Post #300

This is our 300th blog post! Lindsay started the blog at salarmytulsa.blogspot.com with a post on Jan. 28, 2010 about the bitter cold weather. In the first two months of 2010, 64 people visited the blog. In the last two months, 1,101 people visited the blog. I think that's a respectable increase, but my favorite statistic is that visitors stay on the blog an average of almost six minutes. That means it's likely that they're actually reading about all the wonderful things The Salvation Army is doing in Tulsa. 

In two and a half years of writing and taking photographs for the blog it’s hard for me to pick a favorite post, so I asked Major and Mrs. Williams about their favorites. Major Williams said he likes the posts that show how Salvation Army employees have changed people’s lives. One of his favorites was about John Oak, the former meth addict who stayed at the Center of Hope in the Project Able program. John now works down the street and owns his own home. Another of Major’s favorites was about the Boys and Girls Clubs Youth of the Year. For two years, Alex Walker from the Broken Arrow Boys and Girls Club has been Tulsa’s Youth of the Year. This weekend he will go to the regional competition in Dallas and we’re all hoping he makes it to national.

Mrs. Williams likes posts that show how we are helping children. Her favorite post was about the Sand Springs "Totally Fit Tuesdays" program. “There’s no PE in the schools anymore. Now so many kids are obese and can’t move that it’s become the norm. The Sand Springs program is helping children grow into healthier adults,” she said. In the post about the Sand Springs program I wrote about a boy who thought chocolate pudding was a vegetable. I always  enjoy finding the humor in stories, but  my favorite part of working on the blog is going out and getting the stories. I could never have imagined the variety of interesting people I would meet.  

Yesterday, I interviewed Billy, a clown from Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey circus. We had a lot in common. We both juggle every day, although my juggling is figurative. We're the same height. We have big smiles. I have to admit though, I’m a little envious of Billy's job title, "The Ambassador of Laughter." But if he knew about all the fascinating people I meet, from a couple of former presidents to the kids at our clubs, he might be a little envious of my job. And I don’t have to do triple back flips!  

-Sallie

Urban clubs start camp

The Salvation Army urban Boys & Girls Clubs all started their Summer Day Camps Monday. The West Mabee Boys & Girls Club named their camp the  “Rowdy Days of Summer.”  Club Director Jamar Giddings said one of the unique events they have planned is a kids’ Olympics. In addition to track events, West Mabee Olympians will compete in ping pong, Foosball and pool. Jamar said they have trips planned to the Oklahoma City Zoo and Gilcrease Museum. All three urban clubs will participate in Rock Philbrook Day June 19. Now here’s an event I definitely want to see…and taste. Pizza Hut has invited the West Mabee kids to “Pizza Day” where they will get to make their own pizzas with Pizza Hut supplies. Rowdy Days of Summer Camp costs $40 a week plus a $35 annual club membership and $10 registration fee.

North Mabee Boys & Girls Club is calling their Summer Day Camp “Fun! Fun! Fun!” Given that the club has a nice big pool, a photography darkroom and ballet and photography classes, there will be fun for everyone. Something the North Mabee Club kids enjoy every year that was news to me is attending the Juneteenth Rodeo. I knew about Juneteenth because two of our club leaders were given awards during it last year.

Summer Day Camp starts!

If you are impatiently waiting for the Summer Olympics to start, go to Sapulpa. The Sapulpa Boys and Girls Club kicked off their second week of Summer Day Camp, called “2012 Summer Games” today.  Administrative assistant Keli Johnson said they have some special field trips planned. One of them is to go to the Jasmine Moran Museum in Seminole, along with the Sand Springs Boys and Girls Club. I had not heard of the museum but after reading about it I can’t wait until my grandson Derek is old enough to enjoy it. It has an imaginary town where children can role play a variety of careers, including being a surgeon! (I hope the scalpels are made of rubber.) 
Another special field trip will be cruising on the Cherokee Queen on Grand Lake. The club kids will also attend a basketball clinic taught by the Tulsa Shock. The camp costs $75 a week, plus the $35 annual membership and a $10 registration fee. Kids should be from first grade to eighth grade to register. Call the club at 918-224-4415.

The Sand Springs Boys and Girls Club starts Summer Day Camp Mon., May 29. Sand Springs Club Director Greg Parker is in Boys and Girls Club training for four days, so administrative assistant Mary Bechtold gave me the scoop. “The Sand Springs centennial is this year, so we are calling our Day Camp Centennial,” she said. Every week will have a different theme, such as Western Week and Patriotic Week. To enroll in Summer Day Camp, kids need to have completed kindergarten and can be up to age 14. The cost is $90 a week, plus a $35 annual membership and a $15 registration fee. Call the club at 918-245-2237.

Summer Day Camp  will start Thursday (May 24) at the Broken Arrow Boys and Girls Club. So many kids attend the BA Day Camp that they are split in two groups; ages kindergarten through 5th grade and ages sixth through eighth grade. The cost is $100 a week, plus the $35 annual club membership fee, plus a $10 registration fee.

National Doughnut Day

Every year National Doughnut Day is celebrated across the country but what many people don’t know is that The Salvation Army is the reason for the holiday and for making doughnuts an American breakfast staple.  This year, The Salvation Army and Merritt’s Bakery are teaming up again to celebrate National Doughnut Day on Friday, June 1st!

It all started back in 1917 when a Salvation Army lassie, Helen Purviance and a fellow officer Ensign Margaret Sheldon used a small frying pan, simple dough and a wine bottle as a rolling pin to make crullers to feed to the homesick boys on the front lines in France during WWI.  The fresh aroma drew a long line of soldiers to their tent and soon they were serving 9,000 doughnuts a day, along with the other “lassies” in the trenches.  The Salvation Army lassies quickly became known as “doughnut girls” and the simple doughnut became a symbol of all that the Salvation Army was doing to ease the hardships of the frontline fighting man.  The soldiers returned from war with a new favorite snack, the doughnut and breakfast was forever changed!

Diavolo teaches club kids

I’ve heard the name Choregus because they often give our Boys & Girls Club kids tickets to their performances at Tulsa’s Performing Arts Center (PAC). But I never knew what they were all about until talking to Valarie Keown this morning. Valarie coordinates the Choregus productions and their presentations to groups of kids. Some of their performances defy description, so click here to see a video. This video is of the LA group Diavolo Dance Theater, which will be at the West Mabee Boys and Girls Club at 4:30 p.m. TODAY. Monday they worked with kids at the North Mabee Boys and Girls Club. Club Director Jo Bright said the dancers were very “hands on."

“The dancers were in complete control. They taught the kids exercises where each child had to depend on their partner to do a certain task. It was all about trust and working together. The kids loved it,” Jo said. Choregus is giving tickets to the clubs for performances this weekend. Thank you Choregus. I love it when organizations work to broaden our kids’ dreams!

-Sallie

Reason number 1

to play in the Women Helping Women Golf Tournament June 4:
 1. You'll be "Doing the Most Good!"

2. You'll be helping women like Christina Tyler and her two kids.

3. It's beautiful outside - especially early in the morning.
4. There's no such thing as too much pink.
5. Breakfast and lunch are provided.

6. It's a great mental getaway for a day.

7. See long-time friends.
8. Make new friends.
9. Dress as cute as you want!
10. Win or lose, you'll be a star!

Reason number 2

to play in the Women Helping Women Golf Tournament June 4:

2. You'll be helping women like Christina Tyler and her two kids.
3. It's beautiful outside - especially early in the morning.
4. There's no such thing as too much pink.
5. Breakfast and lunch are provided.
6. It's a great mental getaway for a day.
7. See long-time friends.
8. Make new friends.
9. Dress as cute as you want!
10. Win or lose, you'll be a star!

Reason Number 3

to play in our 5th Annual Women Helping Women Golf Tournament June 4:
3. It's beautiful outside - especially early in the morning.
4. There's no such thing as too much pink.
5. Breakfast and lunch are provided.
6. It's a great mental getaway for a day.
7. See long-time friends.
8. Make new friends.
9. Dress as cute as you want!
10. Win or lose, you'll be a star!

No cooking tonight!

Hang up the apron, get some food, help some kids!
We already have your meal planned for TONIGHT. How does a pesto chicken parmesan or a chocolate covered strawberries and cream crepe sound to you? Would a s’mores gelato tempt your taste buds? These are just a few of the menu items at Mod’s Coffee & Crepes.

Today Mod's Coffee and Crepes is donating 25% of its sales from 4 to 10pm to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Tulsa. The Boys and Girls Clubs will get even busier once school is out for summer, so these funds are greatly needed. Mod's Coffee and Crepes is located at 507 S. Boston in the heart of downtown Tulsa. The restaurant specializes in both sweet and savory crepes.
They also serve soups, salads, pastries, locally roasted coffee and espresso drinks, as well as house-made Italian ice cream.  You can view their entire menu, get directions, and see specials at www.ModsCrepes.com.
I'll be enjoying dinner at Mod's tonight. Hope to see you there!
-Carrie

Reason Number 4

to play in our 5th Annual Women Helping Women Golf Tournament June 4:
4. There's no such thing as too much pink.
5. Breakfast and lunch are provided.
6. It's a great mental getaway for a day.
7. See long-time friends.
8. Make new friends.

9. Dress as cute as you want!
10. Win or lose, you'll be a star!

Porn n Pancakes

Lots of churches have pancake breakfasts. Some churches hold discussions about the harmful effects of pornography. But we are the only church I know of that combines the two on Mother’s Day weekend! Saturday, May 12, 9 - 10:30 a.m., Captain Jay Spalding, minister of the Citadel Corps (church), will flip pancakes with his men’s group and lead a discussion about the damaging effects of porn on young people, marriages, and on the hearts of men, including Christians.

It’s free and open to any men who want to attend. It’s at the Tulsa Area Command, 924 S. Hudson. "What better gift to give the women in your life this Mother's Day weekend than making a pledge as a Christian man to not view pornography?" Capt. Spalding said. He said there would be no pressure to commit to a pledge, it's just an option.

Captain Jay Spalding

The event is for MEN ONLY, ages 15 and older. Boys 12 and older may attend with a father. In talking to Capt. Spalding, the thing that interested me the most was that he is going to buy magazines that every kid with a little cash can buy and talk about how some of the images, photographs and ads, are pornographic. He’ll also bring a Victoria's Secret catalogue. One of the first questions my son ever asked me about sex was if I thought it was "bad" that he kept "dad’s Victoria magazine" under his bed. 'As long as you tell dad you took it, and you know that real women don’t look like that, I think it’s ok,' I said. Although my son has turned out really well, that could have been the wrong answer. I just wish Captain Spalding had been around to ask then!  Call him to make reservations at 918-851-0263.

 -Sallie

Reason number 5

to play in our 5th Annual Women Helping Women Golf Tournament June 4:
5. Breakfast and lunch are provided .
6. It's a great mental getaway for a day.
7. See long-time friends.
8. Make new friends.
9. Dress as cute as you want!
10. Win or lose, you'll be a star!

Reason Number 6

to play in our 5th Annual Women Helping Women Golf Tournament June 4:

6. It's a great mental getaway for a day.
7. See long-time friends.
8. Make new friends.
9. Dress as cute as you want!
10. Win or lose, you'll be a star!

Reason Number 7

to play in our 5th Annual Women Helping Women Golf Tournament

7. See long-time friends.
8. Make new friends.
9. Dress as cute as you want!
10. Win or lose, you'll be a star!

Buy a ticket, give a gift

Buy a Ticket. Get a Deal. Give a Gift.
“Too good to be true.” “It will run for centuries.” These are just a few of the reviews  about Jersey Boys, the 2006 Tony Award-winning Best Musical, which comes to the Tulsa Performing Arts Center in June.  Celebrity Attractions is having a special promotion so people can get a discount on tickets while also helping the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Tulsa.

TULSA BOYS

Here’s how it works: starting Wednesday, May 9th, click here. Type the code word: BOYS .You will save $10 on select performances and Celebrity Attractions will donate $5 to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Tulsa. This promotion is for performances June 12-24, excluding Friday & Saturday evening performances. The discount offer is internet only and ends Sun., May 13 at midnight. 

Jersey Boys is the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. It tells the story of how four blue-collarkids became one of the greatest successes in pop music history. The musical features some of their hit songs, “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Rag Doll” and “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.” “Oh Whata Night” indeed!!!  Everyone I know that has seen this musical says it’s great, so expect to see me takeadvantage of this offer. This could also be a good Mother’s Day gift. (wink, wink, hint, hint!)

-Carrie

Reason Number 8

to play in our 5th Annual Women Helping Women Golf Tournament:
 8. Make new friends.
 9. Dress as cute as you want!
10. Win or lose, you're a star!

Reason Number 9

to play in our 5th Annual Women Helping Women Golf Tournament June 4:

9. You can dress as cute as you want!

          10. Win or lose, you'll be a star.

Early birds get prizes

Early Bird Special: Enter Your Team NOW in the Women Helping Women Golf Tournament!Would you like a dinner for you and three of your friends at Mahogany Prime Steakhouse? Lady golfers have a chance to win this, while also getting more goodies by taking advantage of the Early Bird Special for the 5th Annual Women Helping Women Golf Tournament.  The tournament will be Mon., June 4, at MeadowBrook Country Club.

From now until May 11 you can get even more with your registration! All players on teams registered before May 11 will get a sleeve of Callaway Solaire balls as well as a chance to win a $100 gift card to Mahogony's.  What are you waiting for? Get your team together and register today!

The Women Helping Women Golf tournament is Tulsa’s exclusive ladies-only charity golf tournament.  100% of the proceeds will be used to assist women and children who are staying in the Center of Hope.  Last year, the Center assisted 747 adult females and 160 female children.  The Team Entry Fee is $500 for four players in the tournament.  Individual players can sign-up for $125.  If you’re not a golfer, we encourage you to serve as a sponsor for the Tournament.  Sponsorships range in price from a $125 Hole Sponsorship to a $10,000 Title Sponsor. 
Sponsors and golfers in our tournament will be treated to a continental breakfast, lunch, an awards ceremony, a keepsake team photo and other goodies.  Participants will also have several chances to win awards and prizes while playing the beautiful MeadowBrook Country Club course. To sign-up your team or for any questions about the event sponsorship options, please contact Carrie Salce at 918-587-7801 ext. 121.

    -Carrie
 

NFL invades N. Mabee

What do you do when two NFL players show up to compete in a basketball game played by volunteers and staff from a Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club? “You put them on different teams!” said Jo Bright, director of the North Mabee Boys & Girls Club. Former club member and “Mabee Baby” Robert Meachem of the San Diego Chargers showed up to play at Rocky’s Daddys’ Invitational Tournament (DIT) recently and brought his friend, Tulsan and NFL player Dominique Franks of the Atlanta Falcons. The fundraiser was held to buy uniforms for the teams at the club. The N. Mabee gym was filled to capacity and fans got the chance to meet the players and get autographs.

“The game was very exciting as the Red team defeated the Black team by one point,” Mrs. Bright said. Personally, I thought the best part was the way Rocky's son, Little Rock, got himself in every photo. In the photo above are from left, Meachem, Rocky, Little Rock, and Franks. Mrs. Bright shot the photographs.

Top Ten Reasons

to play in our 5th Annual Women Helping Women Golf Tournament June 4.

10. Win or lose, you'll be a star!