EIN: 84-3024867
National Trafficking Hotline Number: 1 (888) 373-7888 | SMS: 233733 (Text "HELP" or "INFO") Open 24 Hours, 7 Days a Week
Founder/CEO
Maria Aparis is the Founder and CEO of Lotus Rising International, a non-profit organization that advocates for the wellbeing of children who have been exploited by sex trafficking and organ harvesting. Her mission is to support rescue operations, to provide tools for recovery for survivors, and to help survivors reclaim their lives through scholarships, training and education.
A Bestselling Author, Speaker, Entrepreneur and Visionary whose focus is creating radical transformation in life through Health and Wellness.
Maria was the Founder/CEO of Spa On Location, a luxury mobile day spa that brought decadent spa services to various locations including DreamWorks, Warner Bros., Paramount, Universal, Sony and South Bay Studio’s. Her clients included productions such as: Jupiter Ascending, Franklin & Bash, The Social Network, Nip/Tuck, The Office, CSI Miami, Dancing with the Stars, Numbers, Til Death, Close To Home, The Closer, HBO, WB and the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show (14 years).
She is a certified Life Coach, Kundalini Yoga & Meditation Instructor, Reiki Healer, Belief Clearing Practitioner, Massage Therapist, Raw Food Chef, Crystal & Gemstone Healer, as well as a gifted businesswoman and entrepreneur. Her #1 bestselling book The Essential Gut Awakening – Mastering Hashimoto’s and other Autoimmune Diseases is the courageous and inspiring account of her personal journey with Hashimoto’s disease, and how she embarked on a quest to reclaim her life by questioning the traditional approach to treatment.
In 2018, she became aware of how massive the global issue of sex trafficking of children truly was and she made the decision to take a stand, dedicating her life to the rescue and recovery of these children and to help them reclaim their lives.
Maria’s vision is that this generation will see a world free of dis-ease, free of dis-harmony and free of crimes against humanity. She believes that when we uplift and inspire others and lead by example we can create a tipping point for the realization that we are all connected and that our divine right is to live amazing thriving lives.
Sara Bohmholdt
Board Member
Sara Bohmholdt works in marketing for a large technology company and has years of experience in media and marketing strategy as well as building out new product solution offerings within both agencies and in-house marketing teams.
Sara spent nine years developing brands and launching marketing programs for technology startup companies and consulting for SMB companies.
For the past 14 years, Sara has focused on higher education marketing where she led student acquisition for institutions across the country in addition to running the agency’s branding and media services team.
Sara is also a mentor for the Westminster MBA Capstone program working with students to provide guidance and coaching in completing their final project for graduation. Sara has participated in numerous volunteer positions while in her current role including; the Grant Review Panel determining which non-profit organization proposals should be funded, the Pro Bono Initiative Residency which addresses and solves a critical need within a non-profit, and various leadership programs.
Sara is a graduate from Westminster College, where she received her MBA in Business Administration with a Marketing emphasis. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, fitness, travel, reading, baking, volunteering, health and wellness coaching and supporting local theater.
Tammy Knutson
CFO/Board Member
Tammy Knuteson is a highly experienced financial executive with over 35 years in accounting and bookkeeping and over 30 years in tax preparation.
She is currently the Chief Financial Officer for a private individual managing seven corporations that generate over $25 million annually, overseeing financial operations, strategic planning, and compliance.
