Longwood University Athletics

By CHRIS COOK
LongwoodLancers.com
 
Over the past three seasons, Janese Quick '18 has been a unifying presence in the middle of the field for the Longwood women's soccer team. Now after her standout playing career has come to a close, the former captain is joining a different team, one on which she hopes to fill a similarly impactful role in the global fight against human trafficking.
 
Now armed with her Longwood undergraduate degree and nearing the completion of her master's as well, Quick is fulfilling a years-long passion to combat a black-market industry that she has seen first-hand in her native Florida. She is currently doing so with Rethreaded, a nonprofit retail organization based in of Jacksonville, Fla., near her hometown of Orange Park.
 
Rethreaded fights human trafficking by providing new path in life for those who escape the industry, and Quick has been a part of it since first joining the organization as an intern this past winter.
 
"Rethreaded gives them a whole new perspective on life," said Quick, who interned with the organization this past winter and still volunteers regularly. "They combat the sex trade industry by giving the victims a new identity and a purpose with practical business skills and holistic healing for them through the work."
 
Rethreaded was founded by Kristen Keen in 2012 as an "upcycle" business that turns donated clothing items into unique products, such as rugs, bags and scarves. The organization trains survivors of human trafficking to run various aspects of the business, using a holistic training model that provides as much practical business training as it does life-changing guidance.
 
Through a months-long training program, Rethreaded aims to empower survivors with practical skills and a support network to succeed both personally and professionally.
 
During her internship, Quick worked alongside many of those trafficking survivors-turned-business women, allowing her to see first-hand the effects the sex trade has on individuals and the life-changing impact Rethreaded's healing program provides. The organization currently employs approximately 15 survivors and boosts its reach through the work of volunteers, like Quick, and donations.
 
"The more I got into it, the more passionate I felt about helping the victims and advocating for them," Quick said. "You develop relationships with them, and you see how badly they needed this safety net and this savior of a business. The more you develop those relationships, the more you want to go deeper and really help those individuals who are stuck in the industry right now."
 
Quick, who earned her bachelor's degree from Longwood in just three years, remains involved with Rethreaded, balancing her work there with the pursuit of her master's degree in business administration at the Longwood College of Business and Economics.
 
Her current focus at Rethreaded is on wholesale management and client management, two areas that have allowed her to see the life-altering impact the organization's business model provides to survivors.
 
"It helped me get a new perspective on how a business can go beyond simply trying to sell a product and really change lives for the better," she said. "The people they've helped who work there are all in different stages of their rehab and healing. Some people are just a few months out of the sex trade, and some are years out. You get to see each step of the healing process through the employees. It's a really unique experience for sure."
 
That Quick would positively affect the lives of others so quickly after her time at Longwood should come as no surprise to those who followed her soccer career as a Lancer. She not only made an impact on the field as a starting midfielder in her final three seasons, she was elevated to team captain her senior year, helping propel Longwood to its first Big South Championship game in 2017 as part of its best season of the Division I era. She was named to the All-Big South first team for her efforts, which came alongside a sterling academic resume that saw her thrice earn Big South Presidential Honor Roll accolades.
 
Now with her soccer career in the rearview, Quick is turning her sights to her burgeoning passion to combat human trafficking. The internship at Rethreaded is just the start and has further fueled her desire to help eradicate the black market industry.
 
"Right now I want to stay in non-profit work and help the victims heal and recover, but I definitely want to get into the criminal justice side later in my career," she said. "I feel like the healing side is a good way to get my feet wet in the industry. I'd eventually like to take on the experience of working with more difficult encounters like victims coming straight out of the industry."
 
Regardless of where she ends up, Quick has more than proven she's a great addition to any team.
 
 
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