Joe Lake - The Miracle Worker

Rob Lowe & Joe Lake at a Fundraiser
for  Children's Miracle Network

As Executive Vice President and Co-Founder of the Children's Miracle Network (CMN), Joe Lake helped raise more than five billion dollars for children in need.  Yes, that's a "B" as in billion. Validating his leadership in the non-profit world, USA Today recently called CMN the number one charity in America.

Pulling Lake out of retirement, Operation Underground Railroad is hoping to harness his 32 years of experience to help rescue more children. “Having Joe on the team is invaluable. He is the Stephen Spielberg of non-profit and cause marketing,” said Tim Ballard, O.U.R. Founder and CEO. 

With a tounge and cheek grin, Lake smiles when he tells people he “flunked” retirement. “I haven’t been this excited about a charity since I started CMN,” Lake exclaims. “I started with CMN, I’ll end my career here. OUR will be my swan song,” Lake adds.  

“I was just blown away when I heard what Tim Ballard had been doing as a CIA guy and helping that father from Haiti whose little boy was taken from church. I said, ‘Absolutely. Whatever I can do.’”

Since then, Lake has been working at a fast and furious pace, organizing fundraisers and running training meetings to help people who know how to rescue children figure out how to run a non-profit organization like a fortune 500 company.

Lake is currently planning two huge fundraising galas, one on each coast.  The first one will be held October 17^th in Los Angeles at the Hyatt Century Plaza Hotel in Century City.

Hyatt Regency Century Plaza where the L.A. Gala will be Held

The contract is signed. Some of the talent is already committed. We’re working on a list of celebrities to attend, walk the red carpet and sit at a sponsor’s table so that there’s a celebrity at most of the tables. It will be a blockbuster event!

We’re trying to get corporations to underwrite all of the hard costs like travel for the celebrities, music, licensing rights, whatever are the costs of doing this thing we want a corporation to underwrite it. We’re going after title sponsors first. It’s easier to have one company pay for everything than it is to go after 15 different sponsors for little segments. What we want is one hundred percent of the ticket price for each individual to go to these rescues.

The gala in L.A. is expected to attract at least four hundred guests and will be covered by ABC7 Los Angeles.  The TV station will be making public service announcements and using their own on-air talent to cover the event which will provide a lot of exposure for O.U.R. The recorded footage will then be edited and used for other types of fundraisers.

“I’m a great believer in monetizing what we do over and over and over again.  If we film it in high definition quality then we can monetize it by selling advertising for a TV station,” said Lake.

The second fundraising gala is planned for Washington D.C. November 1^st and will be packed with high profile politicians and influencers. Joe Lake is working just as hard to get this east cost project off the ground.

“I’m helping to get sponsors for it and doing the media and the black-tie thing, putting together the package for them to use in the sales kit to show sponsors what they can get. It’s really difficult for me to comprehend doing two black-tie galas two weeks apart on two different coasts. I haven’t done that before quite that quick.”

The Abolitionists Film Crew in Nicaragua

And if that isn’t enough, Lake is planning a third event in New York City to coincide with the major release of the movie about O.U.R. called The Abolitionists that is expected to come out some time in the beginning of the new year. The exact date is still to be determined.

The enthusiasm Joe Lake has for O.U.R. and their mission of rescuing trafficked children is obvious. “It is the biggest epidemic on the planet as it affects children and future lives for generations. We save one kid, we’re saving a generation. Imagine the number of kids we’re going to save with the number of kids we’re rescuing.”

Yes, just imagine.

Beside Every Good Man ...

Katherine Ballard

She is his sounding board, spiritual guru and biggest supporter avows Tim Ballard, Founder and CEO of Operation Underground Railroad. He's talking about the love of his life, Katherine Ballard, without whom, he would not have started O.U.R.

Right about the time I was about to leave the safety of the government job and go into this unknown world, I was seriously doubting if I should do this. It was the week before I was going to turn my badge in and I was like, ‘I don’t think I can do this.’

And Katherine just told me, ‘You have no choice. You’ve been called to do this. You know it’s the right thing to do.’ And there’s a sense of comfort there because all it would take in that moment is for her to say, ‘You’re right. I’m scared.’ And I would not have done it.

Rewind 16 years.  Tim and Katherine first met at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. They quickly fell in love, married and began a family.  Six children later, they still have that starry-eyed look whenever they talk about each other.

“It’s easy for me to support him because I love him," says Katherine. Even so, it can be difficult.  There are sleepless nights and moments when it’s easier to just not think about it she admits:

The most stressful part for me is, of course, when he’s on a mission. Honestly, people always ask me, ‘How do you deal with that?’ If I were the wife of a cop, I think I’d be more nervous because they’re going into situations that they don’t know what’s happening. My husband has always known. ‘Okay, we scouted out this area.’ They know what’s going on and they’re as prepared as they can be.

But, when it comes to the time when he says, ‘Okay, I’m going in,’ thank goodness for modern technology because he’s always texting me and calling me right before and after [the undercover deal and arrest]. And that’s when I’m most nervous. It’s like, ‘Alright I’m going in,’ and then I can’t talk to him until I hear back. And sometimes it’s like an hour or two. One time it took four hours and that was getting a little stressful.  Four hours is too long.

Despite the stress and uncertainty of rescuing these trafficked children, Katherine believes it’s all worth it.  She feels at peace knowing her husband is doing something meaningful and that very few can and will do it.

When Ballard worked for the government his frustration grew as red tape limited the number of children he could rescue.  He knew he could save many more if he didn’t have to deal with the government bureaucracy, but going it alone offered a new set of challenges; no security, less pay and greater danger, just to name a few.  The Ballard family made it a matter of prayer and knew what path they had to take and Katherine knew what she needed to do.

Being exposed to the ugly side of life can take its toll. In order to find the "bad guys” Ballard has had to analyze the child pornography he despises so much, or talk dirty to the bad guys, because it offers clues and incriminating evidence. 

People sometimes tell him he will one day succumb to the dark side because he sees so much of it. Naturally, he bristles at the insinuation.  Watching children being preyed upon by sick monsters only reinforces his commitment to stop them. And his wife is always there to help keep him balanced.

“I can feel when something’s wrong. I can feel when something’s right. I’m always watching him spiritually and so I’ll lecture him on praying. Are you asking the Lord? I’ll lecture him about that …in a loving way,” she quickly adds with a smile. “We are really close.”

Just as Katherine is watching out for Tim, he always has her and their children in the forefront of his mind. In the midst of the excitement about getting the green light from law enforcement on a rescue he immediately focuses on those closest to him. 

“How is this going to affect my family? Will they be okay? I’ll be gone for a week. What if I don’t come back? (Katherine gives him a concerned look.) I’m just being honest. That all goes to Katherine. We’ve had these conversations before. ‘Should I do it?’ And she goes, ‘It’s not even a question.’ She understands what we’ve been called to do and so I don’t even have to ask her permission or what she thinks or whether I should go or not.”

One of Ballard’s first missions after leaving the government was in Haiti, searching for a seven-year old boy named Gardy, who was kidnapped four years ago. The trail had gone cold and Tim was asked if he could help.  The case is on-going, but in searching for the boy, Tim and his Jump Team ended up rescuing 28 children from an illegal orphanage where kids were being sold for $15,000 a piece and used for whatever pleasure the buyer wanted.

Tim Ballard and Rescued Child in Haiti

These rescued children are now in a legal orphanage in Haiti hoping to be adopted into families that will love them forever. For a three and four year old bother and sister, that’s already happening in the form of the Ballard family. Katherine tells the story:

My husband called and he was with them and I felt like we needed to start the process and I just felt peace about that. It happened that quickly. Tim was there and I think if I was there I’d be like, ‘We just need to adopt every single child here.

As a mother, there’s so much … we have so much and there’s so much we could do to help so many people.  My husband and I have such a great relationship. When he was holding those kids and playing with those kids and talking to me I could just feel that there was this connection. He asked me, ‘Do you need to go down there and meet them?' and I don’t because I can just feel it through him.

            My kids, they already draw them (Haitian brother and sister) in the family pictures. Right now this is the right thing to do and that’s kind of how it’s been with what my husband does. Today this is the right thing to do and I feel peace about it so it’ll be good.

Currently the two children are in Haiti tied up in the legal system until the judicial process runs its course against the traffickers.  But, one day soon, they will become part of the Ballard family, not all of whom are exactly sure what daddy does.

Tim Ballard at Work with One of His Six Children

"My four year old thinks he kills bad guys every day," says Katherine with a smile.  "My older three know. They’re 13, 12 and 10. They all know that dad saves kids and the older two know what he’s saving them from, but how do you explain it to little kids? They just know it’s from bad guys.  I have a great map and I point out to the kids, ‘Okay kids, dad is right here.’ So they know where he is and they know he’s saving children but no, they don’t know the details."

There is no doubt the Ballards are committed to the cause. As the Founder and CEO of Operation Underground Railroad, Ballard is rescuing children and putting the “bad guys” behind bars, one rescue at a time. And while he’s doing it he knows he has the full love and support of his wife and family.  

Katherine often reflects on what it is they’ve gotten themselves into but has faith it will all work out. “I have peace. That’s all I need,” she says quietly.

Practice Makes ... Jump Teams Great

  Training, Training and More Training!

Keeping in tip top shape is important to the Jump Team and it's not as easy as you might think. It takes commitment, dedication and stamina. It also takes a good trainer.

                                                                                                                                                                         

Jump Team Practicing Krav Maga

His name is Joseph Gleed and he’s one of the best trainers around in Krav Maga.  Oh, you haven’t heard of Krav Maga? Well, you’re not alone, but it is fast becoming the training of choice for police forces, the military, and the O.U.R. Jump Team.

The term “Krav Maga” literally means “contact combat” in Hebrew and was first used as a self-defense tactic by the Israeli military.  It is basically a combination of several well-known fighting techniques including Judo, Jujitsu, boxing, wrestling, and more. 

Gleed is a Head Instructor for hand to hand close quarter combat training and holds a 2^nd degree black belt or expert level in Krav Maga from Israel. He ensures his reputation by putting the Jump Team through the toughest training there is, knowing they may need those skills at any given moment during a rescue.

"Their [O.U.R.] training is fairly rudimentary even with the CIA and Navy Seals, said Gleed. "Krav Maga is specific with what they're doing. It's very difficult. It's hand to hand combat. The training is tough and grueling and a lot of people just can't get through it."

The Jump Team actually has many instructors, not only in Mixed Martial Arts, but at the shooting range and in mock real-life scenarios. In fact, there’s a whole mock town they use to create the types of situations they might encounter on a rescue. O.U.R Founder Tim Ballard says it’s a good way to train the Jump Team and about fifty percent of them fail – the first time around that is.  Of course, that’s what the training is all about. Fail now so you can live later.

Jump Team Members at Target Practice

Operation Underground Railroad is currently gearing up for another big rescue and is recruiting new members for the Jump Team. The first members to come on board were former Navy Seals and Green Berets, but Ballard is now inviting others to join him.  Not all have military training. There’s a writer and even a commercial realtor. The most important thing is that he can trust them and that they’re a team player.  Knowing how to fight is helpful; knowing whom to trust is essential.

Whether it’s Krav Maga, target practice or “playing rescue,” keeping up on training and being able to use it instinctively is what makes the Jump Team ready at a moment’s notice to “JUMP.”