Impact Oklahoma held its 2022 Annual Meeting at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum on the evening of May 19. Five central Oklahoma non-profit agencies were considered for a $100K grant to be used for a project they may not otherwise be able to achieve. The evening of the event 26 additional women joined making it possible to award TWO $100,000 grants. Mental Health Association Oklahoma and Not Your Average Joe each received $100,000. The remaining $6,000 will be divided between the other finalists: Jubilee Partners, Daily Living Centers and El Sistema. More information about each organization can be found on the Impact Oklahoma website shown below.
Mental Health Association Oklahoma will purchase and equip a medical van to visit homeless encampments and gathering locations. A nurse and PA will provide medical care to those who would otherwise go to the emergency room or not receive treatment. They will also arrange consistent mental and physical health visits with other providers in the area.
Not Your Average Joe employs differently-abled adults at its shops. They will purchase a food truck to serve coffee and ice cream at schools, churches and businesses, to be followed by a school assembly or seminar taught by staff with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Oklahoma citizens will 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.
Impact Oklahoma is a network of women committed to supporting non-profits in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. Every year, agencies in the categories of Family, Health and Wellness, Education, Community, and Arts and Culture submit an application to fund a project unlikely to be attained without the award.
In 2005, our women’s collective giving organization was conceived with the idea of 100 women donating $1000 each to fund a $100K gift. Each member is given the opportunity to sit on a grant review committee. The committees meet to discuss the applications, agree on three choices, and schedule a site visit to those selected. A finalist is then chosen for each of the five categories. At the annual meeting, those agencies present their request to the membership, members complete a ballot, votes are tallied, and a winner is announced. Our ambition is to recruit 500 members so we can award $100,000 to the finalist in each category.
Since 2005, 32 programs have been recipients of a $100,000 grant and the total amount distributed to local non-profits is $3,920,500.
To learn more about Impact OK and previous beneficiaries, please visit www.impactok.org If you would like images of the event or more information, please email donna.brogan94@gmail.com.