Home Energy Aid Month Supported by PSO, Tulsa Shock

PSO, Tulsa Shock & The Salvation Army Form Team To Help Families

 Earlier this week, while it was close to 100 degrees outside, the air-conditioning unit in my car broke. It was awful!

I had to get it fixed quickly because I drive my two young kids around Tulsa everyday. It must be really difficult to sit in a home right now without an air-conditioning unit or a fan to stay cool. But this is the reality for some families who struggle financially.

            A unique partnership between Public Service Company of Oklahoma (PSO), the Tulsa Shock and the Salvation Army will help these families. The group is working together to raise funds for PSO’s Light A Life Energy Fund, which is administered by the Salvation Army. Light A Life provides emergency funds for those who need help paying their energy bills.  PSO and the Salvation Army formed this program back in 1986.   

            In addition, Three Tulsa Shock games in July will be dedicated to raising funds for Light A Life. A few fun surprises and events are planned for Shock fans during the games on the 19^th, 21^st and 25^th. The funds raised will be used throughout the year to help those needing assistance with their energy bills. 

Major James Taylor holds the Mayor's Proclamation

This partnership is part of Home Energy Aid Month, which brings awareness and donations to these programs. Governor Mary Fallin declared July “Home Energy Aid Month” in the state of Oklahoma. Mayor Dewey Bartlett did the same for the city of Tulsa (see pic).  PSO and other businesses in the area have agreed to match donor gifts during Home Energy Aid Month. 

PSO continues to be a community leader when it comes to helping neighbors. Without PSO’s support, it would be difficult for the Salvation Army to assist as many families. The Tulsa Shock is also showing loyalty towards its city by reaching out to help thousands of kids and families.  We appreciate having three Shock games to promote our mission. 

 It’s comforting to see so many people working to improve metro Tulsa! 

- Carrie

Volunteer coordinator helps in aftermath of tornadoes

Jenny shot this amazing photo.

Tulsa Salvation Army staffer plays critical role in recovery

When Volunteer Coordinator Jenny McElyea taught her most recent disaster training class, she had no idea that within a few weeks she would be working in her first disaster, much less recruiting and processing hundreds of volunteers in the aftermath of tornadoes. When she arrived in Oklahoma City on May 31st, she also had no idea that by 1 a.m. she’d be sitting in the stairwell of the Arkansas Oklahoma Salvation Army Headquarters, waiting out tornadoes in El Reno.

“Factors are changing constantly. There’s change at a moment’s notice. You have to be willing and be flexible,” Jenny said recently. As soon as she arrived in OKC, she was named as Incident Command Volunteer Coordinator. “Originally they thought they’d have to find someone from out of state to take the position,” she said. “So they were glad to find me. I was honored to be chosen.”

Jenny is on the far right in this photo from Incident Command.

Although volunteers were plentiful immediately after the May 20 tornado in Moore, by the time Jenny arrived, interest in volunteering was waning, especially interest in volunteering during working hours. So she put out the word by utilizing special website for people to sign up and using social media.

The largest site she was responsible for filling with volunteers was the old JCPenney at the Plaza de Mayor Mall, where donated items such as bottled water and cleaning supplies were collected. Volunteers sorted the donated goods and helped tornado victims “shop” the aisles for items they could use.

Jenny also found volunteers for MARCS, Multi Agency Resource Centers, where volunteers and social works helped tornado victims fill out the necessary paperwork to apply for aid. And when the combination of on line and social media volunteer recruitment didn’t seem to be enough to get those workday volunteers, Jenny turned to old fashioned techniques, ones that were in abundance during the tornadoes and the aftermath.

“I prayed and I cried,” she said.
By all accounts, Jenny’s first disaster experience was a success.

-Sallie

Comfort comes in many ways

One Salvation Army officer's experience in Moore

On Monday May 20, Salvation Army minister Sergeant Rob Daniels, was serving in Shawnee, Okla. following the tornado that hit that area the day before. His team was offering services to those affected when he heard on the radio that a large tornado was on the ground, headed toward the adjacent city of Moore, Okla. While his team took shelter in the basement of City Hall, stories started flooding in over the radio about the devastation in Moore: The hospital was gone, children were stuck in a school, and hundreds were without homes.

New disaster response orders rolled in from Emergency Disaster Services Director Steven Hartsook,  “As soon as it is safe, we need you in Moore.” Within the hour Sgt. Daniels and his team were racing to the hardest hit areas. As they approached the city via I-35, Sgt. Daniels was struck by the amount of dirt and debris--at least three inches thick--covering the highway. Seeing the remnants of what had been the Warren Theatre brought back memories of his previous disaster service after the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City.  “Everywhere I looked that day,” he said, “there were injured people seeking medical attention, begging for someone to help them. Medical personnel were scrambling to help as many people as possible.”

When he reached the emergency response command post at Plaza Towers Elementary, he saw many who were not hurting physically, but emotionally. Parents were pacing or lying on the ground, lost in a fog of emotions--wondering where their little ones were. “My mind raced back to the evening in 1995 when a firefighter, with tears in his eyes, told me they had finally reached the daycare,” he recalled. “I wondered if this night would end in the same way, with a brave firefighter crying on my shoulder for the children that were lost.”

Eventually Sgt. Daniels found himself among the first responders who had recovered the children lost from the rubble. They didn’t want a lot of people in the area; these brave men and women needed to process what had happened, but they also asked that one person stay with them. Sgt. Daniels stayed, offering to listen if they needed to talk. He was there with them until the medical examiner and mortician arrived. “My heart broke,” he said, “as I saw these men and women who have committed their lives to saving others watch the vans leave with those that they could not save.”

Sgt. Daniels has stayed in Moore since the tornado. He continues to care for those who are struggling, hurt, and emotionally drained from losses of homes, transportation, loved ones, and security.

Salvation Army officers are trained in emotional and spiritual care.  They  may not be able to heal a broken bone, but they step in when they can to help heal a broken heart; they do it with hot meals, cold water, a hug, and a prayer because they know that these small actions can be more powerful than they seem.

 Serving in Moore over the last week, Sgt. Daniels has traveled through the same neighborhoods over and over. The daily improvements aren’t drastic; they are slow and steady. The roads clear one day, as a few destroyed cars have been hauled off. The most common sight is homeowners sorting and cleaning, throwing out the obvious trash and keeping the items that might be salvageable--or are just too precious to let go. Salvation Army mobile kitchen units, like what Sgt. Daniels uses, drive up and down the streets, offering support—food, comfort, prayer, whatever is needed.

 Sometimes the impact of The Salvation Army isn’t seen but felt. One woman in her early 50s sat on her porch every day waiting for Sgt. Daniels and his canteen. Day after day she would only take a bottle of water or Gatorade and a bit of food . And she was always alone. Her home was standing, but there was damage all around her and large holes in her roof. When Sgt. Daniels asked if she needed anything--gloves, masks, or sunscreen--she said she was fine, but wanted to thank him for coming by to check on her. “She told me that as much as she appreciated the cold drinks and food,” he said, “we gave her something much more important; comfort and stability.”

"’I know that you will come by here at least twice every day, and whenever you come by, you will ask me how I am doing and how you can help,’ she told me. ‘While the rest of my world is turned upside down, I know The Salvation Army will always be right on time when I need you most.”

At the end of their daily conversation Sgt. Daniels prays with her, hugs her neck, and continues making  his way through the ruined neighborhood. - Lindsay
 

The latest news from Moore

Preparing meals in the canteen

Salvation Army Monitoring Oklahoma Severe Weather Forecasts, Planning for Public and Personnel Safety in Ongoing Emergency Disaster Services 

The Salvation Army’s tornado recovery effort continues in Oklahoma. With severe weather forecast for a widespread area around Oklahoma City this afternoon and evening, the Emergency Disaster Services team is closely monitoring weather conditions and making plans for today’s feeding, distribution, and emotional and spiritual care operations.

Safety is our top priority for all EDS personnel as well as the Oklahomans we serve.
We are enacting safety guidelines for all ongoing Salvation Army tornado response operations, which include instructions for all EDS staff to monitor weather radio for updates on ongoing weather threats and if severe weather moves into the area to seek shelter immediately at the closest designated safe facility.

For the safety of the public and EDS personnel, The Salvation Army is making the following modification to today’s services:

First responders wait for their meal

Plaza Mayor at Crossroads (Distribution Center/Warehouse)

· This location will undergo a close for distribution at 2:30 PM today (5/29).

All Salvation Army Fixed and Roving Feedings will be available today through 2:30 p.m.

The Salvation Army will continue to monitor the weather each day and make any necessary modifications to services, locations, and personnel that may be necessary for public and personnel safety.

Daily updates will be issued as necessary.

Since Sunday, May 19, The Salvation Army has provided 33,904 meals, 45,874 drinks, and 34,000 snacks, 18 Canteens (mobile feeding units), 978 Clean Up and 1,064 Comfort (hygiene) kits, and prayer with 4,033 persons since Sunday, May 19. Nearly 7,500 man-hours have been logged by volunteers, employees and officers.

For the most recent, detailed information, visit www.disaster.salvationarmyusa.org.

For those who would like to give to The Salvation Army, please consider a monetary donation. It is easy to give to The Salvation Army:

· By phone at 1-800-SAL-ARMY (1-800-725-2769)
· Online at www.salvationarmyusa.org

· By mail: The Salvation Army - Disaster Relief P.O. BOX 2536 Oklahoma City, OK 73102. Please make checks payable to "The Salvation Army" and clearly marked "May 2013 Oklahoma Tornadoes."

· You can also text the word “STORM” to 80888 to make a $10 donation through your mobile phone; to confirm your gift, respond with the word “Yes.”*


Currently, The Salvation Army is not accepting in-kind donations from the general public for disaster relief operations. In-kind donations require sorting, boxing, palletizing, storage, and delivery to the disaster location. All of these activities can be costly and time consuming, and therefore may delay service delivery. Used clothing and used furnishings are not needed for disaster relief.
However, The Salvation Army depends upon your donation of used clothing and other items to support local programming. Please consider donating your used clothing to your local Salvation Army Family Store.

In the Oklahoma City area, in-kind donations will only be accepted at The Salvation Army’s location at 7th St. and Pennsylvania Ave.

Reasor's $10K gift matched by generous Tulsans! & an F.A.Q.

These neighbors brought water.

This has been an incredible week, heart breaking and heart warming at the same time. I’ve spent much of the week talking to people on the phone who want to do something to help tornado victims in Moore, Shawnee, and other hard hit locales. “I want to do something but I feel so helpless,” said one kind businessman who wanted to give us a truckload of turkey sandwiches to deliver to Moore. We couldn’t accept them because they’re perishable, but he was interested in donating other items such as work gloves to help with the relief effort. If you have items you want to donate for tornado recovery, please take them to a Reasor’s store.


Reasor’s is one of our fantastic corporate partners and on Tuesday they announced that they would match up to $10,000 of gifts from the public. Tulsans, we made it! If you texted a $10 gift to STORM 80888, it just doubled in value!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

F.A.Q: Where to the donated items go?

Lots of folks who donated items for storm recovery wanted to know where they will be sent. Our warehouse at The Salvation Army (TSA) Tulsa Area Command is the largest TSA storage facility in Oklahoma, so we're going to keep the items we're collecting until they are requested by our staff working at storm recovery sites. We received word two days ago that too many things are being brought in to the recovery area and for agencies to stop sending things until it's better known what is needed.

We'll also need to sort the gifts we've received so we can easily access them to send. For example, if next week the only thing that is needed is work gloves, we don't want people on site to have to dig through other items to find them.

Volunteers helped collect items.

People also asked where our headquarters for storm recovery is. We call it an “Incident Command,” and currently we're using The Salvation Army Arkansas-Oklahoma Divisional Headquarters in Oklahoma City. We have a disaster logistics expert there who will be in charge of getting supplies that we collect in Tulsa to where they are needed in Moore.

Also, next week we hope to hear on-the-scene reports from fellow blogger Lindsay Sparks, who has been deployed to Incident Command on Sunday to work as a Public Information Officer there for seven days.

Have a happy and safe Memorial Day weekend and thank you for all your support this week. -Sallie

How Tulsans Can Help with Moore Tornado Disaster Relief

 From Tuesday morning's press release:

https://donate.salvationarmyusa.org/uss/eds/aok

Victor Higgins (left) and his wife Karen were the first people to donate items in Tulsa to help people in Moore.

In addition to taking a mobile feeding unit to Moore during the aftermath of the tornado, The Salvation Army Tulsa Area Command is collecting toiletries, hydration items and snacks to help people in Moore.  The Tulsa Area Command will collect the following items from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. TODAY (Tues., May 21)  in the west parking lot of their headquarters at 924 S. Hudson. 

UPDATE: Goods donations will be accepted through Friday- from 10am to 4:30pm on Wed and from 12noon to 4:30 on Thursday and Friday.
 

Bottled water

Gatorade

Wet wipes

Individually wrapped snacks

Hand sanitizer

Work gloves

Sunscreen

Heavy duty trash bags

Personal sanitation items, toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant.

NO CLOTHING DONATIONS ARE NEEDED AT THIS TIME. Storage is limited and must be used for immediate needs.

Cash donations are preferred, as the funds can be used immediately where there is the greatest.

All items will be used locally.  

How to donate funds:

 

DONATE BY MAIL

The Salvation Army Disaster Relief

P.O. BOX 12600

Oklahoma City, OK 73157

Please designate Oklahoma Tornado Relief on all checks.

 

DONATE BY PHONE

1-800-SAL-ARMY

(1-800-725-2769)

 

DONATE ONLINE

https://donate.salvationarmyusa.org/uss/eds/aok

 

TEXT TO GIVE: Text GIVE to 80888 for a $10 donation

Volunteers:

Volunteers are needed in Tulsa to assist with collecting donations.To find out more information about current and future volunteer needs, call 918-587-7801.

Visit our new home

I’m so excited to share this happy news! We have moved and it is your turn to see our great new facilities. Technically, they are ours but they also really belong to the Tulsa community, which is why you are invited to join us as we unveil our new space.  Come for the dedication and lift up a prayer for the long term success of this facility or come by for an open house and tour our offices and warehouses designed for toys, food and disaster materials!

When:  Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Where: Tulsa Area Command
            924 S. Hudson Ave.
            Tulsa, OK 74112
Time:  12:45 p.m. - Dedication of Facilities
            1:00 p.m.- 4:30 p.m. - Open House

Tulsa Area Command was previously located downtown at 16th & Main and occupied an 11,000 sq. ft. office building.  Each Christmas season, we spent $42,000 renting warehouse space and securing donated space of at least 50,000 sq. ft. to house our extensive Christmas programs. Our new 88,000 sq. ft. complex was purchased for $1.1 million as we sold our building at 16th & Main for $975,000; an advantageous swap considering the addition of 77,000 sq. ft.  Our new facility provides an annual savings from our budget previously used for warehouse rental while providing a permanent place for our community to visit for Christmas and disaster assistance. The office renovation project was funded through Board Restricted Capital Building Trusts held from planned giving bequests.  * All monies raised in Tulsa stay in Tulsa for our programs and services.

~Lindsay

Tulsa Kid is STATE Youth of the Year!

Broken Arrow's Alex Walker, Oklahoma's Youth of the Year,
with Governor Mary Fallin

For the first time in over a decade, a young person from a Tulsa area Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club has won the state Youth of the Year contest, qualifying him for the regional competition. Alex Walker from the Broken Arrow Boys & Girls Club competed with kids from six Oklahoma clubs to take the honor. After being selected as Tulsa’s Youth of the Year, Walker had to wow the judges at the state level. All of the Youths of the Year gathered in Oklahoma City last Tuesday to hear Governor Mary Fallin make a speech and meet the other young people. Walker, an Eagle Scout, distinguished himself with good grades, involvement with the BA club and many community activities. “But what made Alex stand out here at our BA club was how the other kids responded to him.  He is a leader and has compassion for those who need extra help.  Alex has a servant’s heart and wants to make a difference in someone's else's life,” Janis Fraley, BA unit director said. Congratulations Alex! 

 -Sallie

Half Krugerrand Found in Tulsa Kettle

A gold half Krugerrand was found yesterday in a Salvation Army kettle.The coin, made of a half ounce of gold, is valued at $680. The kettle was located at at Reasor’s Foods at 15th and Lewis. Up until last year, a Krugerrand (an African coin made of an ounce of gold) was dropped in a Salvation Army kettle in Tulsa for the last 15 years. No one ever identified the person who contributed the Krugerrands.  Last year, it was found in a kettle in Oklahoma City.

This coin was different from former Krugerrands given in Tulsa in that it was wrapped in a paper with “Merry Christmas” at the top, and typewritten lines from “Great Expectations” by Charles Dickens underneath. In past years, the Krugerrand  has  been wrapped in a dollar bill.

“We are thankful to whoever the generous peron is who gave us the half Krugerrand, because every year Tulsans watch for it to appear in a kettle. But we are also thankful to every person who drops a coin or bill in the kettle,” said Major Williams. The Salvation Army bought gifts and food for 3,500 Tulsa families with contributions from the kettles and Angel Trees this year.

-Sallie

Stuff the KHITS RV with Toy!

UPDATE: 
Thursday, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mikey B. with KHITS Morning Show will park their RV in the Owasso Walmart parking lot to make it really easy for shoppers to put a toy in the Stuff the KHITS RV promotion. Friday, Nard & Smigga will ask drivers, shoppers and anyone near the Tulsa Walmart at 66th & Memorial to stop and drop off a new, unwrapped toy. This is KHITS’ way of helping ensure that all the kids whose parents have signed up for Christmas assistance get what they want on Christmas morning! The Salvation Army will help an estimated 7,000 kids, so please Stop ‘n Stuff – we need all the toys we can get! 

-Sallie

Orlando, Here We Come!

Up to 50 football players from the Salvation Army North Mabee and Mabee Red Shield Boys & Girls Clubs will leave Fri., Dec. 3 for Orlando to play in the American Youth Football (AYF) national championship games. The teams, the Fifth Grade North Mabee Mustangs and the Sixth Grade Mabee Red Shield Cowboys, are the league’s regional champions.

The kids will have a send-off ceremony starting at 5:30 p.m. Friday at the North Mabee Boys & Girls Club, according to Sam Berry, Athletic Director of the Mabee Red Shield Club. Monday, Coach Berry was interviewed about the teams and the upcoming trip on Sports Night with Mike Wolfe. The show will air today through Friday at 6:30 p.m. and 10 p.m.

Jerome Smith, Director of the Mabee Red Shield club and volunteer Coach Philip Abode from the North Mabee Club will be with the kids on the trip. Other volunteer coaches, parents and team supporters are driving and flying to Orlando to be with the kids. They have all worked hard raising the $10,000 needed to fund the trip. The national championship games will end Fri., Dec. 10 and the kids will come home Sat., Dec. 11. While in Orlando, the Mabee Red Shield Cowboys  will go to Disney World and Universal Studios and the North Mabee Mustangs will see an Orlando Magic basketball game and go to Universal Studios.

Way to go, Mustangs and Cowboys! Have an unforgettably great time – you deserve it!
-Sallie

Thanksgiving Dinner Enjoyed at Center of Hope

Nearly ninety volunteers served traditional Thanksgiving dinners to 550 guests at the Center of Hope from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thanksgiving. One family volunteer group, all wearing humorous Thanksgiving hats, said they volunteered because they recently lost a family member who had been helped by the Salvation Army after returning from the Vietnam war. All of the volunteers brought plates of food, iced tea and desserts to the guests, many of whom were homeless. Guests seemed to enjoy the large meal, especially having a choice between four kinds of pies. In the lobby of the Center of Hope, volunteers handed out winter hats, gloves and bags of candy to guests after they ate. Rhonda McDaniel, TSA Volunteer Coordinator, said “This event was a success because of our dedicated volunteers. Thank you Tulsa!”  The dinner was covered by KOKI-Fox 23, KJRH-Channel 2 and KXAP Teletul Channel 51. 

 

 

North Mabee Boys & Girls Club Story Goes National

Wednesday was a big day for the Tulsa Command and the Salvation Army North Mabee Boys & Girls Club. Since May, we’ve all been anticipating how the story of the North Mabee club will be communicated to the rest of the country in the Salvation Army 2010 Online National Annual Report.  The story of the North Mabee club was selected from all the programs in the Southern Territory to be featured in the national annual report. Wednesday, the annual report went live and was e-mailed to every TSA officer in the U.S., every advisory board member and many TSA employees.

The four minute, 40 second North Mabee story was the longest segment of the annual report, and the only one about a Boys & Girls Club.  To me, the video captures the spirit of North Mabee; the challenges the kids experience and the opportunities the adults have created for them. The North Mabee club is not a just a place that shelters children from a tough neighborhood. It’s a place where people of integrity consider the present and future of each child and create programs to match the child’s needs. From club director Jo Bright to the coaches, the video also shows the deep love and compassion the adults have for  the children. I found it very touching. Let us know what you think!




-Sallie

One Youth Shares Her Story...

This week, at our Advisory Board meeting we were very blessed to have Marisha Grayson, a local Youth of the Year nominee, visiting to share her experiences with her local Boys & Girls Club.  Everyone in attendance was amazed by her courage, optimism and professional demeanor.  Below is a transcript of the speech she gave so you can all see how much impact one club and a strong staff can have on the lives of today's youth.   
 Happy reading!
~Lindsay


My name is Marisha Grayson and I am a senior at Booker T. Washington High School.

Mabee Red Shield (MRS) means so much to me.  I’ve been attending the club for six years and over this period of time my whole life has changed drastically.

Attending the club has allowed me to become the mature young woman that I am today.  When I first started coming to Mabee Red Shield I was very shy and quiet.  I remember my first day at club like yesterday.  I recall being timid around kids who were the same age as me, mainly because before I started coming to MRS, I attended a daycare where I was the oldest kid there.  Nevertheless, once I started getting older I slowly but surely began to come out of my shell.  The interaction with other kids has given me the abilities to be comfortable around people of all ages.

At the club I have learned to become a role model for not only the club kids but also for my siblings.  Although it’s pretty difficult to be a role model it’s really touching to know that one day they just might say, “Hey, I like what Marisha does for the club, I want to do that when I get a little older.”  That means that I have to always do the right things in order to be a positive influence for them.  However, it’s imperative for me to be a great role model for my siblings because I am paving the way for them to succeed.  I want them to know that whatever they put their mind to they can achieve, just like I did.

Behind the Scenes in TV Land

June 11 was a full day for Charles Gordon, age 12, a member of the Salvation Army Mabee Red Shield Boys & Girls Club. Charles and Major Roy Williams, Tulsa Area Commander, served as spokesmen for the upcoming June 21 Boys & Girls Club Charity Golf Tournament. Charles and TV anchors held informal putting contests on morning talk shows. As Kristin Dickerson, anchor for KTUL NewsChannel 8’s Good Day Tulsa, said to Charles, ”No pressure on live TV!” Charles practiced his putt on a practice green while Kristin talked to Major Williams about details of the tournament. Then Charles made a hole in one. Everyone on the set screamed with glee. Kristin missed the putt, but was a good sport about it.

On KJRH Channel-2, Charles’s most exciting moment was when he saw meteorologist Julie Chin on her way to the newsroom. Julie zoomed by Charles, which left him grinning and almost speechless. On the air, Charles gave KJRH anchor Justin Wilfon a putting lesson, but neither one of them made the putt. “I guess we both lost,” Justin said, but Charles was still smiling about seeing Julie Chin. Charles is the son of Salvation Army employees Jean and Jerome Smith. Jean is the Boys & Girls Club Administrative Assistant and Jerome is Director of the Mabee Red Shield Boys & Girls Club.

Thank you Charles for such a fun day and congratulations on your hole in one!
-Sallie