The Center for Sharing has invited Linda Smith to be the keynote speaker for its 2016 International Women’s Day Celebration.

The event, called “A Better Tomorrow is Possible,” will be from 6 – 8 p.m. Mar. 17 at the Inspire Events Center, 5296 Outlet Dr., Pasco.

Smith, a former congresswoman who represented Washington’s 3^rd congressional district from 1995-1999,

is a leader in the global movement to end sex trafficking.

In 1998, while serving in the U.S. Congress, Smith traveled to a notorious brothel district in India, where the hopeless faces of the women and children who had been forced into prostitution, compelled her to start the Shared Hope International. Shared Hope International is a nonprofit organization that works to rescue and restore women and children in crisis.

Since its creation, Smith has worked around the world and within the U.S. on behalf of those victimized by sex trafficking. It partners with local organizations to provide restorative care, shelter, education and job skills training. It also provides leadership in awareness and training, prevention strategies, restorative care, research and policy initiatives to mobilize a national network of protection for victims.

Smith also founded the War Against Trafficking Alliance in 2001, an organization that coordinates regional and international efforts to combat sex trafficking.

Smith is the author of From Congress to the Brothel and of Renting Lacy. She is also a co-author of the National Report on Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking and the Demand Report.

The Center for Sharing will also present a $500 award to a woman from the Tri-Cities community who has demonstrated leadership that empowers others to identify and move toward their dreams, with aspirations in service of the greater good.

Tickets to the event are complimentary, but donations will be accepted. Refreshments and hors d’oeuvres will be provided during social time. Dress is business casual.

Seats are limited and reservations are required.

To RSVP, go to centerforsharing.org/events, email [email protected] or call 509-627-6556.