Texas Senate Candidate Kevin Sparks spoke about foster care and the issue of sex trafficking at the social action event Flock Sock & Barrel at Frisky’s in Odessa, TX.
Sparks joined Jason Spiess and The Podcast PreShow Party with special co-host Ashley Smith of Truckers Against Trafficking to discuss several social issues, like homelessness, sex trafficking and foster care, in the Permian Basin and Texas.
Sparks is running for Texas state senator in District 31.
Sparks also spoke about family values and ethics in today’s world. Host Spiess asked about whether people are having a difficult time making ethical choices in business and life.
Flock Sock & Barrel was more than an awareness event for homelessness. It was more than continuing the conversation of the realities of Sex Trafficking across Shale Play USA. It was more than a night of live music, live podcast recordings and fellowship.
It was a night for social causes to unite. These birds of a feather definitely “socked” together as action was taken.
“This was a night of social fellowship, industry awareness, meeting new people and ethical action,” Spiess said. “It was important to have media, public officials, non profits, industry and good ol’ regular folks under the same roof to talk about these issues. These issues impact all walks of life and a diversity of dialogue is needed.”
Spiess lead a Panel Presentation later in the evening while special guest co-host Ashley Smith with Truckers Against Trafficking kicked off Flock Sock & Barrel with a Podcast PreShow Party from 4-5pm.
In addition to Spark’s interview and presentation to the crowd, Flock Sock & Barrel also:
- CBS7 News stopped by and filmed a feature for the local news
- Ashley Smith, Truckers Against Trafficking, was the special guest co-host with Jason Spiess on The Crude Life as they discussed sex trafficking warning signs, action examples and how the next generation of prey is already being targeted via the Internet.
- TX Senate Candidate District 31 Kevin Sparks spoke about foster children and the reason he has so much passion for the cause. He also joined The Crude Life podcast to talk more in-depth about social causes in the Permian.
- Christy Unrein of Torino’s Pizza Bar spoke about the 11th Annual Toy Drive, Dec. 10, which benefits a number of local children and charities in the Permian Basin.
- Local oilfield workers and musician Ryan Jones performed Live Music
- Reflection Ministries of Texas spoke about how much sex trafficking has increased recently and some of the realities like families selling their 3-year-old and 6-year-old to traffickers
- An oil barrel-and-a-half was filled with socks for the local homeless shelters.
- 15 local Permian families were “adopted” by local industry businesses for the holiday’s Permian Basin Wish List.
There was much much more from the fabulous event. This was a night dedicated to Meeting New People, Increasing Awareness and Becoming Part of the Solution.
The Title Sponsor was KDC Industrial. KDC Industrial Services, using the Global Clean Water AmberKleen™ water purification system, provides an environmentally responsible option to remove contaminates and bacteria from water. Once processed through the unit, recycled oilfield and industrial production contaminated water can be safely used for other applications, disposed of, or dispersed on site, reducing risks and costs.
KDC combines service personnel with years of industrial experience with the purification solution, which incorporates the FLowKleen™ proprietary filtration system. The unit is scalable and customizable, mobile, automated, foolproof, economical, and easy to maintain over the long term.
Other sponsors for the event were:
- Shale Energy Resources
- Straitline Pumps and Water Transfer / a Strait family company
- Long Industries Inc.
- Cowboy Oilfield Services
- Republic NRG Services
- Vanta NDT
- Permian Basin Hiring Events
- Elite Real Estate Holdings, LTD
- Primal Flowback and Rentals
- The Crude Life
- The Industrial Forest
The Social Causes were a plenty as well. In lieu of a cover charge, attendees were asked to an unused pair of socks. There was a variety of socks brought to the event. From rugged wool outdoor socks to women’s dress socks to fun colorful kids’ socks with Sponge Bob Square Pants. The diversity of socks certainly mirrored the reality of homelessness, showing women and children are also impacted.
The event also highlighted the issues surrounding Sex Trafficking. Jason Spiess lead a conversation with Ashley Smith and Texas Senate Candidate Kevin Sparks about the issue.
From warning signs to action items to root causes, the issue was dissected and dialogued from many angles. Later in the evening, during the panel presentation, it was announced that recently a family of Sex Traffickers had recently been caught for selling their 3-year-old and 6-year-old.
Tx. Senate Candidate Sparks spoke about his passion for foster care. Sparks, Smith and Spiess discussed how family values and parental engagement can divert so many issues later in life, however, as the world continues to move in the direction it is, foster care can be a viable solution for some people and families.
If anyone would like to schedule an interview, meeting or news tip email studio@thecrudelife.com
Industrial Image and Energy Integrity are the new entry level expectations in oil and gas, and The Crude Life continues Solution-Based Journal while showcasing other environmentally conscious companies.
Communication is vital in today’s energy extraction and empowerment.
About The Crude Life
The Crude Life produces original content that focuses on industry, the people, energy innovations, community building and it’s proactive culture. Our custom content is non-polarizing, trusted and often news making.
The Crude Life promotes a culture of inclusion and respect through interviews, content creation, live events and partnerships that educate, enrich, and empower people to create a positive social environment for all, regardless of age, race, religion, sexual orientation, or physical or intellectual ability.
Part of our mission is to enable people, companies and communities to affect change, demonstrate their transformative actions and drive energy awareness through storytelling and access to resources.
Sponsors, Music and Other Show Notes
Studio Sponsor: The Industrial Forest
The Industrial Forest is a network of environmentally minded and socially conscious businesses that are using industrial innovations to build a network of sustainable forests across the United States.
Weekly Sponsor: Witting Partners
Witting Partners delivers a full range of energy-focused leadership development services to help companies overcome the unique challenges of today’s oil & gas industry so that they can successfully regain and sustain peak performance.
From one-on-one executive coaching to group training programs to powerful speaking engagements, everything Witting Partners offers reflects an unmatched blend of industry insight, technical know-how, and relevant experience that has produced consistent results from the Gulf of Mexico to Appalachia, from service company to operator, and from drilling rig to downtown boardroom.
Weekly Sponsor: MineralTracker
MineralTracker is the only mineral management software that allows mineral owners to compare actual royalty payments to expected payments based on well performance and a proprietary, Bakken-specific reservoir model built by MineralTracker’s petroleum engineers.
MineralTracker was formed in Watford City, North Dakota, and is a subsidiary of First International Bank & Trust, a family-owned bank also based in Watford City.
Phone Line Sponsor: Swan Energy, Inc. 866.539.0860
Studio Email and Inbox Sponsor: To Be Announced
Featured Music: Moody River Band
For guest, band or show topic requests, email studio@thecrudelife.com
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