape International Missions in 2005 began to focus its efforts on ending this travesty in Cambodia by providing transformational aftercare for victims rescued from sex trafficking and increasing prevention efforts through a network of village churches. Agape opened Agape Restoration Center in August of 2006, providing holistic long-term aftercare for rescued girls, and in September 2007, opened a community center, Rahab's House, in a former brothel in the heart of a village where sex slavery is the norm for every girl by the age of 10. For more information, please visit www.AgapeWebsite.org.