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About Us

The story behind the star.

Every fight starts somewhere. Ours started with a name, a calling, and the refusal to look away.

The Meaning of "Tala"

In Tagalog, "tala" means "star." In Filipino mythology, Tala is the goddess of the morning and evening star, a symbol of light that appears in the darkest hours to guide people toward safety and hope.

We chose this name because of a real girl. Her story is not ours to tell in full. What we can say is this: she represents every child trapped in the darkness of exploitation. She is the reason The Tala Project exists.

Every child we reach is a star. Our job is to make sure their light is never extinguished.

Jim Coleman, Founder of The Tala Project

The Founder

Jim Coleman

I spent five years as a sex crimes detective, specializing in crimes against children. I worked online exploitation cases. I saw things that you cannot unsee. Things that change how you understand the world.

I left law enforcement more than twelve years ago, but the faces never left me. The cases never stopped playing in my head. I built businesses. I raised a family. I moved on with my life. But part of me never stopped being that detective in the room with those kids.

Then I learned that the Philippines is the number one country in the world for the production of child sexual exploitation material. Not number five. Not "one of the worst." Number one. And I knew I couldn't sit with that.

I'm also an adoptive father. My wife Velvet and I fostered children for more than a decade before adopting two of our kids. I know what it looks like when a child has been through hell. And I know what it looks like when they come out the other side, surrounded by people who refuse to let go of them.

The Tala Project is where all of it comes together: the detective who saw the darkness, the father who knows what healing looks like, and the entrepreneur who knows how to build something that lasts.

This is not a career move. This is a calling.

Leadership

The people behind the mission.

Jim Coleman

Jim Coleman

Founder

Former sex crimes detective turned entrepreneur and adoptive father. Five years investigating crimes against children. Over a decade building and operating businesses. Founded The Tala Project because looking away was no longer an option.

Stu Jensen

Stu Jensen

Board President

Stu has led nonprofit boards before and knows how to build organizations that last. A man of deep faith, steady judgment, and zero tolerance for looking away. Married with children, he guides The Tala Project with the kind of quiet conviction that keeps a mission on track when things get hard.

Velvet Coleman

Velvet Coleman

Board Secretary & Advisor

A mother of five who spent more than a decade as a foster parent before adopting two of her children. Velvet has seen what trauma does to kids, and she has seen what happens when the right people refuse to give up on them. She served on her local Child Protection Team board and knows this fight from the inside.

What we believe.

These are not corporate values on a poster. These are the convictions that guide every decision we make.

Every child has inherent worth.

No exceptions. No qualifiers. Every child is made in the image of God and deserves to be safe, loved, and free.

Rescue is only the beginning.

Getting a child out of danger is critical. But the real work starts after: rebuilding a life, restoring trust, and creating a future.

Dignity above all.

We will never use a child's suffering to raise money. We tell the truth about the crisis without exploiting the people we serve.

Transparency earns trust.

Your money goes where we say it goes. We report openly, spend carefully, and answer every question honestly.

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