Beneficiaries

2024 | $100,000  | Family

Project: Single Mom Impact Hub

In Oklahoma, 35% of children are being raised by a single mom. Every day these mothers face the challenges of financial issues, overwhelming responsibilities, and concern for their children—alone. They are always on call but never have enough margin. When it comes to investing in herself, when would she have the time or resources?

That’s why Arise Single Moms created on-demand support in an online education center featuring expert advice on parenting, emotional wellness, and finances, plus an online crisis center for new single moms. We utilize counselors, trauma therapists, financial experts, and other professionals to cover relevant topics. We impact 10,000 Oklahoma single moms each year.

Our outreach is expansive but our outdated website can no longer handle the traffic that exploded by 64% last year. With over 50,000 downloads, our podcasts require their own platform. It’s vital that we expand our content and create an area for small group leaders who mentor single moms to access material that equips them to establish safe spaces. Therefore, we’re asking Impact Oklahoma to help construct an advanced online hub.

Anyone can create resources; we want to create resources that pair with relationships and foster community. We desire to initiate positive change through this expanded education portal. This project turns digital resources into tangible support for the fastest growing population in our country. You may not be a single mom, but you probably know one. Thank you for partnering with us to provide the tools to help single moms navigate life.

2024 | $100,000 | Health and Wellness

Project: LCDA 2-Kitchen Improvements Projects

What’s more compelling than the face of a hungry child or senior citizen? Their faces, and our mission of “Working to improve the quality of life in the Latino community through education, leadership, services, and advocacy” is why we provide 39,360 meals and snacks annually to low-income Latino children (ages 0-5) enrolled in our award-winning/accredited Tony Reyes Bilingual Child Development Center Program and Latino senior citizens in our La Puerta de Oro Program. We can do more.

We respectfully invite Impact Oklahoma members to choose our “Health & Wellness” project to replace aging appliances in the two kitchens that serve children and senior citizens in our circa 1909 Riverside headquarters. New commercial appliances will make it possible to increase the number of daily program participants from 88 to 148 (15,600 new client interactions annually, for a total of 58,560 meals served).

A $100,000 Impact Oklahoma grant will fund the removal of old appliances and the purchase, delivery, and installation of 2 new range ovens, 2 exhaust hoods, 2 refrigerators, 1 freezer, 1 stainless-steel work table, two 3-compartment sinks, and 1 hot food serving unit. Impact Oklahoma’s generosity will be permanently recognized in both kitchens.

LCDA’s history is rich with the impactful contributions made by trailblazing women like founder Patricia Fennell, and our child development and senior citizens programs established by Nina Gonzalez and Anita Martinez, respectively. Today, LCDA manages 24 bilingual programs for Oklahoma County Latinos, the fastest-growing demographic sector in central Oklahoma. Annually, LCDA engages directly with 50,000 individuals.

2023 | $100,000 | Education

Project:  "alrt!"

Did you know current research indicates surges in child pornography and trafficking? One in five youth WILL be sexually solicited online. Every day, children fall victim to online exploitation and experience pain and trauma.

To combat this rising issue, Abbott House dreams of launching alrt! – an education initiative to bring awareness to and prevent online child exploitation.

alrt! educates children and teens in 5th-12th grades to keep themselves safe online by empowering them to take action WHEN they encounter digital dangers as well as run a public awareness campaign and outreach events aimed at educating all relevant adults.

Education is more urgent now than ever before as investigators are faced with an increased volume of online child exploitation cases while simultaneously facing endless challenges to working these crimes. 

Currently, it would take OSBI 337 years to work through all the online exploitation cases in their cue.

As a child advocacy center, Abbott House is uniquely qualified to lead this initiative. We are working to develop an evidence informed curriculum that will allow us to train multiple facilitators: including OSBI, OBN, local law enforcement officers and other qualified adults to implement alrt! in their respective communities.

alrt! is scalable and sustainable. 

Abbott House will educate 5,000 students and parents in central Oklahoma our first year. By year 3, our goal is to be in every school in the state. Your vote will impact over 400,000 students every year. Through education we can prevent abuse before it starts.

2023 | $100,000 | Family

Project: Ending “Home”lessness in our Community

At Focus on Home, we don’t believe homelessness ends when a family secures housing! There are hundreds of local OKC families who may have a roof over their heads and are no longer considered homeless, but are still sleeping on a cold, hard floor, without many of the basic items needed to set up a safe, healthy, happy home. 

Our program, Ending “Home”lessness in our Community, serves families escaping domestic violence, going through recovery programs, and experiencing homelessness. The families receive furniture and home essentials from us, allowing them to stay together and focus on jobs, school, and growing as families, rather than worrying about how to get a good night’s sleep when there is no bed.

Our goal is to provide a dignified home, designed with a family’s needs and interests in mind and provide a home where parents know their children are secure and they can grow together as a family. Each family receives an individualized furniture package – everything from a couch to a can opener. 

If selected as an Impact OK grant recipient, we will purchase a new 26ft. box-truck and secure much needed additional warehouse space. A fully operational box-truck and warehouse space is paramount to our mission for two reasons. First, the box-truck is in the community daily picking up donated furniture and furnishings to ensure our warehouse is fully stocked. Second, the box-truck delivers the furniture packages to the families, with volunteers working to set up the “home”. 

Focus on Home provides all the items needed for the family to live comfortably and feel proud and confident in their home.

2022 | $100,000 | Health And Wellness

Project: Health and Wellness Program

One outcome of the pandemic has been a significant increase in the number of individuals experiencing mental health challenges and economic struggles, putting more people on the street.

As the premier boots-on-the-ground nonprofit specializing in the intersection of mental illness and homelessness, the demand for our services has never been higher. Launched in February 2021, our Community Health and Wellness program is Oklahoma City’s first street medicine team, improving access to quality healthcare by searching the streets for those experiencing homelessness and providing services where they are.

These often-overlooked members of our community face significant barriers to accessing healthcare even as their symptoms escalate and conditions deteriorate. Believing it their only option, they call 911, resulting in high costs to the community and poor health outcomes for themselves. Our Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) intervenes in this cycle by building relationships with a very trust-averse population so he can provide critical medical services and needed advocacy, bridging the gap between vulnerable individuals and the healthcare system. In our first year, we served 388 unique individuals and saved the city’s emergency systems approximately $127,400 by reducing participant emergency utilization.

We need a dedicated medical van, modified for field work and fully equipped with medical equipment and supplies, to increase our mobility and significantly expand our reach across the community for years to come.

Your vote will help us meet the needs of Oklahoma City’s most vulnerable community members and protect them from the dangerous situations they face on the street.

2022 | $100,000 | Community

Project: Not Your Average Event

80% of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are unemployed after high school. Not Your Average Joe exists to change that statistic by providing customer-facing jobs for adults with IDD alongside neurotypical peers in an encouraging coffee shop environment. But we cannot change this statistic alone. We need you.

Our dream project is Not Your Average Event, a food truck serving coffee and ice cream at schools, churches and businesses followed by a school assembly or seminar taught by our differently-abled staff. We want Oklahoma citizens to see what inclusion looks like, hear why it is important in terms of learning and earning, and be shown how they too can practice inclusion in life and business.

Imagine thousands of students and staff being challenged to practice inclusion in central Oklahoma schools every year. Imagine how many businesses could be inspired and trained to hire adults with IDD. Imagine how much we could impact Oklahoma together by spreading the need for everyone to be accept-ional: to include people of all abilities.

Now imagine this vehicle wrapped in our logo, and yours. Imagine if we share that Not Your Average Event is brought to you through the generosity of Impact Oklahoma. Everyone attending a school assembly or seminar will hear what you have done, how they can join you, and why they should be a part of impacting Oklahoma for good.

Thank you all for being generous women, making an impact on Oklahoma and being truly accept-ional.

2021 | $100,000 | Health And Wellness

Project:  “Collaborative IMPACT Project”

Did you know children in Oklahoma are being exposed to more trauma than anywhere else in our country? This devastating statistic is one we have the power and ability to change. Wahoo!

Counselors differ in a number of ways. They are set apart by their level of passion and most notably by the specialized techniques they are trained in. Imagine a doctor who is not trained in the best surgical techniques to help a patient. Without a trained doctor, the patient goes untreated. Counselors are similar. They cannot afford the training they need to help their patients. Thus, the pain of abuse goes untreated and the suffering and cycle of abuse continues for generations.

HALO has a team of highly trained counselors with the skillset to train others. Our services are in such high demand we have over 100 families on our waitlist on any given day. In addition, our trainings are so sought after, counselors travel from all over the world to learn from us.

Your grant funds will be used to train 65 Oklahoma counselors in the techniques they need to help vulnerable children and families. Together, we will build an army with the impact of bringing healing to potentially 5,200 families in just the first year. Imagine how many more families will experience healing within five years! Ten years! Twenty years!

Our kids are being harmed at the highest rate in the nation and your vote will change this. From our hearts to yours, we thank you.

2020 | $100,000 | Family

Project:  “Meals on Wheels of Oklahoma City-Elder Eats”

The devastation of COVID-19 has brought senior needs to the forefront. As the virus escalates, seniors are shut-in, taking away their ability to interact and even make routine grocery store trips. Individuals are encouraged to avoid seeing physicians for routine care. Without access to socialization, preventative care and nutrition, seniors are at a greater risk for premature illness and death. The question becomes: How would you want your mom, dad or grandparents treated?

The demand for senior services is far outpacing our response. The Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits reports 263 member organizations are devoted to children and youth while only 22 focus on seniors.

Meals on Wheels Oklahoma City is eager to begin the pilot program, ElderEats to bring comfort to

seniors and families through an in-person wellness visit five days per week, up to 21 weekly nutritious meals, and ongoing communication with family members. ElderEats won’t be a transaction, it will be a vehicle for love and hope.

This fee-based service will provide seniors with resources and a desire to pay for enhanced services, the opportunity to do so. Subscription fees from ElderEats will help sustain Meals on Wheels which provides a free weekday lunch for homebound seniors.

A $100,000 grant will purchase one Impact Oklahoma logoed multi-temperature delivery vehicle to serve both Meals on Wheels and ElderEats; this vehicle will function as a meal pick-up point for volunteer drivers throughout Oklahoma County. Funding will also allow us to build a comprehensive e-commerce site for easy ordering and a community engagement campaign to begin healthcare collaborations.

At the conclusion of the grant, we anticipate earned revenue from this program will allow Meals on Wheels to feed at least 1,000 free meals weekly to 200 homebound seniors who would otherwise go hungry.

2019 | $100,000 | Community

Project:  Women's Firstep

Women’s Firstep is a beautiful place tucked in the corner of south OKC. Gina, age 29, arrived after giving up hope of ever having a life free from drugs, fear, and violence. Death was a likely outcome of her addiction. When she went to jail she was hopeless–facing years in prison. She could not see a way to be free. Now a Firstep graduate, she has a house, a job, and her children. She has a new life!

Firstep gives hope, dignity and care. Firstep served 222 women like Gina just last year. 87% were ensnarled in the criminal justice system. Most are mothers unable to care for their children. Out of desperation, and with a judge or attorney’s encouragement, they come. For 30 years, the program has been a beacon of hope for thousands of Oklahomans. Gina and others are breaking the cycle of poverty, abuse, addiction, and prison.

Our current kitchen and dining space is completely inadequate to meet the needs of 56 residents. In six months, a new kitchen and dining room will be built. A grant from Impact Oklahoma will provide a state-of-the-art commercial kitchen, appliances, and fully furnished dining room.

OSU is partnering to develop marketable food products, creating job training and entrepreneurship opportunities.

Our goals are to enhance each participant with improved access to nutrition, healthy eating habits, and income and employment opportunities.

By investing in the IMPACT Oklahoma Kitchen, you are investing in lives, health, and wellness which are essential to recovery!

2019 | $100,000 | Culture

Project:  “LIGHT THE WAY”

“Before a child talks they sing.

Before they write they draw.

As soon as they stand they dance. Art is fundamental to human expression.” - Phylicia Rashad

We see first-hand everyday how the arts are changing lives…and in some cases saving lives. Most people see our students putting on phenomenal shows, but we see phenomenal students who need a place to feel safe, a place to fit in, a place to belong.

Please help The Sooner Theatre Light The Way. 

Your $100,000 gift will make a $1 million IMPACT on our organization!

Today, the theatre spends $50,000 a year RENTING light and sound equipment for our year-round productions. We can purchase our own technical system with a 20-year lifespan!

$50,000 x 20 = $1,000,000!

By purchasing our own equipment, we free up this money to put towards the heartbeat of our organization…our children!

*We would provide our instructors more specialized training for our special-needs students.

*We would continue our scholarship program, because we will never turn away a child due to an inability to pay.

*We would implement in-school and much needed after-school programming, especially in areas where even scholarship dollars can’t help parents who do not have the means or resources to get their children to our facility.

*We would continue working with the new Trauma Drama effort in our community, to provide drama as a means of therapy and expression for those children who have experienced severe trauma.

2018 | $100,000 | Community

Project:  "Pivotal Impact – Independent Living"

Paula was 17 and had resorted to sleeping under a bridge. James was 17 and sleeping on a bench. Both were high school students, living on their own without parental or family support – alone, afraid and at-risk.

For more than 45 years, Pivot, A Turning Point for Youth, has worked with youth lacking stability in their lives. They are sometimes homeless, couch homeless or disengaged.

Pivotal Impact – Independent Living addresses the lack of safe, transitional living space for teens and young adults who are living on their own without parental supervision, have aged out of Oklahoma’s foster care system, or experienced involvement with the child welfare or juvenile justice systems.

Pivot will build three tiny homes, each with a bed, small kitchen and bathroom, on our campus as transitional homes until youth are ready to move to an independent residence. These homes are the first step in building a community of homes for youth, primarily ages 16 to 19, that have no place to live. Pivot’s goal is to temporarily house up to 15 youth year one, providing immediate, direct and personalized wrap-around services and healthy connections, 24-hours a day, while they are going to school and/or working.

This is the beginning of what Pivot believes is a viable solution to housing youth in need of a place to live in our community.

A grant award from Impact Oklahoma would provide the much-needed seed funding to ensure this project takes flight – moving youth from fear to hope, alone to connected, and from risk to opportunity.

2018 | $100,000 | Education

Project:  Two 29 passenger buses 

Positive Tomorrows is Oklahoma’s only elementary school and social services agency specifically serving the special needs of homeless children and their families. We provide basic essentials to remove barriers to learning, such as rides to school, meals, clothing, backpacks, and basic medical care. We provide a differentiated, trauma informed education to each child. Small class sizes ensure that children receive the attention they need to succeed both academically and socially.

The first barrier to education that we remove is transportation. We have two vans and one school bus to transport students. For safety reasons, we prefer transportation routes last less than an hour, which limits us to a 6-mile radius from the school. This changes daily due to the transient nature of homeless families. Sadly, we continue to turn away students due to a lack of transportation capabilities.

The purchase of two 29 passenger buses would increase our transportation capacity, expand our transportation boundaries, and allow us to serve more students. It would also enable us to transport more students to a wider variety of enrichment opportunities like libraries, sports, art museums, and visiting local farms. Having more bus seats means more opportunities to transport parents to Parent Teacher Conferences, support groups, and family events at the school.

New buses from Impact Oklahoma would mean turning away fewer students and changing the lives of more students and families for years to come.

2017 | $100,000 | Family

Project: Purchase van and expand programs

When Mike and Sue found themselves raising our grandchildren as  a result of their parents’ addiction, they realized they could not return their lost childhood to them. They could not protect them from the chaos, trauma and tragedy they had faced. They could not erase the stress, fear and pain they experienced. Still, they were committed to giving them what they needed to heal and thrive.

As they looked for ways to help them, they learned their grandchildren are among the one-in-four children in the U.S. experiencing alcohol abuse or drug addiction in their family. The combination of genetics and the traumatic experience of growing up with an addict in the home mean these kids are eight times more likely to develop an addiction to alcohol and/or drugs. Addiction in our state is at a critical level, and it is being passed on through families to future generations. No one is immune from addiction. 

Like any other chronic disorder, addiction does not discriminate by age, education level, income, ethnicity, background, gender, religion, or any other factor. And no one is naturally equipped to cope with the addiction of a loved one.

They searched for local resources to help their family heal – to find healthy ways to cope with the heartache caused by substance abuse and found a peer-to-peer curriculum developed by the US Department of Health and Human Services offered in Dallas, Los Angeles and Denver. PFS is the only organization in Oklahoma that offers these targeted, proven services for children of addicts.

2017 | $100,000 | Community

Project: Handicap accessible bathrooms for campers

In Oklahoma, 1 in 6 individuals live with a disability. Unfortunately, limited recreational opportunities exist for this group. Central Christian Camp is the only organization in Oklahoma providing children and adults with disabilities year-round opportunities for camping and travel. Impacting over 3,000 individuals annually, CCC strives to ensure that every Oklahoman with a disability has access to quality and affordable recreational opportunities.

For over 30 years, CCC has provided an atmosphere of acceptance, and built a culture of compassion, within a camp setting. Through the help of volunteer counselors, campers experience adapted and individualized activities such as swimming, archery and boating. Most importantly, through these interactions, campers and counselors create life-long memories and friendships.

Yet, our current facilities do not allow campers to experience equality and accessibility. The Pool House, with shower/restroom/changing facilities, has narrow doorways and cramped stalls. Campers utilizing a wheelchair aren’t able to fit, even with assistance of a counselor.

Impact Oklahoma can completely rebuild the Pool House, creating an accessible facility to serve both the pool and waterfront areas for year-round activities. Additionally, we will modernize and enhance the Conference Center restrooms for ease of access. Through your IMPACT, we will surpass our current accommodations and no longer have unnecessary barriers based on ability level!

Campers and volunteers come to camp simply to have fun, but find so much more! CCC is not just an organization, it’s a family. With your help, we can leave limitations behind and continue to Change Lives One Camp at a Time! 

2016 | $100,000 | Education

Project:  “Transforming Lives Through Music”

According to the U.S. Census Survey, OKC Public Schools have 25.6% of its student population from families of poverty. This is much higher than both the state and national averages. Of these students, statistics show that many will drop out to find low-paying jobs or become burdens on society. But what if we could engage them and open their minds to creativity, emotional growth and a world of endless opportunities? 

Studies are now proving that we can reach these students through music providing not only hope, but the skills necessary for them to have a better future.

This project would allow Granville Community Music School to double enrollment from 200 to 400 students, expand into a Community Center that would provide family classes, healthy snacks and meals by the Regional Food Bank, and enrich the parent resource area to include more useful software and materials to help plan their student’s future.

This grant would also give us the equipment to open a recording facility that would engage students in an authentic music business education while also providing a source of income for Granville.

Students and families come to Granville for the music, but with your help, will receive so much more! Granville helps students dream big and create strategies to make those dreams come true. Students have learned that college and a professional career is not just a possibility, but can be their reality! With your help, we can and will transform lives through music!

2016 | $100,000 | Family

Project:  “Foster Care Community”

Anna’s House Foundation is a faith-based organization with the mission to provide immediate, stable and loving foster homes for Oklahoma County’s children in state custody. AHF is a licensed Child Placement Agency that recruits, certifies, and supports foster families throughout Central Oklahoma. Since January 2014, AHF has placed 87 children in stable, loving homes.

A specific program of Anna’s House is the AHF Foster Care Community in Luther, OK. It is a community of foster homes that targets large sibling groups brought into state custody. Each home in the community provides for five foster children. Statistics show that approximately 55% of sibling groups of three or more are separated from each other when placed in foster homes.

Children are brought in to state custody due to abuse and neglect. Often in cases of neglect, siblings fill the role of caregiver for younger siblings. Separation of these children causes significant loss and additional trauma.

2016 was the perfect year for Anna’s House to receive the Impact Oklahoma grant as the $100,000 was matched by Deer Creek High School. Because of this, Impact Oklahoma completely funded a new home! Construction of the 5th home is completed, and the most vulnerable children, who otherwise might be separated from their siblings, may be kept together and feel the security of a loving family. Thank you, ladies, for making this impact a reality.

2015 | $100,000 | Family

Project:  “First Boys & Girls Club of Norman”

Shevaun, an eight-year-old 3rd grader, spends his time after school dumpster diving with his mom to find items she can sell to fuel her drug habit. It is for Shevaun, and hundreds of kids like him, that the Center for Children and Families (CCFI) launched Norman’s first Boys and Girls Club. 

Oklahoma City has five clubs and Tulsa has six. Prior to this, Norman, the next largest city in Oklahoma, had ZERO clubs despite the fact that 50% of Norman Public School’s students are eligible for the free and reduced lunch program. Over 90% of the children served by Norman’s Club are from high-poverty homes.

Impact Oklahoma’s support of Norman’s first Boys and Girls Club transformed our community and the futures of thousands of children for generations to come.

Impact Oklahoma’s support will allow CCFI to transition its current afterschool program into a Boys and Girls Club in order to:

• Triple the number of children served daily – 200 children will have daily access to the club.

• Quadruple the number of low-income neighborhoods served from two to eight.

• Triple the hours each child spends in high-quality services. Time spent in services directly impacts a child’s chance for success. Children will spend 20-hours/ week at the Club (four hours per day, five days/ week) compared to six-hours/ week they currently experience.

• Double CCFI’s summer program from three to eight weeks. Children will have two months of safe, enriching services that keep them on track for success.

2015 | $100,000 | Health And Wellness

Project:  “Feeding Hungry Babies; BabyMobile Expansion”

It’s almost unimaginable that in our land of plenty – the breadbasket of the world – that babies go hungry, but thousands go to bed crying from unfed tummies every night. It’s a reality that limits their development and ability to reach their full potential. In central Oklahoma, 41,300 children under four live in poverty, putting them at risk of hunger and the lifelong cognitive and physical challenges that result from malnourishment.

For 31 years, Infant Crisis Services has been the only pantry in central Oklahoma dedicated solely to meeting the needs of babies and toddlers in crisis. Today, families can access help from our headquarters in Oklahoma City or from our new BabyMobile, a one-of-a-kind “pantry on wheels” that reaches out even further to assist struggling families, many with limited access to transportation.

Unfortunately, some desperate parents in Canadian, Cleveland, Logan and parts of Oklahoma counties still cannot reach us. Many of their babies drink formula diluted with too much water or wear dirty diapers for far too long, as their parents await their next paycheck.

Together, we can change their lives by doubling the number of days the BabyMobile operates, expanding the locations it visits, and by doubling the number of babies its serves each month. Your support will allow us to meet the needs of an additional 500 babies each month. In just one year, 6,000 babies will be helped to avoid the immediate pangs of hunger and the permanent consequences of early childhood malnourishment.

2014 | $100,000 | Health And Wellness

Project:  “Genesis Kids”

The Genesis Project, located in northeast Oklahoma City, provides residential and therapeutic services to 16 boys, ages six through 12, who have experienced traumatic emotional, physical and sexual abuse throughout their childhood. Although Genesis works with children from all over the state, a majority of the children come from the Oklahoma City area. The average Genesis boy is 7.5 years of age, has an IQ of 75, and has had 17 prior placements before coming to Genesis.

Genesis meets all of the children’s needs at our one location. They receive treatment from licensed clinical social workers, medical and psychiatric consultation, as well as 24-hour a day access to highly trained Genesis staff. Genesis contracts with the Edmond Public School system and operates an on-campus school 12 months a year.

The kitchen is the heart of the home and Genesis is no different. The Genesis kitchen has been in constant operation since 1985. We provide three meals a day, which totals 22,000 meals a year! With Impact Oklahoma’s funding, we completely remodeled our kitchen. These improvements greatly enhanced the capabilities of the kitchen staff, and more importantly, provide an appealing and homelike feel for the children. 

Our children come from home situations where they have not had the benefits of nutritious food; have not been cared for; and have not experienced living environments. In preserving our values of safety, health and well–being: our kitchen is vital.

2014 | $100,000 | Community

Project:  “TEEM”

More women are incarcerated per capita in Oklahoma than anywhere else in the world. Statewide, Oklahoma’s female incarceration rate is double the national average, but in Oklahoma County, the situation is direr, with nearly tripling the national average. The effects are taxing on the economy, with an average annual cost of $26,000 per inmate. The affect incarceration has on families may be more sobering.

 Each year, approximately 536 children are displaced due to their mother’s incarceration, and tragically, statistics show seven out of 10 of these children will eventually serve time in prison.

Of the 2,511 women currently incarcerated in Oklahoma, 62.1% are serving time for non-violent crimes. Statistically, 93% of Oklahoma’s incarcerated female population will be released eventually, after an average sentence of 2.02 years. Upon release, women face a number of barriers to successful reentry into society including: employment, income, community support, transportation, housing and substance abuse treatment.

TEEM equips individuals to overcome these barriers and break generational incarceration cycles through education, character development and work readiness training. Our comprehensive service model incorporates evidence-based curriculum, effective case management, one-on-one mentoring and job placement to holistically prepare individuals for a successful transition into society. 

With Impact Oklahoma’s support, TEEM serves over 50 of the 200 women who return to Oklahoma County each year. Together, we empower women impacted by incarceration to be healthy mothers, committed workers and contributing community members.

2013 | $100,000 | Education

Project:  Teaching Kitchen

Each year, some 300 Oklahoma boys begin their 18th birthday knowing they will end the day homeless. After a lifetime of abuse and chaos, they “age out” of foster care. With no family, poor education and few life skills, many end up homeless, in jail or dead.

At NSO’s Carolyn Williams Center (CWC), up to 20 boys at a time have a safe, supervised home while learning a healthy, responsible and independent lifestyle. When NSO opened the CWC in 2005, there were no models on which to build the program.

Today, we ARE the model. But there is a problem. When we built the CWC, we thought a residential-style kitchen would suffice. The kitchen allows preparation of some meals but is inadequate to use as a teaching facility. And after eight years of daily use, it needs an upgrade.

Research continues to link healthy eating to overall life success. Without nutrition and food preparation education, these men gravitate toward vending machine and convenience store foods. That’s not only unhealthy, it’s expensive. 

This teaching kitchen will allow NSO to educate the young men on healthy eating, proper cooking and food safety, and ideas for stretching limited food budgets. They’ll learn to keep a kitchen clean and well maintained: skills they need to be fully successful in life – skills they can pass on to their own children one day. 

It is NSO’s mission to serve the at-risk and homeless population by providing housing solutions and teaching skills to transform lives.

2013 | $100,000 | Family 

Project  “Foster Care Expansion”

“Noah” was locked in a closet and forced to live on dog food—he had been there so long the outline of his body was imprinted on the carpet. When he came to us at age eight, he was malnourished and suffered from a rare disease resulting from eating feces.

“Jacob” was sexually abused by his grandmother’s boyfriend. The abuse affected him developmentally, and today, at age 11 he cannot control his bowels.

Co-founded in 2000 by Tom Ward, and his son, Trent, White Fields cares for abused and neglected boys, age eight to 18, who are in the permanent custody of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services Child Welfare Division. Our children have experienced multiple failed placements and have no place left to go. Our boys are boys without hope; they come to us hurting and in pain. At White Fields, we give them structure and stability. We surround them with love and compassion

Most importantly, we provide them with a place to belong. Once the boys enter our program, they continue through graduated care levels and may stay permanently until they are adults. As we grow our foster care community, they may also transition to a traditional foster home on campus. In this way, we help boys heal and prepare them to step out on their own when they reach adulthood. 

Impact Oklahoma’s funding built a new foster home on campus, which helps meet one of our state’s most pressing needs.

2011 | $100,000 | Community

Project:  Impact Hunger Food Pantry

Thousands of men, women and children in our community go hungry each day. Many of them cannot make it to existing pantries due to their work schedules. Others receive pre-boxed items they cannot eat due to allergies, special nutritional needs or inability to prepare the items. Others are turned away because their nearest pantry is too small to support the community need. So they go hungry, or are forced to use their rent money to buy food for their families, eventually leading them to become homeless.

The Impact Hunger Food Pantry will be the first of its kind in our area – a grocery-store-style food distribution center serving the most impoverished in our community with accessible hours and the dignity of self-selecting items. Working in partnership with The Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, this format will streamline operations, reduce cost, reduce waste, increase accessibility and will serve well over 12,000 hungry men, women and children in the first year of operation!

The Impact Hunger Food Pantry will have a tremendous impact on our community! We want to not only feed the hungry, but to nourish them – to encourage their physical health so they can be fueled to perform better in school, at work and in life. Nutrition is a building block for success in all other areas, so your investment will not only feed thousands, but will have an exponential impact on their success for years to come!

2011 | $100,000 | Health And Wellness

Project:  Low Vision Clinic

Mrs. M is in her sixties and she has retinitis pigmentosa. Her low vision forced her to give up a job she loved and volunteer activities that enriched her life. She came to NewView Oklahoma looking for help, support and hope. 

Vision rehabilitation and safe travel skills training has empowered Mrs. M to regain her enthusiasm for life and re-engage in the community. Over the holidays, she negotiated the challenges of several airports with limited assistance. 

A recent visit to the low vision clinic at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah provided her with a vision assessment, prescriptions for adaptive devices and a rehabilitation plan that will enable her to maximize her usable vision.

One in six Oklahomans over the age of 55 has low vision caused an age-related eye disease. Low vision can have a severe impact on a person’s quality of life, but can be mitigated by a low vision clinic that helps clients to maximize their usable vision.

NewView Oklahoma proposes the establishment of a low vision clinic that will serve 1,530 patients annually in the Oklahoma City area. These patients would otherwise have no access to a low vision specialist. 

The low vision clinic would also offer needed follow-up care to keep clients safe and independent in their homes. Funds awarded will be used for the one-time purchase of optometric and specialized low vision assessment equipment for the clinic, and for portable vision assessment and adaptive aids for in-home trainings.

2010 | $100,000 | Community

Project:  “Get on the Bus.” 

Nine-year-old Jada rides the bus home from school every day. She unlocks the door and hurries inside. She makes herself a peanut butter sandwich and sits down to do her homework, alone. She’d like to be at Boys & Girls Club, where she spends school breaks and summers during the day – but her mother would never let her walk the 1.4 miles to the club. She’d have to cross three major streets to get there.

Currently, children from 10 area schools arrive at the club on our vehicles, have a hot after-school snack, participate in homework assistance, exercise in the gym or play in Memorial Park. Members participate in the Junior League’s Reading Club, create in the Arts Council of Oklahoma City’s Arts After School program, take part in Leadership Clubs like Torch Club, Keystone Club, Boy Scouts, Students Working Against Tobacco and more, or participate in Health & Life Skills classes.

A grant from the women of Impact Oklahoma will allow us to purchase two 30 passenger busses and serve an additional 10 schools – serving every school within a three mile radius of the Club.

You can help Jada “Get on the Bus.” She’ll have a safe, positive place to spend her out of school time where caring adults will offer guidance and mentoring. She’ll increase her levels of school effort, academic confidence, integrity and community involvement. She’ll decrease her likelihood to smoke marijuana, carry a weapon, drink alcohol, interact with the police or begin sexual activity.

2010 | $100,000 | Education

Project:  Tots to Teens program 

FaithWorks of the Inner City seeks to transform the future of one of the poorest and most violent communities in our state by empowering the community surrounding Shidler Elementary School with educational opportunities for three distinct groups: three-year-olds, teenagers and parents. 

Understanding that our students begin school with significant disadvantages and the task of learning a second language (English), we will provide a jumpstart to learning for our three year olds with the implementation of preschool programs for mothers and children. With a dropout rate of 46% in the ninth grade and realizing that our teenagers are faced with potentially life-altering decisions each day, FaithWorks will provide a safe place for teens to gather life and work skills, experience enrichment opportunities, and receive tutorial assistance with homework.

For our parents, many ranging in age from 16-21, we will offer educational tools to assist them in preparing their children for entry into public school, parenting techniques and communication skills, as well as individual and family counseling. Educational opportunities provided by local vocational schools will be offered to parents invested in these programs, as well as opportunities for future employment at the FaithWorks Center. 

The Tots to Teens program has the potential to impact over 2,500 families living in this community by decreasing the dropout rate, adding to the work force, and providing useful parenting tools. A new facility (the Impact Tots to Teen House) will open in the fall 2010 to host those programs.

2010 | $100,000 | Family

Meet Dave, cancer ultimately took his life; we were his lifeline for food during his final days.

Meet Mary, a diabetic who comes to us to help provide fruits and vegetables that she cannot afford for her diet. 

Meet Joan, a single parent with four small children struggling to survive and needs desperately to feed her children. 

Meet Jack, a senior citizen on a fixed income.

Have you met these people? 

They are just a few of the people you will meet on a daily basis at Britvil Food Pantry. 

Even though you haven’t met them, you make a difference in their lives.

The $100,000 Impact grant enabled us to purchase a much-needed new refrigeration unit. This unit preserves the quality of nutritional food that is important in fighting disease, illness and building strong bodies.

Created in 1991, from the vision and dedication of two women, the pantry provides the nutritional food needs in a community where poverty is prevalent. We serve over 16,200 people a year and operate with only two part-time employees. We are grateful to have over 100 volunteers who help at the pantry.

We are blessed with an outstanding group of volunteers who know John 21:15 by heart, “If you truly love Me, you will feed My people.” Help us to continue making a difference in the community.

2009 | $100,000 | Health And Wellness

Project:  “Impact OK” play therapy room and more

He sat motionless, except for the trembling. Slowly, the young child began describing how he tried to stop dad from beating his mom.

 It is the littlest victims like this who will receive help through the Impact Oklahoma grant to the YWCA. 

The $100,000 will enable the YWCA to expand services to NE OKC for victims of domestic violence (DV) and sexual assault (SA) – providing critical access to trauma intervention for children and their moms.

The grant dollars will:

1. Convert an existing space into “Impact OK” play therapy room for child-trauma intervention

2. Purchase equipment/supplies;

3. Fund a Children’s Counselor, Crisis Advocate/Case Manager, and appropriate training for:

• Trauma-intervention counseling to victims of DV/SA ages 4-17

• DV education, support groups, case management and advocacy for adults and children

Expected to directly impact 260 adult/child victims, the project will indirectly impact an additional 200 family members, un-served and underserved victims in OK County and surrounding areas who will receive life-saving crisis services. The long-term impact is a community where women/children can live in violence-free homes.

• Don’t look away – Oklahoma is 4th in the nation for women killed by men; 65% of children in violent homes will be physically abused and seven of 10 will likely continue the cycle of violence and trauma as adults – beginning the next generation of children abused in their own homes.

Impact the lives of victims, especially the littlest ones – VOTE YWCA!

2009 | $100,000 | Family

Project:  “A Safe Haven for Children in Crisis”

These children, who have suffered great losses, need your help:

• A set of twins rescued after three days of huddling on their roof during Hurricane Katrina

• A sixteen-year-old boy, with no other family, whose mother and new stepfather rejected him

• An abused family of six children with three different fathers

• An eleven-year-old girl whose mother, her only relative in the world, died suddenly

• An eighteen-year-old boy released from state control with no money, family, home, job, car, social security number, high school diploma or change of clothes

• A fourteen-year-old girl left with a violent group of white supremacists while her mother sought drugs

We serve over 400 children each year in our Emergency Youth Shelter. Safe Haven for Children in Crisis has three main goals:

1. Give children comfort and make them feel safe;

2. help them learn;

3. meet their needs.

This involves making the seventeen-year-old Shelter more home-like through kid-friendly items such as a safer playground, books, games and lead-free toys; energy-efficient windows to prevent water leaks; modernizing/upgrading the worn-out kitchen, including adding a dish sanitizer and replacing the refrigerator/freezer that recently died; new furniture and soundproofing for the nursery; and independent living help for homeless older youth. 

The Shelter has not been remodeled since 1992. After serving 12,500 children since then, the wear-and-tear on the kitchen has been severe. 

The total proposed budget for this project is $120,000; we raised $20,000 and are seeking $100,000 in grant funds from Impact Oklahoma.

2008 | $100,000 | Health And Wellness

Project: Handicapped accessible vehicles

The mission of Positive Tomorrows is to break the cycle of homelessness and poverty one family at a time, by providing education and family support for homeless and at risk children and their families. 

In order to meet our mission we have a two-pronged approach: education and family support.

To meet our mission in education, we operate a privately funded school for children kindergarten through fifth grade whose lives have been impacted by the trauma of homelessness and poverty. 

The children we serve are usually at least one grade level below their peers and many are two or more years behind. They do not have the tools to compete in a regular public school and often loose interest in school and fall through the cracks at a young age. Positive Tomorrows’ staff assesses each student academically and socially and begins an individual course of instruction at the level at which the child currently functions.

The family support component of our program works with the entire family. We offer self improvement and motivational workshops for parents, literacy assessment and reading tutoring for parents, basic skills instruction, as well as case management where case managers individually work with parents to meet the goals they have set at enrollment. We offer a clothing room where families can “shop” (no charge), hygiene items at each clothing room visit, small appliances and household items when a family finds housing after a stay in the shelter.

Transportation is a major issue for most homeless and at risk families. Homeless families move frequently in order to keep a roof over their children’s heads, thus making regular school attendance difficult, if not impossible. Regular school attendance is necessary for continuous learning for a student. The transportation system is the core of Positive Tomorrows’ operation. If a family will let us know by 7:30 in the morning if they have moved during the night and where the children need to be picked up for school, we will revise our bus route to accommodate that need. It is not uncommon for our bus route to be different every day of the week in order to assure every student can be present for instruction as often possible.

Our request to Impact Oklahoma is for funding to update our transportation system. Our bus and two 15-passenger vans each have over 100,000 miles and are beginning to be costly to keep in good repair. New vehicles will enable us to continue to serve the most vulnerable children in our community with transportation to and from school and on field trips and special activities. With the rising cost of gasoline, we are investigating the benefits of natural gas vehicles and other environmentally sound transportation alternatives. 

We are working currently with Chesapeake Energy to explore the cost efficiency of CNG vehicles like those in Chesapeake’s fleet. As of this writing, we have not made a decision on which vehicle to purchase, but we are looking at all the economics of that decision.

You will make a huge impact on the community and the lives of struggling students by funding our request. Homelessness is cyclical and until we get serious about breaking the cycle of homelessness and poverty, it will continue to plague our nation. This is your opportunity to touch lives and make a difference in the future of children and our community. 

You can “Impact Oklahoma” today and for many years to come by helping us secure vehicles that are handicapped accessible and economically and environmentally sound.

2008 | $100,000 | Education

Project:  “Enhancing Possibilities for People with Disabilities”

This grant is requested for construction of a 40’ X 100’ metal building to be used for recreation for our clients who have disabilities.

The Foundation is licensed to care for 96 people per day, plus the Thursday Evening Party with over 150 attending each week. Our client’s ages range from 18 – 67 years. In 2007, we served more than 845 persons with disabilities as well as their families. Space for basketball, pool tables and exercise equipment is extremely limited. In inclement weather, they must stay indoors. The recreation building would allow them to exercise and participate in other activities each day. Exercise is vital for those with disabilities to help maintain their health; also, the ability to participate is great for their self-esteem.

The plan is to have a separate area for the exercise equipment, an open area for the basketball goals, pool tables, foosball machines and other activities. Two handicapped bathrooms and a small snack area will be included in the air-conditioned building.

The land is available for the building and a grant will be received for the landscaping surrounding the building. Also, space will be reserved for outdoor activities, such as horseshoes, volleyball and practice for Special Olympics. A walking trail will be included in the area.

The recreational building is important to the program of the Foundation in providing recreational and social activities to those with disabilities.

2008 | $100,000 | Family

Project:  Expansion of free school-based groups 

Can you still remember what it was like being nine-years-old?

Now, imagine that your mother is gone and you are convinced she left because of you. Dad is only a mythical figure in your life. You feel lost every time a foster family takes you in, the color and size of your room changes monthly. Finally, someone wants you. Your lifelong dream becomes reality – you are adopted and now have a mom to call your own. However, the bliss is short-lived, as within months, your new mom (and only family member) is deployed to Iraq.

Sound like a made-for-TV movie? Unfortunately it is not. This is the story of a child in our community who recently attended Calm Waters (CW) 

School-based Grief Support Groups.

Founded in 1992 by a ten-year-old boy, his mother and renowned local therapist Charlotte Lankard, Calm Waters Center for Children and Families continues to teach healthy coping skills to children and families whose lives have been affected by death, divorce or other major losses, by providing free support groups and other services.

In previous years, CW free School-based groups served approximately 200 students annually. In 2007-2008, more than 800 students (K-12) attended grief groups. This year, due to anticipated increased community support, CW will be able to provide much-needed help to more than 1,600 students as they navigate through turbulent times.

Additionally, challenging economic times prohibit many needy families from attending CW Center-based grief support groups. Therefore, community-based groups have been implemented to allow more families from all areas of the metro to benefit from CW free grief support groups in the familiar setting of their neighborhood school.

Impact Oklahoma will allow Calm Waters to positively impact the lives and futures of more grieving children and families than ever before.

2007 | $100,000 | Health And Wellness

Project:  “Oral Health Program for Low Income Pregnant Women and Their Babies”

Periodontitis is at epidemic levels among women who live in poverty in Oklahoma and nationally. During pregnancy, due to hormonal changes and increased bacteria in the mouth due to vomiting, this condition worsens and leads to adverse conditions. Maternal infection is a risk factor for adverse pregnancy outcomes. For years, evidence suggested that chronic oral infection in pregnant women led to preterm birth and/or low-birth weight infants. As important is new evidence that proves that the pregnant woman actually pass oral health disease to the child as a contagious disease–not through genetics. Dental Caries remains the number one childhood disease and accounts for a loss of 51 million classroom hours each year.

Oral Tooth Decay is almost 100% preventable. When the mother’s mouth is restored during and shortly after pregnancy and parent education is provided to the new mother, the child’s risk for tooth decay goes down significantly. Community Health Centers nationwide have evidence based clinical outcomes that prove this model will work. The change in clinical results in children for the better is a suggested 500-800% improvement shown in similar collaboratives serving the same population. 

Our medical and dental providers working together can expand the availability of prenatal and infant oral health care and education to those that are uninsured and underinsured living at 100% of poverty.

Currently, we provide pre-natal care to 1,200 pregnant women each year with 400 deliveries. In our current population, more than 90% of pregnant women need treatment for disease. 

The impact of this grant over five years would touch the lives of 1,600 children and their siblings estimated at 6,400. Through this proven model of integrated care we can impact these families for a lifetime in school work, activities, socialization, job prospects and self esteem. It starts with Mom getting what she needs.

2007 | $100,000 | Community

Project:  Increase capacity to repair/modify kitchens and bathrooms

Oklahoma City – Imagine being 72 years old, a widow and having $1,100 per month income. You have bills to pay, medical expenses and a house to maintain. You are proud of the home you have earned and raised your family in, and you want to stay there forever. There is a good chance you are raising some grandchildren. It is a difficult choice when it comes down to paying for food, medicine or home repairs. You are the average client of Rebuilding Together OKC… and many survive on much less. Rebuilding Together helps by providing free repairs and modifications to keep low-income seniors safe, warm and dry. To qualify, a person must be at least 55 years of age, own and reside in the home, and be financially unable to make the repairs.

Originally Christmas in April, the name changed in 2001 to “Rebuilding Together” to better reflect our work and our expanded ability to provide year-round emergency repairs and simple modifications. Our work is done mostly by volunteers (approximately 2,500 per year) with donated and purchased materials, always at no cost to our client. Since 1992, we worked on over 1,000 homes.

Impact dollars will increase our capacity to repair/modify kitchens and bathrooms. We could convert bathtubs to showers, make more extensive adaptations for physically challenged seniors, and provide major plumbing repairs and appliance replacements. Imagine the gift of being able to bath regularly and safely, to prepare your own meals – essentially to take care of yourself and stay in your home. These projects drastically improve daily activities and increase independence. 

Your support can have tremendous impact, especially when combined with varying contributions of in-kind labor and materials. We believe all people deserve to age independently, with grace and dignity, and you can help them do so.

2006 | $100,000 | Health And Wellness

Project:  Food 4 Kids Program 

The Food 4 Kids Program of the Regional Food Bank provides for the needs of hungry children in 16 counties.

Three thousand five hundred elementary school children in 116 schools participate in this program. Food 4 Kids provides chronically hungry children with a backpack of child-friendly food over weekends and holidays. These backpacks allow chronically hungry children to feed themselves during the critical period between Friday afternoon and Monday morning when many of them would otherwise have nothing to eat.

This program is growing faster than the Regional Food Bank can keep up. Your selection of this program for the Impact Oklahoma grant would allow the Food 4 Kids program to buy a truck to both expand the program and make it more efficient. The rest of the money would go directly to feed these needy children.

Food 4 Kids strives to reach more kids, more often, and when they are the most vulnerable. The primary goal of the program is to prevent the long-term effects of chronic hunger in children. One hundred fifteen dollars provides one child with a backpack of food for each week for an entire school year.

2005 | $106,000 | Health And Wellness

Project:  New therapy equipment and operating support 

Special CARE was funded for new therapy equipment and operating support to help improve their ability to provide specialized education and therapy services to children with special needs and their families living in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. $30,000 purchased new therapy equipment to replace worn and outdated equipment, some of which had been in use since opening in 1985. 

A $70,000 contribution toward operating costs covered one year’s organizational expenses for 70 children with special needs – program expenses such as teacher salaries, groceries, educational toys, books and craft materials