2005 Finalists
Health and Wellness
Special CARE, Inc.
Oklahoma City
Special CARE requests funding for new therapy equipment and operating support to help imporove our 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 $30,000 will purchase new therapy equipment to replace worn and outdated equipment, some of which we have used since opening in 1985. A $70,000 contribuition toward operating costs will cover one year's organizational expenses for 70 children with special needs - program expenses such as teacher salaries, groceries, educational toys, books, and craft materials.
Culture
Norman Firehouse Art Center
Norman
Since 1971, Firehouse Art Center has been a non-profit organization promoting art appreciation, art studies and art sales. They provide instruction in both thrown and hand built ceramics, painting and drawing, jewelry construction, photography, wood working, landscape design, stained galss, printmaking, and mixed media arts. Approximately 900 adults and 900 children enroll annually. Fundraising events are the Chocolate Festival named Number 5 of the Top 10 food festivals by the Food Network. Their vision is to become a nationally recognized visual arts center for continuing education.
They work with organizations such as Big Brother and Big Sisters, Center For Children and Families, Social Sercies of OU, Rotary's ILSY project and Northcare who all receive free or reduced art education. In addition, student who are unable to enroll at OU due to limited funds or student applications, are provided an avenue to pursue their talents.
The Impact grant would be to construct a new building for the construction of large sculpture works in stone, wood/chainsaw, steel and concrete. The City of Norman has donated the land and will pay the utilities for the new building. Currently the classes are held outside and only on Saturday due to sound, weather and location. This grant takes the center to a new level for providing the State with lasting treasures to improve our environment, tourism, museums and visual arts. The building will be finished in 4 months and the center will have no debt as they have raised all but $5,000 of the funds needed for the $125,000 project.
Education
Sequoyah Experience
Oklahoma City
Advancing tolerance, inclusion, personal value and service learning, the Oklahoma City National Memorial's Sequoyah Expreience, is targeted for middle school children. Based on the results and experiences from a five year project at the Sequoyah Middle School, in Edmond, Oklahoma, the Experience offers a curriculum for teaching the impact of violence in all aspects of life. Developed for seventh grade students, the experience has evolved into a three-part Tolerance Unit. The Hope Trunk, which includes artifacts from the Murrah Building and teaching materials, begins the unit with an historical perspective and facilitates in-class discussion and education. Step Two continues the Experience with a group visit to the Memorial and Museum with a specially developed Student Journal. Designed to be an interactive tool for the student during the visit, the Journal focuses the student's mind on issues of tolerance, inclusion, violence, self worth and human purpose. Step Three contains a classroom guidance activity for use during the social studies classes. During the four week unit, the students examine eight core principles embracing the value and uniqueness of all people, personal responsibility and the responsibility of all people to show respect and compassion to one another. The Memorial seeks the Impact Oklahoma grant to provide the Experience to the Oklahoma City Public Schools. Ten Thousand Oklahoma City middle school children will learn the lessons of tolerance through the tragedy of April 19, 1995, in each of the 2006 and 2007 school years. In addition to reaching children in a school system that would not otherwise be able to afford the project, the grant money will be used for scientific evaluations and outcomes measures testing and reporting for educational purposes and for marketing the project throughout Oklahoma, and the world. The Memorial selected Impact Oklahoma as its first choice for a partnership in offering this project to the OKC Public Schools. Through the Sequoyah Experience, Impact Oklahoma and the National Memorial have the opportunity to plant the seeds of tolerance from which tomorrow's peace will grow. The Education Committee has selected the Oklahoma City National Memorial's SEQUOYAH PROJECT as its finalist.
Environment
Travelers Aid of Oklahoma City
TRAVELERS AID OF OKLAHOMA CITY has been chosen as one of the finalists for Impact Oklahoma's 2005 grant. Their mission is to elevate the homeless, needy and stranded traveler to a position of self-sufficiency. Since 1927, Travelers Aid has been helping the needy in Oklahoma. Currently there are an estimated 1500 homeless people in the metro area daily. Thirty-one percent are families. Travelers Aid has many short term programs such as emergency housing, case management services, work referrals, and transportation assistance. The Family Outreach Program; however, provides long-term case management services (12 to 18 months) combined with transitional housing to provide families with the tools, resources and support they need to achieve self-sufficiency and obtain permanent housing. The transitional homes afford families the opportunity and the time to develop their skills and increase their income. Families live rent and utility free while in the transitional home for up to three months (longer under special circumstances). After that, the families are assessed rent on a sliding scale. After completing the program, Travelers Aid returns half of the rent money back to the family so they have the money needed for rental and utility deposits on their own home. Travelers Aid currently has a total of seven transitional homes being used to reintegrate homeless families (with children) out of shelters and back into the community. Families meet with a case manager weekly to monitor goals and progress as they work toward independence. Travelers Aid will purchase another home in the Oklahoma City metro area with which more families will be assisted in the future. They plan on using $80,000 to purchase a three bedroom brick home and $15,000-$20,000 will be used to make needed repairs on four homes currently being used by homeless families enrolled in the Family Outreach Program.
Family
Sunbeam Family Services
Oklahoma City
Sunbeam Family Services provide a variety of services to both the young and the elderly in our community. They are located in some of the poorest areas of town, but provide a level of care that does not reflect their surroundings.
The project they requested funding for is an expansion of their Child Development Center, located at 2662 SW 41st street. This center provides early childhood education to some of the neediest and most at risk children. It accepts children with developmental delays, physical and emotional problems and prepares them to enter our schools. They develop a customized curriculum and carefully assess the progress and needs of the child and the family, all on a sliding scale fee. They have acquired the land for the expansion and are raising funds for the building project. The planned construction will begin in February 2006 and increase their capacity from 46 to 120 children.