Edmond, Oklahoma – A local high‑school student is turning the spirit of Christmas into a lifeline for survivors of human trafficking. Sydney Austin, a junior at Edmond Memorial High School and a Girl Scout working toward the Gold Award, has coordinated a gift drive that has already amassed more than 300 presents for families served by Dragonfly Human Trafficking Victim Services.
How the drive got started
Austin announced the initiative over the school intercom at the start of the year and placed a donation box in the school office. The response from students, teachers, and community members was swift and generous, quickly filling the box with toys, clothing, and other holiday items.
Partnering with Dragonfly
Dragonfly Human Trafficking Victim Services, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting survivors, welcomed the donations. Melissa Eick, co‑founder and director of advancement at Dragonfly, expressed surprise at the volume of contributions. “I said, ‘What? Who did all this? Where did we get all of this from?’ And they said it was Sydney,” Eick recalled.
Why the gifts matter
The donations will enable survivors to purchase gifts for their own families without spending their limited resources. “To be able to have the freedom to choose and select a gift that you want to give, I think that’s something we take for granted,” Eick said. The ability to shop for loved ones restores a sense of normalcy and dignity that many survivors have been denied.
A Girl Scout’s motivation
Austin has been a Girl Scout for twelve years, a period she says has taught her the value of service and collaboration among women. “I’ve been around women for so long, like women and girls, and I can see what we can all do together, like when we work together. So, I wanted to try to help an organization that was mainly women and help women,” she explained.
Community impact
The drive highlights the power of local volunteers to address a national crisis. Human trafficking remains a pervasive problem across the United States, and organizations like Dragonfly rely on community support to provide essential services, including safe housing, counseling, and job training. By supplying holiday gifts, the Edmond community is helping survivors reclaim a piece of the family life they were forced to abandon.
Looking ahead
Austin hopes the project will continue beyond the holiday season, turning the gift drive into an annual tradition. “If we can keep this going, we can keep giving families the chance to celebrate together each year,” she said. The success of this year’s effort demonstrates how a single student’s initiative can mobilize an entire school and inspire broader community involvement.
How to help
Dragonfly encourages anyone who wishes to contribute to the ongoing effort to contact the organization directly. Additional donations of new, unwrapped items are still being accepted, and volunteers are needed to help sort and distribute the gifts.
Original reporting: Oklahoma City News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
