Annual Drive for Dragonfly raising thousands for human trafficking victims
One might wonder what donning a temporary hand tattoo in the shape of a QR code could do to help human trafficking victims.
Others may know it’s the annual Drive for Dragonfly — supporting Oklahoma City’s The Dragonfly Home, the state’s first and only non-residential human trafficking crisis center — which features participants running personalized fundraising campaigns. More than $12,000 has been raised this month as of Tuesday.
The first annual drive in 2017 raised $7,500, while 2020 participants brought in $18,000, said Melissa Eick, Dragonfly co-founder and director of communications and development. The funds raised each year can go towards any of the Dragonfly’s services, Eick said, including helping victims who’ve just escaped trafficking, case management and therapy.
The nonprofit is also excited to soon open a human trafficking transition home, Eick said.
The Dragonfly Home was founded in March 2016 and received certification from the Attorney General in November 2016. Since certification, more than 600 people have been served through the Dragonfly’s human trafficking crisis center and the 24-hour, volunteer-operated human trafficking helpline has received more than 6,000 calls.
“The funds raised from Drive for Dragonfly are so that we can meet trafficking victims and survivors right where they are,” Eick said.
‘Putting a price tag on someone’s life’
Human trafficking victims are often given some sort of “branding” by their traffickers, Eick said.
Forced tattoos — or even carvings — of the trafficker’s name, a gang symbol, or a bar code are examples of this.
Throughout the month of December, Drive for Dragonfly participants wear temporary hand tattoos that look like a QR code and say “A Future of Freedom.”
“(Traffickers) treat people as products … as their ‘property,'” Eick said. “It’s also a way of putting a price tag on someone’s life. So we’re using this, our slogan on temporary tattoos, as a way of reclaiming that symbolism for freedom.”
Photos of participants sporting the hand tattoos can be seen across social media under #DriveForDragonfly. Not only are participants asking their friends and family to donate to their fundraiser campaign, but they are sharing information about human trafficking and how The Dragonfly Home supports victims.
Jenna Dickenson, who has raised more than $6,400 this month, said she has found that social media is a big part in her fundraising each year. On her Instagram she has shared a post almost every day of December with a new statistic, survivor story, or example of what a donation could pay for.
However, most of her donations come from LinkedIn, and are often from people she’s only met once or twice, she said.
“These are business professionals that have the money to spend and are potentially looking for tax write offs and looking for organizations that they want to partner with,” Dickenson said.
With over 10,000 connections on the networking site, Dickenson said she is able to bring awareness to many people who may not otherwise learn about human trafficking.
“My heart is education, and advocating,” she said. “And so if I’m getting 1,300 people in 20 minutes to be able to learn some real facts about what trafficking looks like in our state and who it’s impacting, that is everything.”
‘This is a community issue, a family issue’
Dickenson said she first heard about The Dragonfly Home in 2016 while participating in a silent walk for human trafficking awareness. Since then, she has become a full-time volunteer for the Dragonfly and has participated in the drive each year since its inception in 2017.
Being involved with the Dragonfly has made Dickenson realize how uninformed she once was on the issue of human trafficking. Most people still are, she said, and her passion is in educating as many people as possible.
Some common misconceptions about human trafficking, Dickenson said, are that victims are most often being stolen out of parking lots, or that the majority of trafficking in Oklahoma is due to the intersecting of highways in Oklahoma City.
The truth is that a high majority of victims are trafficked by someone they know, and almost all victims report sexual abuse in their childhood, she said.
“When you start explaining some of that to people, they’re like ‘What?'” Dickenson said. “This is a community issue, this is a family issue … I think awareness is the most important thing … that’s what’s going to help prevent it.”
‘God tells us to speak up’
For Marla O’Fallon, getting involved with The Dragonfly Home was a no-brainer.
In the summer of 2017, O’Fallon had just returned from a mission trip to Haiti, where she said she was first introduced to human trafficking. She got involved with Dragonfly through her friend and University of Oklahoma peer Maddie Smith, at the time Maddie McNeal, who came up with the Drive for Dragonfly idea.
Since the beginning, O’Fallon said she has felt that her discovery of Dragonfly was no coincidence but rather a purposeful calling from God.
The Christian Bible and faith is very clear, O’Fallon said, on how Jesus’ followers are supposed to care for others.
“God tells us to speak up for the oppressed, speak up for the marginalized," she said. “When (Jesus) was on this earth, he stepped out of the normal limelight and looked at people that did not have the same privilege in life or were born into really unfortunate situations. And he saw them and actually went after them and helped them.”
As a Christian, O’Fallon said her life is supposed to look like Jesus’.
She said she can’t think of a better way to embody that than through doing what she can to help organizations like The Dragonfly Home. This month she has raised $250.
How to help or get involved
Whether it’s donating, raising funds, signing up to answer helpline calls or volunteering in another way, Dickenson said there are plenty of options to get involved.
One of the most helpful things for her, she said, was going through the Dragonfly’s advocate training. Participants learn about both sex and labor trafficking, including replacing stereotypes with fact-based knowledge.
“After going through the training, I’ve realized that I’ve known people that have been trafficked,” Dickenson said. “I have had friends, and even family members, that have experienced this type of victimization and abuse. It’s really eye opening.”
To donate to this month’s fundraiser, sign up to raise funds next December or to learn more about The Dragonfly Home’s mission and services visit thedragonflyhome.org.
As Wetland Habitats Disappear, Dragonflies and Damselflies Are Threatened With Extinction
Nearly a fifth of the world’s dragonflies and damselflies are at risk of extinction, according to an alarming new assessment by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.
The insects rely on marshes, swamps, and free-flowing rivers for breeding and survival. Likewise, dragonflies and damselflies are crucial to wetland ecosystems because they munch on mosquitos in both their nymph and adult stages and serve as prey to birds and fish, per National Geographic. But destruction of these wetland habitats is driving the species' population decline, per a statement by the IUCN. Of 6,016 damsel and dragonfly species, 16 percent are at risk of extinction, or about 962 species total, reports Holly Bancroft for the Independent.
Wetland ecosystems are being lost to urbanization and unsustainable agricultural practices. Since 1900, 64 percent of the world’s wetlands have disappeared, with 35 percent of wetland habitat losses occurring after 1970, per the 2021 Global Wetland Outlook report. More than a quarter of all species are threatened in Southeast Asia because rainforest and wetland areas are cleared to make room for palm oil plantations, per the Independent. In Central and South America, deforestation for residential and commercial buildings is a significant cause for the insect’s decline. In North America and Europe, the biggest threats to dragonflies and damselflies are pesticides, pollutants, and climate change, per a statement.
“Marshes and other wetlands provide us with essential services,” IUCN director general Bruno Oberle said in a statement. “They store carbon, give us clean water and food, protect us from floods, as well as offer habitats for one in 10 of the world’s known species.” Globally, wetlands are being lost three times faster than forests, Oberle further explained in the statement.
Soon after mating, female dragonflies will deposit eggs in rotten wood, directly into the water as a jelly-like substance, or in plant material, like plant stems, leaves. Once hatched, a nymph will spend most of their lives in this stage before crawling out of the water to turn into a dragonfly, per the British Dragonfly Society. For example, the golden-ringed dragonfly (Cordulegaster boltonii) can spend up to five years in the water before they undergo emergence and molt into adult dragonflies. As adults, some dragonflies only live for a few weeks or months before their life cycle ends.
Because dragonflies spend a good portion of their lives in water, they are sensitive indicators of the state of freshwater ecosystems and can be used as a bioindicator, Viola Clausnitzer, co-chair of the IUCN Dragonfly Specialist Group, explained in a statement.
“To conserve these beautiful insects, it is critical that governments, agriculture, and industry consider the protection of wetland ecosystems in development projects, for example, by protecting key habitats and dedicating space to urban wetlands,” Clausnitzer says.
A few colorful species on the IUCN Red List include the sombre goldenring (Cordulegaster bidentata) dragonfly, which lists as near threatened. The yellow-and-black–striped splendid cruiser (Marcomia slendens) and the purple skimmer (Libellula jesseana), with a lilac-colored body and fluorescent orange wings, are both listed as vulnerable. The orangeback Hawaiian damselfly (Megalagrion xanthomelas) and the San Francisco forktail (Ischura gemina) are both listed as endangered, and the giant sprite (Pseudagrion bicoerulans) is listed as vulnerable.
The total number of endangered species on the Red List exceeded 40,000 for the first time on December 9. The index tracks 142,577 animal species, of which 40,084 face threats of extinction, per the Independent.
Dragonfly Café offers breakfast, lunch and transformation in the Irish Channel
Marielle Songy
A new breakfast and lunch spot is bustling in the Irish Channel. Dragonfly Café opened in November as a partnership with Raphael Academy, a state-licensed school for students with developmental disabilities.
Thaddaeus Prosper manages the café, and Chef Gregory Thomas runs the kitchen. Tammy Patterson is the café’s master baker.
Prosper was approached by the executive director of Raphael Village and asked if he would like to help open a café. It was a prospect that he and Patterson had considered for a while. Prosper worked for decades at Emeril’s and NOLA restaurants, and the café is a dream he has had for a long time.
“The café is the brainchild of me, Gregory and Tammy,” Prosper said. “Our focus is making sure that our food is of superior quality, and that there are options for all types of diners. We want to make sure that we can feed vegans and pescatarians and everyone in between.”
The dragonfly is a symbol of transformation, self-realization and hope — an appropriate name for this café with a purpose.
The café, located at Raphael Village, is a part of The Guild, a day program that provides disabled adults with vocational and life skills within a supportive community.
“There are several options that they get to participate in, such as culinary training — we have students who work with us in the bakery,” Prosper said. “There are also programs that focus on other things such as textiles, yoga and gardening. The idea is for them to learn skills that they can parlay into a possible work situation.”
Marielle Songy
Dragonfly Café is powered by Sheaux Fresh Sustainable Foods, a fresh produce company that Prosper and his wife founded in 2010.
“Working in restaurants for so many years,” Prosper said, “I realized that my hobby of growing food could be beneficial to me in more ways than just giving me fresh produce.”
When Prosper had a vast crop of heirloom tomatoes, he realized that he could provide fresh produce to those who needed it. He started with micro-greens and sprouts, and the business grew from there. Sheaux Fresh now offers such seasonal produce as cucumbers, okra, peaches, peppers and sweet potatoes.
Courtesy of Dragonfly Cafe
The menu at the Dragonfly Café reflects the team’s love of fresh food. Highlights include The Paddle, a selection of fresh seasonal veggies; Rancheros Bowl with the house tortilla, poached eggs, bean medley, avocado salsa, pico de gallo, tomatillo salsa, salsa mestizos and cotija cheese; and Hashtag, a dish consisting of sautéed Louisiana sweet potatoes and seasonal vegetables with whole grain toast or fresh fruit.
Prosper refers to Sheauxlox and House Baked Crustinis, a dish of house-cured salmon served with herbed cream cheese and house pickles, as the “sleeper” on the menu. “I would put our version [of bagel and lox] up against anyone’s,” he said.
Courtesy of Dragonfly Cafe
The Dragonfly Café’s hours are Thursday and Friday, 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday, 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Dragonfly Café
530 Jackson Ave.
504-544-9530
dragonflynola.com
Instagram: @dragonflycafe
Facebook: @dragonflycafe
Courtesy of Dragonfly Cafe
Reporter Marielle Songy can be reached at mlsongy@gmail.com.
Mason Graphite Congratulates Black Swan Graphene on Milestone and Announces New Vice-President Corporate Development
MONTRÉAL, Dec. 20, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) – Mason Graphite Inc. (“Mason Graphite” or the “Company") (TSX.V: LLG; OTCQX: MGPHF) is pleased to congratulate its graphene partner, Black Swan Graphene Inc. (“Black Swan”), for entering into a binding letter of intent with Dragonfly Capital Corp. (“Dragonfly”) (NEX: DRC.H) whereby Dragonfly will acquire all of the issued and outstanding common shares of Black Swan pursuant to a business combination.
The contemplated transaction is intended to constitute Dragonfly’s Qualifying Transaction (as defined in TSXV Policy 2.4 - Capital Pool Companies). It is expected that the business of Dragonfly, following the closing of the transaction, will be the business of Black Swan and that the Resulting Issuer will be listed on the TSXV as a Tier 2 Industrial issuer under the name “Black Swan Graphene Inc.”
Peter Damouni, Executive Director of Mason Graphite, commented: “We are very proud to have Black Swan Graphene as a partner, which has now established itself amongst the leading graphene companies. The potentially explosive growth of the graphene market remains difficult to fully grasp today, and from the onset, we have always liked Black Swan’s ultra low-cost processing technology and its industrial business approach focusing on rapidly accessible large volume markets, requiring large quantities of graphene and, in turn, requiring large quantities of graphite.”
In connection with the transaction, it is anticipated that Black Swan will complete a concurrent financing to raise minimum gross proceeds of $5,000,000 by the issuance of common shares, to be issued following the conversion of subscription receipts, at a price of $0.15 per Share.
Details of the proposed business combination can be found in the press release issued by Dragonfly on December 16, 2021.
Appointment of Vice-President, Corporate Development
Mason Graphite is also pleased to announce that Mr. Paul Hardy has joined the Company as Vice-President Corporate Development.
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Mr. Hardy’s career spans 30 years in Capital Markets and private enterprise, including nearly 10 years with CIBC World Markets, as well as 10 years as the Managing Director of Institutional Equities for Desjardins Securities, headquartered in Toronto, and overseeing offices in Montreal, Calgary, and Vancouver. Mr. Hardy was integral in the evolution of the European Trading Partnership within Desjardins Securities and was responsible for over $100 million in equity positions in domestic and international markets. He simultaneously grew the revenues by over 800%, in just 8 years.
More recently, Mr. Hardy Co-Founded Thorium Power Canada Inc. where he served as Vice-President for several years. He helped launch the Thorium Small Modular Reactor business worldwide, meeting with government agencies and regulators along with institutional and private investors from the United States, Mexico, Indonesia, China, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, and Chile.
About Black Swan Graphene Inc.
Black Swan Graphene Inc. is a Canadian private company focusing on the large-scale production and commercialization of patented high-performance and low-cost graphene products aimed at several industrial sectors, including concrete, polymers, Li-ion batteries, and others, which are expected to require large volumes of graphene and, in turn, require large volumes of graphite. Black Swan aims to leverage the low cost and green hydroelectricity of the province of Quebec as well as the proximity of the eventual production sites of Mason Graphite in order to establish a fully integrated supply chain, reduce overall costs, and accelerate the deployment of graphene usage.
About Mason Graphite Inc.
Mason Graphite is a Canadian corporation dedicated to the production and transformation of natural graphite. Its strategy includes the development of value-added products, notably for green technologies like transport electrification. The Company also owns 100% of the rights to the Lac Guéret graphite deposit, one of the richest in the world. The Company is managed by an experienced team cumulating many decades of experience in graphite, covering production, sales, as well as research and development.
For more information: www.masongraphite.com
Mason Graphite Inc. on behalf of the Board of Directors:
“Peter Damouni”, Executive Director
Mason Graphite Inc.
Paul Hardy at phardy@masongraphite.com or 1 (514) 289-3580
Head Office: 3030, boulevard Le Carrefour, Suite 600, Laval, Québec, Canada, H7T 2P5
Cautionary Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking information” within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. All information contained herein that is not clearly historical in nature may constitute forward-looking information. Generally, such forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “plans”, “expects” or “does not expect”, “is expected”, “budget”, “scheduled”, “estimates”, “forecasts”, “intends”, “anticipates” or “does not anticipate”, or “believes”, or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results “may”, “could”, “would”, “might” or “will be taken”, “occur” or “be achieved”. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including but not limited to: (i) volatile stock price; (ii) the general global markets and economic conditions; (iii) the possibility of write-downs and impairments; (iv) the risk associated with exploration, development and operations of mineral deposits; (v) the risk associated with establishing title to mineral properties and assets; (vi) the risks associated with entering into joint ventures; (vii) fluctuations in commodity prices; (viii) the risks associated with uninsurable risks arising during the course of exploration, development and production; (ix) competition faced by the resulting issuer in securing experienced personnel and financing; (x) access to adequate infrastructure to support mining, processing, development and exploration activities; (xi) the risks associated with changes in the mining regulatory regime governing the resulting issuer; (xii) the risks associated with the various environmental regulations the resulting issuer is subject to; (xiii) risks related to regulatory and permitting delays; (xiv) risks related to potential conflicts of interest; (xv) the reliance on key personnel; (xvi) liquidity risks; (xvii) the risk of potential dilution through the issue of common shares; (xviii) the Company does not anticipate declaring dividends in the near term; (xix) the risk of litigation; and (xx) risk management.
Forward-looking information is based on assumptions management believes to be reasonable at the time such statements are made, including but not limited to, continued exploration activities, no material adverse change in metal prices, exploration and development plans proceeding in accordance with plans and such plans achieving their stated expected outcomes, receipt of required regulatory approvals, and such other assumptions and factors as set out herein. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking information. Such forward-looking information has been provided for the purpose of assisting investors in understanding the Company’s business, operations and exploration plans and may not be appropriate for other purposes. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is made as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake to update such forward-looking information except in accordance with applicable securities laws.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Startup of the Week: Dragonfly AI
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Dragonfly AI was founded by David Mitchell and Mark Bainbridge.
The startup uses a combination of artificial intelligence and cutting-edge neuroscience to analyse the effectiveness of visual online content.
So far, Dragonfly AI have raised a total £875k in funding over 2 funding rounds.
Website: https://dragonflyai.co/
Helping to determine the effect designs have on their audiences, our Startup of the Week for this week is Dragonfly AI.
The startup helps to optimise how effective visual content is with AI-powered insight – very handy for creative teams and brands wanting to up their content across any channel.
Dragonfly AI was founded in 2018 by David Mitchell and Mark Bainbridge. Both David and Mark were inspired to create a way for businesses to be seen amidst the saturated, competitive online content market we see today.
Using cutting-edge neuroscience, the startup can accurately analyse content to see what first grabs an audience’s attention. With this, businesses can gain a deeper, more accurate understanding of how the design of their content impacts the attention of their audiences, eliminating guesswork and enabling them to make appropriate, effective improvements.
Through Dragonfly AI, organisations can measure the effectiveness of their content via all of their online channels before marketing campaigns go live, helping to ensure their message is properly seen by the right people. Businesses can use Dragonfly AI for video content, apps, online customer journeys and other main forms of online content on key platforms.
So far, the startup have raised a total £875k in funding over the course of 2 funding rounds, their November 2020 Seed Round raising 625k, while also securing a £250k loan in July 2021 – co-founder Mark Bainbridge commenting the following on the loan:
“Turning a decade’s worth of scientific research into reality has been incredibly rewarding.”
“Our customer base is growing fast and we are working with a lot of well-known brands. The GLIF funding will allow us to execute our expansion plans, creating new employment opportunities in the UK whilst looking at further growing the Dragonfly AI brand overseas.”