An Edmond teen’s Girl Scout Gold Award project has produced more than 300 Christmas gifts for Dragonfly Human Trafficking Victim Services. The collection is intended to let trafficking survivors shop for gifts for their families at no cost this holiday season.
Edmond Memorial High School junior Sydney Austin is working toward the Girl Scout Gold Award, the organization’s highest honor. KOCO reported that she gathered more than 300 gifts for the Oklahoma City-based nonprofit. The award project has defined requirements: Girl Scouts of the USA says projects must meet five elements, including addressing a root cause and demonstrating leadership, and advises scouts to plan for at least 80 hours of work.
Austin told KOCO that she announced the collection at school and placed a donation box in the office. The school-based appeal brought in more than 300 gifts, the station reported.
Why Dragonfly Needed the Help
Dragonfly says it serves trafficking victims and their families free of charge, without income requirements. According to KOCO, the gifts are intended to let survivors choose presents for their own families rather than receive preselected donations.
Dragonfly co-founder and director of advancement Melissa Eick told KOCO that she was surprised by the size of the collection. She said the ability to choose a gift can be easy to take for granted, and described that choice as meaningful for the women and families Dragonfly serves.
The nonprofit has described itself elsewhere as Oklahoma's only state-certified organization dedicated exclusively to human trafficking survivor services, offering case management, trauma-focused counseling, legal advocacy, medical care and housing assistance. In earlier coverage, the same station reported that the organization has logged more than 9,000 calls to its trafficking hotline since it was certified in 2016, and that its wrap-around services have included shelter, a transition home and rental assistance for victims rebuilding their lives.
How certification and prevention efforts work
The Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office says a program earns certification after achieving 100% compliance with applicable standards; certification lasts three years and is subject to renewal. That information describes the certification process but does not establish how many programs appear on the current certified-program list. Dragonfly says it serves victims of sex and labor trafficking of all genders, ages 15 and older, including U.S. citizens and foreign nationals, according to its organization overview.
Separately, the Oklahoma Commission on the Status of Women’s FY 2024 annual report says the Oklahoma Senate appropriated $150,000 for a two-year initiative to increase human-trafficking awareness among rural students ages 13 to 25. The Oklahoman reported that a separate “You Are Not Alone” initiative planned to display awareness posters in participating schools, universities, convenience stores and health care facilities.
A Scouting Career That Shaped the Project
Austin said this is her 12th year in Girl Scouts. She told KOCO that her experience in the program led her to seek a project supporting women and to choose Dragonfly, which works with survivors rebuilding their lives.
The collection brings Austin’s Gold Award project to the holidays, with more than 300 gifts gathered for Dragonfly’s planned shopping opportunity for survivors and their families. Austin’s project also reflects the role community donations can play in supporting a nonprofit that provides services without income requirements.
