The April Thacker Dream Scholarship empowers human trafficking survivors further themselves in their personal development and growth. This program challenges applicants to dream for themselves, outline their goals, and work towards achieving their goals. Our primary goal is to support survivors in defining success for their unique journey. We work with applicants to ask “What is MY dream? How do I imagine getting there? What are my barriers and how do I address them?” Awardees of the Dream Scholarship will be given the opportunity to tackle these questions and work towards bringing their dreams to fruition.

2025 Dream Session Dates:

March 14th, 2025 9:30am Columbus Ohio

September 2025 (Date TBD)

Interested applicants must attend full session in person in Columbus to apply.

For the fall 2025 session, please complete the application below and we will contact you when the Dream Session has been scheduled.

Apply

We want to dream with you! Visit the link below for FAQ, application and timelines. For additional questions reach out to jennifertaylor@shehasaname.org.

Serve

There are a variety of ways you can be a part of making dreams come true. Visit the link below to learn more about volunteer and mentorship opportunities.

Donate

Making dreams come true isn’t possible without the generosity of our financial partners. To learn how you can support this important program, visit the link below.

Who was April Thacker?

April Thacker was a survivor of human trafficking. She was heavily involved in the recovery space, specifically as the Butterfly Program Coordinator for Freedom A La Cart. She was our second ever survivor scholarship awardee before she tragically passed away due to health complications before she could finish her degree program. In speaking with her family about what to do with her scholarship funds, we collectively agreed to create a new scholarship for survivors in pursuit of their dreams. This was something April worked tirelessly for. The program was developed by survivors, clinicians, and the staff at SHAN. Today we honor her legacy by hosting Dream Sessions to empower survivors to dream, and award Dream Scholarships to see them realize those dreams.

This program is made possible through the generosity of the following financial partners:

2024 Impact

Nine survivors of human trafficking attended She Has A Name’s Dream Sessions in April and September to discover what comes next. Five Dream Scholarships were awarded for a total of $10,929.

Dream Big | We hope to inspire 15 survivors through 2025 Dream Sessions, and invest in 8 through Dream Scholarships in 2025.