The Norman Transcript

Mar
09

2020

Page
A001
Clip
resized
49%
Photo Provided
Impact Oklahoma members celebrate 2019 grant winners
during last year’s annual meeting. Members will vote on
announce grant winners April 23 at Will Rogers Theatre in
Oklahoma City.

Competing for
special funding
Two Norman nonprofit organizations
announced as grant semi-finalists
By Jamie Berry
Transcript Staff Writer
Two Norman nonprofit
organizations are closer
to a possible $100,000 of
funding after being cho-
sen as semi-finalists for
Impact Oklahoma grants.
Mary Abbott Children’s
House is one of three
semi-finalists in the Fam-
ily category, and Bridges
of Norman is one of
three semi-finalists in the
Education category. After
on-site interviews, one
nonprofit will be selected
as a finalist in each of
five categories: Health
and Wellness, Family,
Community, Culture and
Education. Finalists will
be notified March 16.
During an Impact
Oklahoma meeting April
23 at Will Rogers Theatre
in Oklahoma City, each
finalist will make an eight-
minute presentation, then
members will vote on the
top grant winners and an-
nounce the winning non-
profits that night. Grant
checks will be awarded in
Impact Oklahoma
grant semi-finalists
s Health and Wellness:
Oklahoma Foundation
for the Disabled, Good
Shepherd Ministries Clinic,
Cleats 4 Kids
s Family: Mary Abbot
Children’s House, Remerge
of OK County, St. Luke’s
Meals on Wheels
s Community: Project
66, Woven Life, Campfire
of OK
s Culture: Allied Arts, El
Sistema, OKC Ballet
s Education: OCCC
Foundation, Rainbow Fleet,
Bridges of Norman
— Submitted Content
June.
Impact Oklahoma, com-
prised of a philanthropic
group of women, is in
its 15th year of award-
ing grants to nonprofits
in Canadian, Cleveland,
Logan and Oklahoma
See GRANT Page A6

Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.
 The Norman Transcript

A6 THE NORMAN TRANSCRIPT Monday, March 9, 2020

Grant:
From Page A1
counties. According to
impactok.org, 28 programs
have received $100,000 in
grants since 2005.
Diane Sachs, Impact
Oklahoma grant chair-
woman, said the group has
given away more than $3
million since 2005, and the
Mar award amount varies based
on membership numbers.
Photo Provided
Sooner Theatre Executive Director Jennifer Baker receives a
congratulatory hug from an Impact Oklahoma member during
Each member pays $1,000
09 in dues, which goes into
grant funding. If they have
last year’s annual membership meeting. This year’s meeting
will be April 23 at Will Rogers Theatre in Oklahoma City.
350 members, for example,
that, we need more space. ensure that Bridges meets
three organizations would
We’re also super excited some of the goals of helping
received $100,000, and the
about providing more space students with self esteem by
2020 remaining $50,000 would
be split between the other
for law enforcement and
on-site mental health.”
allowing them basic neces-
sities that will help them
two finalists.
Currently, Mary Abbott focus and perform well in
“Ideally, we’d love to have
has two forensic interview- school and/or get a job.
500 members, so we could
Page award $100,000 to all of the
finalists,” she said, adding
ers on staff, she said, and
the agency refers most
mental health assessments
“Maybe we can prevent
homelessness and in talking
with a student we could
that the staff works hard on
A006 growing membership for
this reason.
out to Bethesda and the
Center for Children and
learn that the family was
having trouble paying rent
Families Inc. and local and they were going to be
Last year, Sachs said
mental health agencies. The evicted,” Bruce said. “Maybe
Clip Impact Oklahoma had
242 members and raised
eventual goal, though, is we could help that family
resized $242,000. Sooner Theatre
to have an on-site mental
health person assess im-
stay housed, because we
know it’s cheaper to keep
was one $100,000 grant
25% recipient, and Variety Care
mediate needs and take on
a caseload at the nonprofit.
somebody housed than it
is to serve a family that’s
received $14,000.
This year, Sachs said a homeless. So any grant
funding that we can get just
From smaller number of nonprof- Bridges of Norman helps us continue to do this
its applied. Impact Okla-
and widens our reach to
A001 homa received 41 letters of
intent and 39 applications.
Bridges of Norman is
seeking grant funds for its
more teens in our commu-
nity.”
newest program, The SPOT, Bruce said The SPOT will
Mary Abbott a day center for youngsters be a featured site during
ages 14 to 21, Bridges Exec- Second Friday Art Walk,
Children’s House utive Director Stacy Bruce and she is reaching out to
said. Bridges helps teens see if any students would
Mary Abbott Children’s who struggle with housing, like to perform or showcase
House Executive Director food or other vital resources artwork.
Andreé Danley said the due to no fault of their own. “If you’re out, it’d be a
nonprofit is applying for the The nonprofit also has 20 great time to check out The
grant because the orga- student apartments used for SPOT,” she said.
nization is in a season of housing teens in need. Sachs said the Impact
growth and has seen about The goal of The SPOT, Oklahoma grant program
a 30% increase in forensic 526 W. Main St. across is a catalyst that causes
interview referrals from the from Sprout’s, is to lessen nonprofits to one-up their
Department of Human Ser- the amount of time teens game. The Oklahoma City-
vices and law enforcement. are in their circumstances, based organization hosts
A year ago, Mary Abbot she said. The Thomas Rus- mixers throughout the year
had about 40 interviews sell Foundation provided across their coverage area
a month. Last month, 79 Bridges with $100,000 last about once a month, and
forensic interviews were year for startup costs. members can help review
scheduled, she said. Bridges had a soft opening grant applications to learn
Mary Abbott Children’s for The SPOT, which stands more about nonprofits.
House is a child advo- for providing Support, “The most fulfilling part
cacy center in Norman that Purpose and Opportunity is learning more about the
serves District 21 — Cleve- so young people can Thrive, area,” she said.
land, Garvin and McClain Jan. 20 and officially opened Sachs said new members
counties. It helps children it to students Feb. 20. The will be accepted through
ages 3 to 18 who have open 3,000-square-foot center is April 23 via impactok.org.
cases with law enforcement open from 4 to 7 p.m. Mon-
or child protective services day through Friday and 11 Jamie Berry
for an alleged instance of a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Follow me @JamieStitches13
physical or sexual abuse, offers cable TV, free WiFi, jberry@normantranscript.com
witnessing a crime or being tutors, free meals and a food
in a drug-endangered situa- pantry.
tion, Danley said. Bruce said the Impact
The nonprofit received Oklahoma grant funds
$78,000 from Impact Okla- would allow The SPOT to
homa in 2006 to purchase add shower and laundry
its current building, she spaces and help cover pro-
said, but now additional gram costs including meals,
funds are needed to help case management, gathering
the nonprofit restructure paperwork and paying for
the inside and make the medical and dental care.
space more efficient so Currently, Bridges is
additional personnel can handling meals in conjunc-
be hired. The grant funds tion with the Regional Food
would help Mary Abbott Bank, which Bruce hopes
add five offices upstairs and will begin soon.
a bathroom in the medical She said the idea for The
suite to increase confidenti- SPOT came to her from a
ality and children’s comfort. conference she attended a
Danley said Mary Ab- couple of years ago. A fa-
bott is a neutral site where cilitator posed a question to
children can talk to “a attendees: If you can solve
specially trained forensic youth homelessness and put
interviewer who knows how yourself out of a job, would
to conduct that interview you do it?
without re-traumatizing “The answer was yes, but
the child.” Interviews are it got me to thinking what
child-led and child friendly we do at Bridges when a
and are recorded live while student lives with us at an
investigators are on site in a apartment, that’s a treat-
control room, ensuring that ment to homelessness. I’ve
the child only has to tell seen how difficult it is for
their story once during the young people to live inde-
investigation. That record- pendently,” Bruce said. “Not
ing can then be used by the only is it hard, it’s unfair.
District Attorney’s Office. Their peers aren’t necessari-
She said Registered ly having to do it and it’s just
Nurses are on site to do fo- really difficult. So I tried to
rensic medical assessments, change my approach to how
and family advocates work we could prevent homeless-
with the families and the ness.”
child to give them resources Since opening, Bruce said
so they can start focusing the center has averaged 12
on healing. to 20 teens a day and has
The nonprofit started in received positive feedback
1996 in space borrowed from supporters and stu-
from the University of dents. Also, teens don’t have
Oklahoma with one part- to be enrolled in school.
time staff member, Danley However, the goal over time
said. Now, Mary Abbott has is to encourage those teens
eight full-time staff mem- to re-enroll in high school
bers, two part-time staff to earn diplomas.
and has increased services Bruce said one student
to four program areas: fo- who has visited The SPOT
rensic interview, medical, reported to her that it gives
advocacy and educational, them the ability to learn and
which includes training live without the stressors of
other organizations how to home life and makes mental
recognize and record signs health more manageable.
of abuse. Usually two staff members
“We are super excited work at The SPOT at a time,
about the possibility of Bruce said, and Bridges is in
partnering with Impact need of a programs special-
Oklahoma again during this ist/case manager. Those in-
season of growth, so that terested can submit resumes
we’re just able to provide to Associate Executive
this space in order to grow,” Director Bianca Gordon by
Danley said. “There’s an March 13.
urgent need for us to hire Bruce said winning the
another forensic inter- grant would ensure some
viewer and in order to do longevity for The SPOT and

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