TSA Area Command Moves

Last week was our first week in our new building at 924 S. Hudson, the warehouse we used for the Christmas Joy Center, and it’s great to be settled again! Veronica Ramirez, our multi-talented business manager, orchestrated the move and it went amazingly well. We saved tens of thousands of dollars by packing and moving ourselves. Our awesome maintenance staff did all the heavy work.  The Penloyd company used to be in this building, and we are temporarily located in their old offices.  We’re taking bids for a build out in the warehouse for our permanent offices.  Penloyd made glass display cases for Dillards and other glass products, so we have a beautiful round glass door, glass brick and etched glass walls. Lindsay and I are in an office that was carved out of the former warehouse break room and freshly painted. It features a mirrored column, come visit us and we’ll give you a tour! Bring cash :)

-Sallie

Fun on Facebook

Wow, it has been a crazy week but we are all settled in our new building at 924 S. Hudson! Sallie will be writing a post all about that adventure in a few days.  Right now I wanted to update you about a fun game on Facebook that raises funds for our Emergency Financial Assistance program. American Electric Power (AEP/PSO) has designed a "match" game that allows users to raise money for their Light a Life program by playing a simple game. With a fun Valentine's Day theme the game shows you exactly how much money will be donated because you took the time to play.

Since 1986, PSO customers have had the option of donating a little extra on their electric bill and that money is donated to its Light A Life energy fund program, which is administered by The Salvation Army.

I played a few rounds (yes, this particular internet game counts as work) and I raised nearly $5.00 in just a few minutes, plus the game changes each time you play, so it doesn't get easy or boring.  Come on readers, I know you will all check your Facebook multiple times today alone, why not take the time to help us out financially each time you do so?  The Make a Match game will be up until the end of the month and AEP/PSO will donate up to $5,000 to Light a Life. This money is desperately needed as the early February blizzard has resulted in very high gas/electric bills for local residents who struggle to make ends meet.

“If you Make a Match at the PSO Facebook page, the company will make a contribution to help low-income customers who have difficulty paying their electric bill,” said Tiffini Lyda Kelley, PSO Community Affairs manager.

So, go play Make a Match and raise some money! 

~Lindsay

Army of Stars to Be Held March 12

Captain Patrick Gesner with
autographed Dallas Cowboys football

It's time again for Sand Springs annual Army of Stars Benefit.  This event will feature KOTV-Channel 6 anchor and veteran news man Scott Thompson as the keynote speaker. Scheduled for Sat., Mar. 12 the event will be held to raise money for the Sand Springs Boys & Girls Club, which offers sports, after school care and arts education for local youth.

Last year, the inaugural year for the event, more than $16,000 was raised. These funds supported programming for hundreds of members throughout 2010. Teressia Kehr, the event chair, said the goal is to raise $20,000 this year. The event will feature a live auction, which will include a Dallas Cowboys laser engraved autographed football from the Gene & Jerry Jones Family  Dallas Cowboys Charities.

The dinner will be held at the Boys & Girls Club, 4403 S. 129th West Ave in Sand Springs. The Army of the Stars will start at 6 p.m. so guests can enter the silent auction. A live auction will also be held and the event will end around 8:30 p.m. To make reservations or to sponsor this fun event, call the Sand Springs club at 245-2237.

 ~Lindsay

BA Fashion Show to be Held Feb. 25

2009 Models from Broken Arrow's
Annual Fashion Show

At The Salvation Army of Broken Arrow, we are getting ready for our Annual Fashion Show and Luncheon to be held on Fri., Feb. 25th, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Forest Ridge Golf Club, 7501 E. Kenosha,  in Broken Arrow. We’ve named this year’s event  Petals & Purses, and it will feature fashions  from Maurice's and other local shops. The clothes will be modeled by local celebrities from TV and radio stations. We will also feature silent auction items, including floral arrangements. Tickets are for sale at the Salvation Army of Broken Arrow, 1400 W. Washington. The cost is $50 per person. Table sponsorships are also available upon request. All proceeds will benefit The Salvation Army of Broken Arrow. Please contact Samantha Grammer or me at the Broken Arrow Salvation Army at 258-7545 for additional information.

-Lt. Jamie Clay

TSA to Assist with MVP Weekend

The Salvation Army Tulsa Command will assist with the Felix Jones “Running Back to Make a Difference” foundation’s MVP (Most Valuable People) Weekend, scheduled for June 23-25. The foundation supports an ACT prep course at the Salvation Army North Mabee Boys & Girls Club. The announcement was made at the first MVP Host Committee meeting, chaired by Damario Solomon-Simmons, another North Mabee alumnus, who is an attorney for Jones.

The meeting was also attended by North Mabee alumni Rocky Bright and Gordon Marshall , and TSA grant writer Rosemary Brown. This is the third MVP weekend that Jones, a running back for the Dallas Cowboys and alumnus of the Salvation Army North Mabee Boys & Girls Club, has held. The purpose of the weekend is to raise money and awareness to benefit Tulsa’s inner-city youth.  TSA will provide public relations support for the weekend and breakfast for the high school athletes who participate in the football training camp held Sat., June 24.
-Sallie

How to instantly lose 20 lbs.? Have your picture taken with four large (and very nice) athletes! Damario played football for OU, Marquay played basketball for ORU, Rocky played football for OU and Marshall played football for TU.

Shelter Prepares for Next Storm

Center of Hope Food Services 
Manager Shannon Deever is 
keeping her spirits up 
despite the storm.

Center of Hope employees who had stayed overnight at the shelter last week finally got to go home over the weekend, if only to do laundry and gather their overnight gear to prepare for the next storm - due Wednesday.  All things considered, staff and guests are coping well with 300 plus people staying overnight and feeding more than 1,000 meals every day. The center is prepared to feed people for another week, regardless of the weather, said Arletta Robinson, Center of Hope director. But donations are needed for replenish the pantry staples that have been used up.

Saturday and Sunday,  KJRH-Channel 2 ran a story about texting donations to us for replenish the pantry. “At home, you replenish your pantry a little at a time. We don’t have that luxury here,” Arletta said. One challenge has been that the truckloads of fresh food that are usually delivered weekly couldn’t make it last week. “We all got really excited when we saw the milk truck today,” Arletta said. Although supplies are getting low, spirits are holding up well. Arletta said that she has received only two reports of guests fighting or complaining about each other. “Homeless people aren’t stupid. This is killer cold and they know they have to pull together,” Arletta said. 

Text “TULSA” to 85944 to make a one-time $10 donation to the Tulsa Salvation Army. Make sure you confirm your donation.
-Sallie

Center of Hope Coping Well with Storm

On Day Four of Snowpocolypse 2011, the Center of Hope staff members and guests continue to cope with the winter weather by working together, said Arletta Robinson, director. "We're operating with a skeletal staff who are staying overnight at the Center of Hope and working in shifts. Also, with the bad weather our guests have stepped up and are helping in any way they can," Arletta said. Our food supply at the homeless shelter and social services center is also holding up well, although we could use some donations to replenish the food we’ve used up. "We plan ahead for situations such as this, so we have plenty of food. Thursday we served 1,300 meals," Arletta said. The number of overnight guests has also risen, with 368 the highest count since the storm started.

I often get asked if we could use donations of blankets, coats and food. We already have blankets for our guests, but we could use some coats. We'll make sure the people who need them get them. We can't use donations of small cans of food (like we collect at Christmas) because it takes more staff members to open them, but we can always use donations of food in bulk. If you’d like to donate, remember you can text "TULSA" to 85944 to donate $10 and we will Do the Most Good with your gift. Stay warm!

-Sallie