After supporting the work of the International Justice Mission for a few years, New England Patriots tight end Hunter Henry and his wife, Parker, wanted to see the impact the global organization was having firsthand.
An African safari was a bucket-list trip for him, and as a "Team Freedom" athlete ambassador for IJM, which partners with local authorities with 33 program offices throughout 19 countries to combat slavery, violence against women and children, and police abuse of power, the Henrys decided to travel to Kenya for 11 days over the offseason.
The mission trip was a life-changing experience for Henry, who was immediately compelled to come home and plan a "Rally for Rescue" charitable ping pong tournament for the cause. And before the Patriots tight end got back, he was brainstorming new ways to represent IJM for the NFL's annual My Cause My Cleats initiative.
"When we did the mission trip to Kenya this offseason, we honestly brainstormed a little bit about it there," Henry said, sharing that survivors had a hand in designing his custom cleats this year.
"When we did the mission trip to Kenya this offseason, we honestly brainstormed a little bit about it there," Henry said, sharing that survivors had a hand in designing his custom cleats this year.
"We thought it would be cool to put a little bit of the input of a survivor on the cleats to make it a bit more personal. I just thought it would be a cool idea because while we were there we saw kids and justice centers doing a lot of aft, so I was like, 'Man, that would be awesome to do for my cleats.' So it stemmed from being in Africa."
For the cleat design, IJM commissioned Daniel – a survivor of forced child labor – to come up with something symbolic of his courageous journey to freedom.
At just 10 years old, Daniel was forced to dive into dangerous waters on Lake Volta to untangle fishing nets. He was unpaid, and beaten, for years until Ghanian police and IJM got him to safety.
"The pattern reflects the heartbreak of child trafficking – calm on the surface, but filled with silent pain," said Daniel, via IJM.
"Repeated boats show how often these hidden journeys occur, their golden color symbolizing how trafficked children are treated as commodities, not human beings. Silent Voyages invites us not just to look, but to feel the weight of every stolen childhood."
Fellow NFL players Dillon Radunz of the New Orleans Saints and Matthew Orzech of the Green Bay Packers will also be wearing the same design for IJM.
Team Freedom members like Henry use their platforms as professional athletes to help raise funds and awareness to IJM's mission to rescue and restore people from slavery and violence across the globe.
"They have been through so much," Henry said. "The work that IJM is doing in Kenya and across the globe is making ripples that people can't even understand until they see it."
Now that Henry has a better sense of the impact he's having, his urge to continue advocacy has intensified.
On Monday Night Football against the New York Giants, that mission will be on his feet in full display.
Learn more about International Justice Mission here.
