Delray Beach seasonal resident Elizabeth Koldyke Boolbol, pictured with Stella, is the founder of Partnership to End Human Trafficking, which seeks to help women recover from the trauma of human trafficking. She established the organization in 2016 in the Northeast and is working to expand its programs to South Florida. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
After raising her family, Elizabeth Koldyke Boolbol turned her attention toward helping others, specifically female survivors of human trafficking.
She had seen the “devastating and awful” effects of child trafficking during her international mission trips, which she said made her aware of a growing industry in places like Cambodia, Pakistan, Bangladesh and India.
Originally, she assumed that child trafficking only happened abroad, but through her studies and reading the work of Nicholas Kristof, she learned that women and girls were disappearing and being trafficked domestically through online mechanisms. Also through Kristof, she learned about Thistle Farms, a Nashville, Tennessee, organization founded by Becca Stevens that addresses the needs of these women.
Inspired after spending some time at Thistle Farms, Boolbol decided to create a nonprofit that replicated the Thistle Farms model. It included a residential home where survivors could live for two years and receive resources that they needed, as well as job training.
Following her Thistle Farms visits 11 years ago, Boolbol, who lives in Delray Beach and has homes in Manhattan and in Greenwich, Connecticut, began laying the groundwork to create a similar organization, focusing first on fundraising and educating others in her community about domestic human trafficking.
In 2016, Boolbol founded her nonprofit, Partnership to End Human Trafficking. She and her team opened a drop-in center offering food and hygiene products in Bridgeport in 2019 and in 2021, they launched their Bridgeport residential house followed by the Greater Hartford house in 2024. Currently, nine women survivors are living in these two homes.
In addition to receiving a place to live and services for two years, the women develop work skills by creating products for sale through Partnership to End Human Trafficking’s shop. In May, the organization purchased a highly regarded gourmet specialty food shop and caterer, The Pantry in Fairfield Connecticut, for additional revenue for the nonprofit and to serve as job training.
“Becca realized early on that if Thistle Farms only offered residential protection and programming and recovery, after 24 months the women had no economic independence, no skill set and no ability to find a job,” Boolbol said. “These women typically have not gone to college or (finished) high school, and they often have criminal records, so it’s very hard for them to find employment. So, they’ll go right back to sex trafficking. Becca realized that in order to give them a chance, they had to be economically independent.”
This year, Partnership to End Human Trafficking (peht.org) marks its 10th anniversary. Since 2020, more than 110 survivors, women ages 22 through 60, have gone through the program. Additionally, other women have received assistance in the way of emergency hotel housing and legal aid through the nonprofit’s community outreach program.
Boolbol, 61, eventually plans to expand her program to South Florida. “Human trafficking is happening in every single state in the union. Florida is the third-worst state for sex trafficking in the country, so Florida has a real problem,” she said.
“We’d love to bring our model here. But it’s one of those things that takes time. You have to meet the stakeholders, understand the need and understand if your model would fit.” Already she has offered educational events, with more to come next season.
“In South Florida, we plan to host an event for parents to learn about the dangers of online sexploitation and recruitment. Parents really need to be vigilant about what their kids are doing online, because there’s so many avenues for traffickers to find their children online, and parents don’t even know that’s happening,” Boolbol said.
While trafficking victims tend to be vulnerable to manipulation, there is no real profile for the traffickers, she said. “There is something called the ‘pimp bible’ that’s passed around in prisons to educate people on how to identify vulnerable women. It’s kind of a how-to road map, because weapons trafficking and drug trafficking are not as profitable; they have to buy weapons and drugs (to sell). They don’t really have to buy the women, they can just manipulate them.”
Boolbol is married to Robert. Their children are Lukens and Jackson, both 26, Jesse Katherine, 24, and Rebecca, 22.
— Christine Davis
Q. Where did you grow up and go to school? How do you think that has influenced you?
A. I grew up in the North Shore suburbs of Chicago. Growing up in the Midwest in a small town definitely made me appreciate values related to family and the importance of lifelong friendships. I attended Dartmouth College and because of its remote location in the mountains of New Hampshire and its intimate size, friendships forged there have stood the test of time. I have a deep appreciation for nature and animals, which was deepened living and studying in such a beautiful setting.
Q. What professions have you worked in? What professional accomplishments are you most proud of?
A. I have worked in business development and marketing and for a few years worked in film/television production. I received a local Emmy award for a TV pilot project that I am very proud of. As a liberal arts graduate, I knew I wanted to pursue creativity in my professional life, and growing businesses through innovative marketing and branding allowed me to foster that creativity. I had always loved storytelling so my move to Hollywood felt organic.
The pilot show explored the themes of teenage development, centered around teen pregnancy and the complex issues around it. I worked at Hill & Knowlton Public Relations; The Levy Organization; Eagle River Interactive.
Ten years ago, I founded The Partnership to End Human Trafficking and we have supported hundreds of survivors of sex trafficking and helped them rebuild their lives through our 24-month residential program, community outreach and our social enterprise. It is my life’s work and I love it.
When I had my children and chose to be a stay-at-home parent, I became active in philanthropy and with my church. Through my work with World Vision I learned that sex trafficking of children as well as adult women is a pervasive and growing issue in the U.S., which rocked my world and I decided I needed to do something.
Q. What advice do you have for a young person selecting a career today?
A. Focus on what you love, not what will earn you greatest financial reward. I love the quote, “Do what you love, and you won’t work a day in your life.” That is an overstatement, but I do believe it rings true.
Q. How did you choose to make your home in Delray Beach?
A. I absolutely adore Delray Beach. We can walk to everything and the beach is magnificent. I try and walk to the beach most days and have to pinch myself that I can live here. The laid-back culture is incredible and when my kids come down, they have so much fun at all the fantastic night spots!
My grandfather Carlton Blunt came to Boynton Beach in the mid-1950s and I have been coming to the area my whole life. During COVID-19, I decided to establish roots in Delray Beach, so I am here six months a year and in Connecticut and New York City the rest of the year.
Q. What is your favorite part about living in Delray?
A. The people! I think the culture is just perfect. People are genuine and care about the town. There is commitment to quality of life and maintaining what makes Delray so unique.
Q. What book are you reading now?
A. The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak.
Q. What music do you listen to when you need inspiration? When you want to relax?
A. I often listen to worship music when I am in need of inspiration and relaxation.
Q. Do you have a favorite quote that inspires your decisions?
A. “… To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
Q. Have you had mentors in your life? Individuals who have inspired your life decisions?
A. For sure my parents, Mike and Patricia Koldyke. Their commitment to elevating those less fortunate has been an enormous influence on me and my work. My parents founded two organizations that have profoundly impacted the quality of education in Chicago where they lived.
Q. If your life story were made into a movie, who would you want to play you?
A. Emily Blunt. She’s funny and I love her relationship with her husband — they seem to really enjoy themselves — and she has a range in her performances that I admire.
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