Chainbreaker Champions

Chains Champion January – Laura Frey

Chains Interrupted would not be the powerful force that it is, fighting Human Trafficking in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and the world, if it weren’t for the many partners who have come alongside us.  Laura Frey, owner of LA Trends Addict, is one of those partners who has worked in creative ways to raise funds and awareness for the plight of Human Trafficking.

Laura first became aware of Chains Interrupted, when Co-Founder, Lenchen Raeside, won a drawing for a party at LA Trends Addict. While discussing details they decided to make it into a charitable event for Chains. 

Laura said, “We had no idea that there was such an organization in Cedar Rapids, nor the need for it. It was definitely a wakeup call to the needs of our community.”

“We were so touched by the work that Chains Interrupted does to help women get back on their feet and thrive. It isn’t only about ‘rescuing’, it is a much bigger process to improve their lives moving forward, actual restoration!”  Laura continued. “It’s really important to us to give back locally where we can actually help.  We feel that any donations we can gather will make an immediate impact in our community.”

This goes hand-in-hand with Laura’s philosophy of business; “When LA Trends Addict opened, it was a place where I wanted to help women feel better about themselves, whether in providing a job opportunity or great clothing to a customer at an affordable price.  From our inception, I would bake monster cookies as a sweet treat for events. People seemed to love them, and I would share that it was my mom’s special recipe and how she taught me as a child to bake them and use the proceeds to support charities.”

“The business group evolved into having a salon (LUXE) next door which allows us to create events for ladies to gather, network, or raise money for local charities. Heidi joined me & Lynn’s Boutique was added about a year ago. This collaboration has allowed us to do so much more for the community we love.” 

“During the quarantine we were pondering ‘what next?’ Cookies for a Cause!!  Of course, Chains Interrupted had to the be the first charity we put on the calendar.  Each month we feature a local charity or community need and Heidi bakes her aunt’s famous chocolate chip cookie and I bake my mom’s monster cookies. The cookies are individually packaged 3 to a pack for $1 each. 100% of the sales price goes directly to the charity.”

We hope you visit LA Trends Addict in person at 1200 N Center Point Rd, in Hiawatha, IA or on their website: LATrendsAddict.com. We are so proud to have them and Laura as friends and Champions!