All You Need Is Love
by Jeannine Gage
When Tina and Carl Kadolph met 40 years ago, they were just kids trying to find their way in the world.
Together, they now lead Love Missions, a local nonprofit organization dedicated to ending human trafficking – in Central Florida and globally – through community awareness and education.
For Tina, her early life before meeting future husband Carl had been incredibly difficult. Tina’s mother, who struggled with drug addiction and worked as a prostitute, started trafficking Tina at the age of four, forcing her to have sex with men.
“Someone must have offered her money for me,” says Tina, “and she just couldn’t say no.”
Lean on Me
The trafficking continued until Tina ran away from home at age 16. She thought she could do better on her own but became involved with an abusive man who nearly killed her. Tina escaped that toxic relationship and was in the process of rebuilding her life when she met Carl at the age of 20.
“He said I looked like I could use some help,” recalls Tina, who was unwilling to trust anyone at that point. “I told him, ‘No thank you, I definitely don’t need your help.’”
Even so, Tina kept Carl’s phone number and soon after – while considering ending her own life – she decided to call him.
“I don’t know why I called him, but I did,” she says, “and here we are all these years later.”
Because of her past, Tina continued to face struggles such as anorexia and the inability to keep a job. Eventually she found additional help and was able to work through her traumas. In 2000, she and Carl founded Love Missions.
“I knew, even as a kid, that if I lived,” says Tina, “this is what I wanted to do – help people who were going through the same thing I did.”
Businesses on a Mission
Tina and Carl own several businesses in downtown Sanford that support Love Missions, including Palate Coffee Roasters and Elevate Her Boutique. Palate Coffee opened in 2015, and Elevate Her opened in 2023. A third business, The Library, is scheduled to open this spring, also in downtown Sanford.
The Library will be a quiet and safe spot that sells books, vinyl, beer, wine, and coffee, with all profits going to Love Missions. Similarly, all profits from Palate Coffee go to Love Missions, and 40 percent of profits from Elevate Her Boutique do, as well. The other 60 percent goes to the artists and artisans who make the shop’s handcrafted gifts and clothing.
“Most everything in the Elevate Her shop is handmade by a trafficking victim or an artist who is an ally,” says Tina.
The boutique offers everything from T-shirts and candles to jewelry, mugs, and home décor. There is also space in the back of the shop for mentorship, meetings, and training.
A Safe Place, At Last
Among the shop’s volunteer staff members is a woman who was trafficked by her grandparents her entire childhood.
“I was finally able to escape,” she says, “and I found Love Missions. It has changed my life. It helps me to be here in this safe environment. I don’t have to worry about anyone hurting me here.”
Statistics show that Florida ranks third in the nation for human trafficking crimes, which is defined as the unlawful act of transporting or coercing a person in order to benefit from their work or service, typically in the form of forced labor or sexual exploitation. The vast majority of cases are women and children being forced into sex work.
Through Love Missions, Tina and Carl offer local survivors mentorship and temporary shelter. The Kadolphs have also opened a safe house in South America as well as a transitional house in Minnesota. Soon, they plan to open an emergency shelter for victims in Central Florida.
“Human trafficking is a hidden and misunderstood problem,” says Tina. “So many people think these women have chosen to be prostitutes. No, they have been forced into sex work against their will and they need help.”
To learn more about the 501(c)(3) nonprofit and its initiatives, visit LoveMissions.net.