submitted by Deborah Cohen, Maritz
St. Louis, Missouri – PACT has announced the 2025 Freedom Award honorees, which include survivor and advocate Rebekah Charleston, David Peckinpaugh, President and CEO of Maritz, a long- standing member of The Code and Artists, Athletes and Activists, a community-driven organization making waves for children’s rights. This award was established to honor the remarkable contributions of individuals who have inspired change and championed child protection.
In 2011, David Peckinpaugh was invited to an event by Sabre and Delta Airlines, where he became aware of the scale of human trafficking in the U.S. After further research, he presented the issue at a Maritz employee town hall, which led to the formation of an employee-driven committee. Since its inception, this committee has been dedicated to fundraising, creating internal and external awareness of the issue and doing their part to help eradicate the heinous crime of human trafficking and sexual exploitation of children in the travel and tourism industry. In 2012 Maritz signed “The Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism,” which provides awareness, tools and support to businesses in the travel and tourism sector to help keep children safe. The Code encourages companies to implement policies and procedures that protect children, offers training for staff, and helps businesses respond to risks associated with child exploitation.
David Peckinpaugh shares, “I am deeply honored to accept this award on behalf of Maritz and our Human Trafficking Awareness Committee. This recognition truly belongs to the dedicated team members who have tirelessly driven our efforts forward. While I may have initiated this cause, it flourished into an employee-led initiative, thanks to the incredible leadership and commitment of many. I am immensely proud of their unwavering dedication and the impact they continue to make.”
About PACT (Protect All Children from Trafficking)
Protect All Children from Trafficking (PACTTM) is the leading anti-child trafficking organization in the United States seeking to end child sexual exploitation and trafficking through education, partnerships, and legislative advocacy. PACT is a member of ECPAT International, a global network with one common mission: to eliminate the sexual exploitation and trafficking of children around the world. For more information, visit WeArePACT.org.
About Maritz
Maritz is a 130-year-old leader in business and human performance. Utilizing our deep knowledge of behavioral science, combined with data insights and analytics the Maritz portfolio of businesses increases customer loyalty, employee experience and sales performance through a variety of services and software solutions, encompassing incentives, rewards, experience design, creative strategy, incentive travel, meetings and events for channel partners, association, trade show and Fortune 500 clients.
