From the battlefield to brothels, Colonel Scott Crosley’s mission with Pivot Faith and Valor goes beyond borders and into hearts
Written by Angelina Spencer-Crisp
The Birth of Pivot Faith & Valor
When most people think of Army chaplains, they imagine a life spent ministering to soldiers on base or during deployments. But for Colonel Scott Crosley, his calling was far greater.
Having a distinguished 21-year military career, Colonel Crosley is also an Army Airborne Ranger. He served a 12-month deployment to Iraq with the 101st Airborne Division and a mission to Syria with the Special Operations community. He recently founded Pivot Faith & Valor, a nonprofit organization dedicated to rescuing women and children trapped in global sexual slavery.
“We exist to pivot women and children globally from sexual slavery and exploitation to freedom,” says Crosley.
His experiences abroad, witnessing the exploitation of women and girls in brothels, left a deep scar on his heart, one that he could not ignore.
“The Navy treated them the worst,” Crosley recalls, his voice heavy with the weight of his memories.
For years, the seed of Pivot Faith & Valor was planted in his mind, but it wasn’t until he neared the end of his military service that this vision blossomed into action.
From chaplain to combatting trafficking
Crosley’s journey from Army chaplain to anti-trafficking warrior was anything but conventional.
“I felt like a square peg trying to fit into a round hole by being confined to a church,” he admits.
The role of a traditional pastor wasn’t the right fit for him. Instead, Crosley found his niche counseling soldiers on the battlefield, offering solace in the darkest corners of war. Yet even this role didn’t fully align with his broader vision of directly saving women and children from sex trafficking, an idea that was on the back burner of his mind for years. Pivot Faith & Valor became his outlet, an organization designed not just for rescuing the victims of trafficking but for restoring their dignity and renewing their sense of purpose.
“Bravery is the first step toward healing and recovery,” Crosley shares. “Pivot signifies the ability of both a soldier and a victim of sex trafficking to pivot toward a new path, a higher quality of life.”
The work is grueling, but for Crosley and his dedicated team—many of whom are veterans—it’s a mission driven by faith and valor, where the goal is nothing short of transformation.
“Faith and valor require bravery too,” he adds, speaking of the immense courage it takes for trafficking victims to make that first step toward freedom.
Rescue, restore, renew: The process of healing
Pivot Faith & Valor operates with a unique and strategic four-step approach:
Recon, Rescue, Restore, and Renew.
Each of these steps is critical to ensuring a trafficking survivor’s long-term success. The organization partners with local law enforcement, government agencies, and other NGOs to identify and rescue women and children caught in the web of sexual exploitation.
But the work doesn’t stop there.
“Restoration is personal,” Crosley explains. “Each survivor receives a tailored plan designed just for her, ensuring that her specific emotional, spiritual, and physical needs are met.”
PVF’s restoration efforts include everything from counseling with professionals like PhD-holding therapists, to providing victims with vocational training and education, and empowering them to create self-sustaining lives outside of slavery. And it’s not just about rescuing the victims—Crosley and his team work to ensure the emotional well-being of their entire unit.
“On every trip, our therapist makes sure to check in with everyone, not just the victims,” he emphasizes. “Healing is a team effort.”
The impact of Faith and Valor
From Central America to Asia, Pivot Faith & Valor has made strides in rescuing trafficking victims. Crosley shares the heart-wrenching yet hopeful story of “Jessica,” a Filipino woman trapped in a Hong Kong brothel under an oppressive contract. After building trust with the Pivot team through repeated visits, Jessica finally found the courage to escape from the brothel and enter a safe house. Today, she is free, raising her daughter, and enrolled in college.
There is a difference between a woman who chooses to strip, and is free to come and go, and one forced into sexual slavery.”
– Scott Crosley
Success stories like Jessica’s are both common and rare—common in that Pivot Faith & Valor has rescued countless women, but rare in that escaping the grip of sex slavery is an immensely difficult process.
“Victims don’t always jump at the opportunity to be rescued,” Crosley admits.
Fear and trauma often keep them shackled to their abusers. That’s why patience, persistence and faith are so critical to Pivot’s mission.
Faith without force
Despite its strong Christian foundation, Pivot Faith & Valor isn’t an organization that forces religion upon its survivors.
“We help grow people in faith but don’t force it upon them,” says Crosley. “We’re here to free victims of sex trafficking and help them restore their lives. Jesus wasn’t confined to the church. He showed genuine love to everyone who asked for it and even for those who didn’t. We don’t throw Bibles at people.”
Crosley sees his faith as a guiding force that leads him to the most vulnerable, much like how Christ sought out the oppressed and misunderstood in his time. Pivot’s approach is one of love, not coercion.
The team is deeply aware of the trauma many victims have endured at the hands of men, so much of the healing comes from female team members, offering comfort through simple gestures like hugs and prayer.
Engaging unlikely allies: The adult nightclub industry
Perhaps one of the most surprising elements of Pivot Faith & Valor’s outreach is its open partnership with the adult club industry. Crosley’s rationale is straightforward:
“If you look at Christ’s life, he was hanging out with the misunderstood, the oppressed and the hurting. His love was strategic and placed where it would serve the greatest good…and He didn’t judge. There is a difference between a woman who chooses to strip, and is free to come and go, and one forced into sexual slavery.”
In fact, Pivot has received support from prominent club owners, including Don Kleinhans of 2001 Odyssey, who invited Crosley’s team to visit his establishment to speak with the dancers directly. They learned, Crosley said, that these women were working there by choice, not because they were enslaved.
“I’d like to expand these domestic-side club visits,” Crosley said. “I think it could help our black ops teams understand the difference between a legal US-based club and a foreign club or brothel, before being deployed abroad.”
Additionally, during the ACE National Board meeting, Randy Beasley, former Army Pathfinder and Vietnam Veteran, and a club owner of Rachel’s in Orlando and West Palm Beach, presented Crosley with both a salute and a check.
“I know what it’s like to serve,” Beasley said. “We uphold our brothers and sisters in service, and I have added Pivot, Faith and Valor to the twenty other military charities I annually support. I hope more club owners and executives will consider doing the same. It’s because of people like them, people who volunteer their lives, that we have the freedoms we do.”
How to get involved
For those looking to support Pivot Faith & Valor, Crosley makes it clear that there are countless ways to contribute. Whether through financial donations, volunteering skills, or simply spreading awareness, every little bit helps.
“We need Spanish speakers, especially women,” he says, highlighting the organization’s work in Central and South America. “We especially like including those with former law enforcement backgrounds.”
But even more than that, Pivot Faith & Valor needs continued financial backing to keep its operations alive.
“If we could get just a handful of clubs to commit $500 a month to our cause, that would be incredibly helpful.”
Moreover, Crosley emphasizes the need to rescue the youngest victims of the human trafficking market.
“We are currently trying to raise a lump sum of 50k to help further establish our new Black Ops Division, which rescues really young kids from this crime,” Crosley said.
A mission fueled by faith and valor
Colonel Scott Crosley’s work with Pivot Faith & Valor is nothing short of heroic. Through his dedication and that of his team, countless women and children have been rescued from unimaginable circumstances and given a second chance at life. His mission is clear: to pivot lives from darkness to light, from exploitation to freedom. And with the support of both the military and civilian communities, that mission will only continue to grow.
To learn more or to support Pivot Faith & Valor, visit www.pivot-faithandvalor.org or make a donation here.
