Presented by Sponsored by

Honoring organizations that support

nonprofits around Oklahoma
 Making our communities
a better place

Thank you to all the Beacon Award nominees for shining a light of corporate
responsibility. First Fidelity Bank is proud to support like-minded businesses
that strive every day to make our state a better place. Your dedication to the
community and your bright shining light serve as a beacon for all Oklahomans.
We are proud to salute you.

FFB.COM | OKLAHOMA CITY (405 416 2223) | TULSA (918 728 6345)
Building better communities
through effective nonprofits

720 W. Wilshire Blvd., Suite 115, Oklahoma City, OK 73116

www.okcnp.org
800-338-1798

The Journal Record Beacon Awards 2016 • 1

 Welcome PROGRAM
Award Presentation
and Dinner
July 14, 2016

The Skirvin Hilton Hotel

Oklahoma City

Welcome

Joni Brooks
President & Publisher
The Journal Record

Presenting Sponsor Remarks

Lee Symcox
THE JOURNAL RECORD is pleased to present the ninth
annual Beacon Awards event and magazine. This program is
President & CEO
designed to recognize and honor the businesses that offer vital First Fidelity Bank
support to Oklahoma’s nonprofit community. We are honoring
34 businesses and organizations this year that have played
instrumental roles in supporting the nonprofit programs that
help so many Oklahomans in need. Presentation
We will recognize honorees in seven categories and will
present Beacon Awards to an overall winner in each category.
These companies not only provide generous financial support Nonprofits Serving
(Philanthropic Impact), they have also developed cultures of Nonprofits
volunteerism within their organizations (Charitable Influence)
that have a far-reaching impact on the communities where they Janetta Cravens
operate. VP of Programs
In addition, six nonprofits will receive recognition for their Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits
service to other nonprofits in Oklahoma.
We would like to thank our presenting sponsor, First Fidelity
Bank, which came to us with the concept for this event and has Philanthropic Impact
continued to be part of its growth through the years. We also
thank additional sponsors the Chickasaw Nation and Oklahoma
Center for Nonprofits for their support of this important
Janetta Cravens
program.
VP of Programs
Congratulations to all our honorees. We hope you enjoy the Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits
event and the profiles of these organizations that work to make
Oklahoma such a special place to live.
Charitable Influence

Lee Symcox
President & CEO
First Fidelity Bank
Joni Brooks, President & Publisher,
The Journal Record Publishing Co.

Sponsored by
Presented by

ations that support

Honoring organiz Oklahoma
nonprofits around

2 • The Journal Record Beacon Awards 2016

The Journal Record 2016
Beacon Awards
NONPROFITS SERVING NONPROFITS
A Twist of Fate - ATS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
American Red Cross of Central/Southwest Oklahoma. . . . . 6
Better Business Bureau of Central Oklahoma . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
OKC Dream Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Oklahoma Humanities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Oklahoma Public School Resource Center. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
PHILANTHROPIC IMPACT - LARGE
The Chickasaw Nation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Enable Midstream Partners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
PHILANTHROPIC IMPACT - MEDIUM
Delta Dental of Oklahoma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Enel Green Power North America Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Lowe’s of Central OKC #2540 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Shawnee Milling Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Skirvin Hilton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
PHILANTHROPIC IMPACT - SMALL
BA Buzz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Brown-O’Haver. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
ITC Great Plains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Plenty Mercantile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Waters Edge Winery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Large business finalists Medium business finalists
500+ employees 51-499 employees
The Beacon Awards is a publication of
The Journal Record
Oklahoma City
101 N. Robinson Ave.,
Ste. 101, Oklahoma City, OK 73102
(405) 278-2800
www.journalrecord.com
2016 Honorees
CHARITABLE INFLUENCE - LARGE
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Citizen Potawatomi Nation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Enable Midstream Partners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
IBC Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
CHARITABLE INFLUENCE - MEDIUM
BKD CPAs & Advisors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Delta Dental of Oklahoma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Eastman National Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Johnson Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Mabrey Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Oklahoma Electric Cooperative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
CHARITABLE INFLUENCE - SMALL
Bare Property Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Castle Falls Restaurant & Special Event Center . . . . . . . . . . 26
Children’s Musical Theatre of Bartlesville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Gaddis & Gaddis Wealth Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
MA+ Architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
OKC Faith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Small business finalists
50 employees or less
President & Publisher.............................. Joni Brooks
Editor.........................................................Ted Streuli
Advertising Director........................... James Bridges
Special Publications Editor.............. Jessica Mitchell
Copy Editor/Web Editor............................. Ron Clay
Advertising Supervisor........................ Anne Richard
Events Manager....................................Angie Anson
Advertising Account Managers..............................
Wendy Duncan, Stefanie Latham, Vicki Madden,
Mark McDevitt, Stacy Merritt and Kent Perkins
Writers..........................Heide Brandes, Jessica Mitchell
Graphic Designer................................... Michael Duntz
photos submitted by honorees
The Journal Record Beacon Awards 2016 • 3
 2016 Sponsor Profiles
First Fidelity Bank
FIRST FIDELITY BANK NA is a
locally owned full-service community bank
established in 1920. As a family-owned,
nationally chartered financial institution, the
bank has 29 branches serving the Oklahoma
City metro, Tulsa, and Arizona markets.
With total assets of more than $1.4 billion,
First Fidelity Bank provides commercial and
retail banking, investment and trust services,
mortgage origination and merchant services.
At First Fidelity Bank (FFB), high
performance standards and industry-leading
innovation are paramount. Professionalism
combined with creative lending practices
are how First Fidelity maintains its strong
reputation. The bank’s core values center on
building lasting and meaningful relationships
based on mutual trust.
First Fidelity Bank’s hardworking and
loyal workforce amounts to a staff of more
than 375, and each employee is part of the
First Fidelity family. FFB is dedicated to
hiring and maintaining quality employees for
Oklahoma Center
for Nonprofits
FOUNDED IN 1981 by Pat and Ray Potts,
the Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits strengthens
Oklahoma nonprofits and communities through
state-of-the-art trainings, custom-tailored
consultations, strategic discussions, membership,
and a concentrated advocacy platform.
Guided and informed by its own proven
sustainability model, the center’s goal is to
equip Oklahoma nonprofits with the necessary
knowledge and tools to effectively achieve
maximum impact; therefore, strengthening the
nonprofit sector and the hundreds of communities
it serves. The center’s assiduous commitment
to leading practices impacts Oklahoma’s
communities by assisting nonprofits of all types
in accomplishing their missions. It is through the
success of other organizations that its mission of
“building better communities through effective
nonprofits” is fulfilled.
The center offers more than 250 workshops
annually statewide and continues to pioneer
new curriculum adapted to meet the needs
4 • The Journal Record Beacon Awards 2016
whom meeting the needs of the community
is not a job expectation, but a passion. These
employees take pride in knowing their clients
by name, and enjoy giving their time and
resources through nonprofit and charitable
organizations, religious organizations,
children’s sports and more.
Every year, FFB offers service-based
and financial resources to assist those in its
local communities. The Bank is a consistent
supporter of nonprofit organizations, and
an active United Way Pacesetter, helping
to set giving trends and donating more
than $250,000 annually to many local
organizations. In 2015, First Fidelity partnered
with regional food banks to collect over 1,200
pounds of food for families in need.
With more than 90 years of support to
neighborhood partners, First Fidelity Bank
believes that giving back to the community is
an important responsibility, one that will foster
growth and goodwill in our city for years to
come – and in that spirit, we congratulate this
year’s Beacon Award nominees.
of Oklahoma’s nonprofit sector. It now
serves approximately 3,000 people a year
through trainings, over 1,500 through private
consultations, and has more than 900 members.
There are currently over 700 graduates
of the Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits
flagship Standards for Excellence program,
which comprehensively addresses ethics and
accountability leading practices.
Although the center has made great strides
in recent years, it continues to expand its reach
statewide by increasing its resource output to
nonprofits outside Oklahoma City and Tulsa.
There are nearly 19,000 nonprofit organizations
in Oklahoma and the center continues to offer
its services with the intent to foster a unified
and professional nonprofit sector operating
according to leading practices and achieving
maximum impact in their respective communities.
In addition to its workshops, trainings, and
consultations, the center operates a free nonprofit
helpline and its Shared Services department offers
critical financial help to nonprofits of all sizes.
 2016 Sponsor Profiles
The Chickasaw Nation
THE EARLY CHICKASAW settlements
covered a large area of the present-day
southeastern United States. Parts of modern-day
Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi
were the homelands of the Chickasaw for
thousands of years.
Chickasaw people adapted quickly to new
surroundings after they were removed to Indian
Territory in the 1830s.
Since that time, Chickasaws have been an
important piece in the culturally diverse and
dynamic state of Oklahoma.
Chickasaws today celebrate the blending of
cultures, innovative attitudes and the indomitable
spirit that have helped the tribe thrive.
Today, the Chickasaw Nation has more than
62,000 citizens and employs nearly 14,000 people.
Jurisdictional territory of the Chickasaw
Nation includes 7,648 square miles of south-
central Oklahoma. It encompasses all or parts of
13 Oklahoma counties.
The tribal government of the Chickasaw
Nation is a democratic republic and is modeled
after the federal government of the United States.
Registered Chickasaw voters elect a governor
and lieutenant governor, 13 members to the
tribal legislature and three justices on the tribal
Supreme Court.
Bill Anoatubby has served as governor of the
Chickasaw Nation since 1987.
Deep, clear lakes and spring-fed rivers
surrounded by beautiful rolling hills contribute to
the fascinating landscape of the Chickasaw Nation.
Along with these picturesque landscapes, the
Chickasaw Nation offers many wonderful activities
and tourist attractions to enjoy with the whole family.
The beautifully restored Chickasaw Nation
Capitol and Council House Museum in
Tishomingo and the White House in nearby Emet
can transport visitors to the historic days of Indian
Territory.
Likewise, the Chickasaw Cultural Center in
Sulphur is a state-of-the-art campus devoted to
sharing and celebrating Chickasaw history and
culture.
Exciting restaurants, a championship golf
course, hotels, world-class gaming facilities and
the Bedré gourmet chocolate factory complete the
experience.
For more information about the Chickasaw
nation, visit, www.Chickasaw.net or www.
ChickasawCountry.com.

table sponsors
Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Oklahoma Gaddis & Gaddis Wealth Management
Brown O’Haver Public Adjusters IBC Bank
Citizen Potawatomi Nation ITC Great Plains
Delta Dental of Oklahoma MA+ Architecture
Eastman National Bank Mabrey Bank
Enable Midstream Partners Oklahoma Electric Cooperative

The Journal Record Beacon Awards 2016 • 5

The Journal Record 2016
Beacon Awards
A Twist of Fate - ATS
ANDREA TAYLOR WAS tired of hearing
that there were no treatment options for her son
or that the doctors didn’t know how to treat him
and others diagnosed with arterial tortuosity
syndrome.
Known as ATS for short, the extremely rare
genetic disorder is characterized by lengthening
and twisting or distortion of arteries throughout
the body. The disease has a 40-percent mortality
rate by the age of 5.
Faced with this dismal outlook and frustration
with the lack of treatment options, Taylor in 2014
started a nonprofit called A Twist of Fate-ATS and
is collaborating with the best doctors in the world
to conduct quality research on this orphan disease.
“Our aims and objectives of this program are
to move this rare disease to clinical trials with
the support and input from patients and families
Timothy Viktova of Hannah, Okla., and Dakota
Boxwell of Noble carry meals provided by Red
Cross to friends helping with cleanup in Moore
following the May 2013 tornado. Photo by Jason
Colston/American Red Cross
VIRTUALLY EVERY SINGLE day the
American Red Cross of Central/Southwest
Oklahoma renders direct public assistance through
services to the armed forces, public health and
safety training, blood services, and to victims of
house fires and other small disasters. Much of
its community support, though, is done through
partnerships with its vast network of nonprofit
partners.
“American Red Cross is very visible in times of
disaster. We are often on scene as or soon after first
6 • The Journal Record Beacon Awards 2016
nonprofits serving nonprofits
living with the disorder,” Taylor said. “Without
this collaboration, families would not have a voice,
and would have minimal impact on the research
being done. … This in turn gives families hope,
lets them see what the processes are involved with
the research being done, and allows researchers a
different view – that they are not test vials, they are
Joe, Collin, Aiden and Lily.”
Taylor’s vision has helped create a medical code
for ATS, ignited at least eight research projects in
the first two years, started the first ATS clinic in
the world, will start the first European ATS clinic
in 2017 and is looking to start a third clinic in
Saudi Arabia within four years.
“Our organization demonstrates a culture
that encourages charitable giving by helping
support research for ATS, provides scholarships
for families in need of travel or testing costs, and
American Red Cross of
Central/Southwest
Oklahoma
responders arrive. We set up Mass Care, feeding,
sheltering, and casework operations. Because of
this long tradition of supporting Oklahomans
in times of need, we often are benefactors of the
public’s financial support,” said Brad Barghols,
regional chief executive of the American Red
Cross of Central/Southwest Oklahoma. “With
our long-established relationships with dozens of
nonprofit and emergency management agencies,
we are able to target resources to those agencies
with the expertise and track record of meeting
specific needs.”
The American Red Cross served as the lead
agency for the Oklahoma Disaster Recovery
Project, a collaboration of agencies responding
to meet the long-term recovery needs of those
affected by the May 2013 Oklahoma storms. In
addition to serving as the lead agency, the Red
Cross funded all but one partner agency with more
than $4.8 million in grants to fully cover their
staffing, transportation, and communication needs
associated with their long-term recovery expenses.
Because of this collaboration, 4,072 families
ATS patients Joe, Collin and Bert.
involves our community, by bringing families
together at conferences and other events,” Taylor
said. “We strive to help our families know that
they are never alone, that there are others who can
share experiences and help them find the right
treatment in a time of uncertainty and at times
despair. We support researchers by relaying areas
of importance from families and work with them
to find scientific significance to further the process
to eventually find the cure for ATS.”
received case management services, with their
recovery needs being met.
As a part of the collaboration with other
community partners, the Red Cross has funded
Habitat for Humanity with $488,500 in grants and
is in the process of approving another $175,000.
These grants have helped make repairs to damaged
homes and provide storm shelters to families in
the affected areas. In addition, Lutheran Social
Services received funding for its Camp Noah,
which provided hope and healing to almost
1,000 elementary-aged children. Red Cross also
provided funds for the Moore Helmets for Schools
organization to buy 15,000 helmets for students
to wear while taking tornado precautions. It also
funded several other items for the Moore Public
Schools, including furniture replacement not
covered by insurance, a sound system destroyed in
the mid-high gym, and gap funding for the shelters
installed at the damaged and destroyed schools, in
addition to individual grants to teachers to replace
classroom supplies not provided by the schools.
 PROUD MEMBERS OF
THE COMMUNITIES
WE SERVE AND YOUR
TRUSTED ENERGY
ADVISOR SINCE 1937

Being educational facility planners, MA+ Architecture

decided to focus our volunteer efforts on the needs of our
education system. Congratulations to the 20 hardworking
individuals who completed 325 hours of volunteer work
through our “Architects for Education” program!

MAplusArchitecture MAplusArch MAplusArchitecture MAplusArchitecture

w w w. m a p l u s a r c h i t e c t u r e . c o m w w w. s c h o o l s a f e r o o m s o k . c o m

The Journal Record Beacon Awards 2016 • 7

The Journal Record 2016
Beacon Awards
Better Business Bureau of
Central Oklahoma
START WITH TRUST. This slogan is the
essence behind the work the Better Business
Bureau of Central Oklahoma has done for nearly
a century in Oklahoma.
BBB ensures that high standards for trust
are set and maintained. They exist so consumers
and businesses alike have an unbiased source to
guide them on matters of trust. BBB also provides
educational information and expert advice that is
free of charge and easily accessible.
“We believe every interaction in the
marketplace is initiated and then cemented
in our core principles, hence our slogan Start
with Trust,” said Sean Rose, director of public
Volunteers work to distribute books from Feed
the Children.
FOR MANY CHILDREN across the nation,
school meals are the only consistent food they get
in a day. So when school is out for the summer,
many of these kids go hungry.
As one of Feed the Children’s sites for its
Summer Food & Education Program, OKC
Dream Center is working to combat that
problem. The summer feeding site serves
healthy lunches to children four days a week.
Volunteers also distribute books, school
supplies, and other items from Feed the
Children. Kids get to participate in day camps
8 • The Journal Record Beacon Awards 2016
nonprofits serving nonprofits
relations and community outreach. “With that
in mind we see TRUST Talks as an expansion of
that premise.”
TRUST Talks, a new program pioneered by
the BBB of Central Oklahoma, provides best
practices and training for the local community
that has sparked interest and talks of replication
amongst other BBBs across North America.
“TRUST Talks are conversations with the
local community that present a great idea or
practice for those in business to consider and
utilize,” Rose said. “TRUST Talks are our hope to
build a community of people from every industry
and mindset who seek a deeper understanding
OKC Dream Center
and sporting activities. These day camps are
made possible by working with other nonprofits.
Camp Noah is a one-week day camp operated by
Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota.
“As a 2016 camp site, we are providing
volunteers, facilities, food, and transportation to
provide a day camp to 50 children,” said Chase
Parson, external relations director and co-founder
of OKC Dream Center. “Camp Noah provides
curriculum and materials. The camp focuses on
preparing kids for storms and helping kids process
trauma related to storms and ‘storms of life.’”
Partnering with other nonprofits and churches
is what makes OKC Dream Center’s programs
possible, he said.
“We assist other nonprofits in fulfilling their
mission by being a site or program partner. For
example, Spero Resources provides our food
pantry with groceries for about 100 families
every month.”
Members of the Better Business Bureau of Central
Oklahoma at the March 2016 Oklahoma City
Home and Garden Show.
of best practices to help further business and
commerce within the state. We believe ardently in
the concepts of innovation and advancement that
will ultimately lead to a proactive and advanced
marketplace.”
These seminars are offered at discounted
prices to area nonprofits.
Another way BBB of Central Oklahoma
supports local nonprofit agencies is by providing
meeting space at its Film Row offices free of
charge to nonprofits registered with the BBB Wise
Giving Alliance at give.org.
OKC Dream Center exists to reach, rescue, and
restore people isolated by poverty in Oklahoma
City by meeting basic needs through hunger relief,
clothing and basic needs, and seasonal drives;
and preventive programs for at-risk kids and
youth. In addition, OKC Dream Center works
on building relationships and referrals through
its Community Resource Center, which provides
assistance to adults with employment, education,
family counseling, substance addiction, foster care
intervention, and other complex issues.
OKC Dream Center’s preventive programs for
at-risk kids and youth include Mentoring Mondays,
Warriors Wrestling and Canaries Running.
“Every member that volunteers with OKC
Dream Center leaves with an improved sense
of empowerment to influence their world for
the better, a stronger foundation of teamwork, a
humble pride of the opportunity to serve others,
and so much more,” Parson said.
The Journal Record 2016
Beacon Awards
Oklahoma Humanities
FOR MORE THAN four decades, Oklahoma
Humanities has brought the rich stories about
the human experience found in the academic
humanities to the people of Oklahoma. In addition
to several programs it administers itself, the group’s
community grant program donates an average
of $200,000 a year to help fund local programs
to help achieve that goal. Oklahoma Humanities
awards funds to nonprofits throughout the state
to programs grounded within the humanities
disciplines of history, literature, philosophy, art
criticism and history, ethics and jurisprudence.
“Our mission is to strengthen communities
by helping Oklahomans understand the human
experience, gain new perspectives, and participate
knowledgeably in civic life,” said Ann Thompson,
executive director of Oklahoma Humanities. “This
mission has taken on even greater significance as the
world has become more complex and issues that affect
Oklahomans’ lives have taken on critical importance.”
In fiscal year 2015, the organization invested
$232,313 in communities located across
OPSRC team members with the 2015 Warren
Spahn Award winner, Houston Astros’ Dallas
Keuchel. OPSRC sponsors the high school
student athletes for this event each year.
AS BUDGET CUTS continue, so does the
challenge for school districts to make ends meet while
providing a quality education for Oklahoma students.
Oklahoma Public School Resource Center’s
goal is to help schools overcome that challenge
by providing essential consulting services,
professional development and much-needed
resources for the state’s public school districts.
After seeing the successes of a similar group
in Arkansas, Oklahoma’s Inasmuch Foundation,
Schusterman Foundation and George Kaiser
Foundation teamed up with the Walton Family
Foundation to provide startup funding for OPSRC.
nonprofits serving nonprofits
Oklahoma. These funds produced 835 events that
reached 165,630 audience members. An example
of a community grant was a $5,000 award to
Living Arts Center in Tulsa for an exhibit entitled
“Speaking Volumes.”
“Through (Oklahoma Humanities) support for
Speaking Volumes/Transforming Hate, Living Arts
was able to host an academic symposium focusing
on how art is and can be a vehicle for social
change,” said Peter Hay, director of development
and public relations for the Living Arts Center in
Tulsa. “Living Arts’ tag line is ‘Art that makes you
talk.’ Oklahoma Humanities made this happen to
the highest degree.”
Other grant awards helped support events
including Revolutionary Day on the Hill, an
educational day for fifth-graders at the state
Capitol; The Big Read, a community-wide reading
program sponsored by the Pioneer Library System
in Norman; and “Intent to Deceive: Fakes and
Forgeries in the Art World,” an art exhibit with
accompanying curator talks held at the Oklahoma
Oklahoma Public School
Resource Center
Since it launched in January 2014, OPSRC has
saved public schools across the state approximately
$350,000. This savings comes in the form of a
variety of services and products, including higher-
quality, reduced-rate school websites that more
effectively organize and communicate information
to the public; year-round free professional
development for administrators, classroom
teachers and other school support staff members;
unlimited, year-round consulting services in
five areas – teaching and learning, technology,
finance, legal, and communications; bond passage
assistance, including the creation of important
communication tools like websites and supporting
videos; free regional annual conferences, which
reduce the time and budget constraints of travel
for educators while still providing them another
opportunity for collaboration and training to
improve their craft; and partnerships with various
businesses to provide discounted services and
products to benefit schools.
“An educated, civic-minded, skilled workforce
provides both social and economic benefits to
all communities, so we work with each of our
The Journal Record Beacon Awards 2016 • 9
FIRSTEP reading collection
City Museum of Art. Funds also were provided
to the Cherokee Heritage Center in Tahlequah
for its statewide outreach program on Cherokee
traditional ways and to the Oklahoma History
Center’s statewide program History Alive, which
provides first-person historical portrayals to
schools and general public alike.
“Understanding the humanities (the human
experience) helps us better understand our past
and where we are today,” Thompson said. “This
understanding is important as we look to the future
and make decisions for ourselves and those who
will follow us. Using the wealth of wisdom that the
humanities offer makes us all better citizens.”
schools to determine how we can best assist
them in achieving this,” said OPSRC Executive
Director Brent Bushey. “Whether it’s implementing
new and innovative curriculum, incorporating
successful teaching strategies we’ve discovered in
other states or countries, addressing technological
needs with a streamlined, more efficient network
or restructuring their operations to include
best financial practices that will save money,
we are looking to relieve burdens from both
administrators and teachers so they can return to
focusing on their critical and primary mission of
educating our children.”
The majority of schools the organization has
helped throughout Oklahoma are rural and public
charter schools.
“We believe all students, no matter what school
they attend, deserve an equal shot at success and
the same opportunity at a high-quality education
that incorporates access to technology and other
resources common in larger schools,” Bushey said.
“Our mission is to find cost-effective means of
helping schools provide this.”
The Journal Record 2016
Beacon Awards
The Chickasaw Nation
HEART DISEASE AND stroke are the No. 1
and No. 5 killers of Americans today. Stress, extra
weight and unhealthy choices can exacerbate the
deadly diseases, but the Chickasaw Nation found
a way to help not only its tribal members, but also
an organization that fights against heart disease,
turn the tables.
Cardiovascular disease is the nation’s top
killer, and nearly 40 percent of Oklahoma
City-area deaths are linked to cardiovascular
disease. Funding research, fighting for public
health policies and providing critical tools
and information to save and improve lives, the
American Heart Association provides public
health education to emphasize the importance
of healthy lifestyle choices.
The Chickasaw Nation supported the
American Heart Association’s initiatives to
raise funds to save lives from heart disease
and stroke. Specifically, Gov. Bill Anoatubby
and the Chickasaw Nation see the AHA’s Heart
Walk as a method to promote physical activity
and heart-healthy living, while raising money
to fight these diseases.
Enable Midstream Partners
Enable Midstream Partners donated TV spots
valued at $945,000 to area nonprofits, includ-
ing United Way, Habitat for Humanity, Special
Olympics, Allied Arts, Regional Food Bank,
Sunbeam Family Services, Big Brothers/Big Sisters
and Junior Achievement.
GAINING FREE OR low-cost positive
publicity can make a huge difference in the success
of nonprofit organizations.
A major philanthropic gift made by Enable
Midstream Partners gave several area nonprofit
10 • The Journal Record Beacon Awards 2016
philanthropic impact - large
“By participating in American Heart
Association initiatives, Chickasaw Nation
employees and others learn how healthy eating,
stress management, physical activity, weight
management and healthy choices reduce the
chances of heart disease and stroke,” said
Chris Anoatubby, undersecretary of tribal and
commercial health for the Chickasaw Nation.
“They are able to be a part of a program that
makes a difference in lives on a national level.”
The Chickasaw Nation, through fundraising and
donation for the 2016 Heart Walk, raised $443,548,
which helped AHA’s Central Oklahoma Heart Walk
set a new fundraising record of $1.505 million.
“With the support and direction from Gov.
Anoatubby, the participation and response
from Chickasaw Nation employees has been
incredible,” said Anoatubby. “By year four, the
Chickasaw Nation Heart Walk Team raised more
than $330,000, which made it the top fundraising
team in Oklahoma and in the top 10 in the
United States.”
By year five, Anoatubby chaired this event. In
addition, the Chickasaw Nation has served as the
presenting sponsor of the Oklahoma City Heart
organizations the opportunity to do just that,
exposing their organizations to millions of people.
Enable used its television advertising inventory
in last season’s Oklahoma City Thunder game
broadcasts to partner with Oklahoma City
charities and create an opportunity for them to
showcase their organizations.
“The objective of this program was to continue
to strengthen the communities where we live and
work and to offer a valuable advertising outlet to
these outstanding organizations, providing them
with an opportunity to receive exposure that they
would not normally be able to afford,” said Brian
Alford, vice president of communications and
public affairs for Enable Midstream. “Through
this exposure, nonprofits were able to increase
awareness for their organizations, which will
hopefully lead to an increase in financial support
and volunteerism.”
Oklahoma City Thunder game broadcasts reach
more than 6 million viewers in a five-state area.
Throughout the six-month-long season,
Enable donated a total of 333 30-second TV
Sportacus, the athletic hero from the children’s
television show LazyTown, talks to children at
the Chickasaw Nation Child Development
Center and the Chickasaw Nation Head Start
in Ada about the importance of an active
lifestyle as part of the 2016 Kids Heart Challenge.
Photographed by Marcy Gray
Ball, an event that this year raised more than
$800,000 to fund research, education, community
programs and services in the Oklahoma City area.
In an effort to educate younger generations,
Chickasaw Nation citizens have also routinely
been involved in the American Heart Association
Sweetheart Program.
spots worth $945,000 to Oklahoma City-based
community partners. Benefiting agencies
included United Way, Habitat for Humanity,
Special Olympics, Allied Arts, Regional Food
Bank, Sunbeam Family Services, Big Brothers/Big
Sisters and Junior Achievement.
“Allied Arts is sincerely grateful for the
generosity of Enable Midstream Partners and its
commitment to the community and the arts,”
said Deborah McAuliffe Senner, president and
CEO of Allied Arts. “The television spot that
they donated to our organization allowed for us
to gain prominent exposure to a new and large
audience that would have been very difficult to
secure otherwise. We received an abundance of
comments from people who had seen the spot
and know that it helped Allied Arts become top of
mind to viewers across Oklahoma.”
This program is one aspect of Enable
Midstream’s community engagement initiatives that
have helped define a pillar of the company’s culture
centered around philanthropy, service, community
engagement and teamwork, Alford said.
SUCCESS IS ACHIEVED BY WORKING TOGETHER.
Enable Midstream is proud to support the work of our local nonprofit organizations.

Together, we are strengthening our community.

The Journal Record Beacon Awards 2016 • 11

The Journal Record 2016
Beacon Awards
Delta Dental of Oklahoma
THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN
gum disease and other chronic inflammatory
conditions, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease
and respiratory diseases, can be a major factor in a
patient’s overall health.
Almost all patients at Good Shepherd
Ministries in Oklahoma City have one or more of
these conditions, so comprehensive dental care, in
addition to the medical care they receive, is vital.
Recognizing this, Delta Dental of Oklahoma
and its Oral Health Foundation are large
supporters of the Good Shepherd free dental clinic.
Since 2002, Delta Dental has donated $648,600
to the organization for dental equipment and
supplies. That includes $190,200 this year.
The Good Shepherd Ministries clinic was
founded in 1977 and began providing dental
care in 1982. The clinic provides medical care
for underserved and uninsured patients at no
cost. Good Shepherd provides cleanings, fillings,
dentures and partials in addition to extractions and
served more than 2,000 dental patients last year.
“The Affordable Care Act did nothing to
address access to dental care,” said Terrisa
The Immortales exhibit attracted more than 30,000
visitors, including thousands of students from across
Oklahoma.
IN 2015, FOR the first time in history, a
collection of 20 busts of Roman emperors from the
world’s oldest museum, the Capitoline Museums of
Rome, made their way to Oklahoma.
Thanks to Enel Green Power North America
Inc., those priceless Roman busts ranging from
the age of Augustus (1st century, B.C.) to the late
Roman Empire (5th century, A.D.) were put on
display in the Immortales exhibit at the Fred Jones
Jr. Museum of Art at the University of Oklahoma.
Enel Green Power North America, or EGP-
12 • The Journal Record Beacon Awards 2016
philanthropic impact - medium
Singleton, director of the Delta Dental of
Oklahoma Oral Health Foundation. “In
Oklahoma, emergency extractions are the only
dental services covered by Medicaid for adults.
That means even if a patient is fortunate enough
to have SoonerCare coverage, he or she still must
suffer through months of dental pain before the
infected tooth becomes sufficiently decayed to
qualify for emergency extraction – unless they find
a resource like Good Shepherd.”
Delta Dental’s philanthropic gift includes a
challenge grant that will match donations from
other sources, dollar for dollar, up to $50,000.
This challenge grant, Singleton said, was initiated
to stimulate additional monetary donations to
the Good Shepherd clinic, which is currently in
financial distress.
“Basically, if it wasn’t for Delta Dental’s
foundation, we probably wouldn’t be able to run
our dental clinic,” said Pam Timmons, executive
director Good Shepherd Ministries. “They have
not only helped us financially, but helped us with
community awareness by giving us a grant to pay
the Gooden Group to do PR and marketing for us.”
Enel Green Power of
North America inc.
NA, also brought ancient, never-before-studied
artifacts into the OU classroom. The Hidden
Treasure of Rome project brought a new sense of
arts and culture into the neighboring communities.
In addition, epigraphs and materials from the
Capitoline Museums’ Antiquarium are being
cataloged, analyzed and studied by undergraduate
students from the university’s Department of
Classics and Letters.
Through this philanthropic effort, EGP-NA
and the University of Oklahoma were able to
provide cultural, educational and economical
benefits of the Capitoline Museums’ artwork to
local communities and residents in Oklahoma.
This contribution to the museum and OU
provided students and the local community with
one-of-a-kind access to historical artifacts, leading
to one of the most successful exhibits that the
museum has hosted.
EGP-NA contributed nearly $200,000 to
support the Hidden Treasure of Rome project
Volunteer dental professionals provide free
dental care to an Oklahoman in need at the
Good Shepherd Dental Clinic.
Delta Dental’s philanthropic efforts don’t end
with Good Shepherd Ministries. Through its Oral
Health Foundation, Delta Dental of Oklahoma
awarded more than $2 million to oral health access
and education programs across the state this year, and
has contributed almost $19 million to such endeavors
since the foundation was founded in 1998.
Seventy percent of this funding goes toward
providing access to dental care to various low-
income and vulnerable populations. Other funding
supports professional education at the University
of Oklahoma College of Dentistry and other state
universities, education of the state’s youth with
the Captain Supertooth dental health education
program in elementary schools, and other initiatives.
in Oklahoma. In addition to the sponsorship,
EGP-NA hired external resources to support this
project, including a project liaison and a video
producer, and also dedicated significant internal
resources to manage the project and ensure its
overall success and growth.
“We aim to bring value to every community
where we operate, and the Hidden Treasures of
Rome is a one-of-a-kind opportunity that enables
community engagement, while also cultivating
discussion of our shared global history, interests
and experiences,” said CEO Rafael Gonzalez.
In three months, the exhibit welcomed more
than 12,000 visitors, a significant increase in
attendance from the same time last year. Last
October, the museum recorded its second-highest
monthly visitor attendance in the past decade with
6,097 visitors, a 71-percent increase in attendance
from October 2014. This success led EGP-NA,
the Capitoline Museums, and the Fred Jones Jr.
Museum to extend the exhibit by three months.
The Journal Record 2016
Beacon Awards
Lowe’s of Central
Oklahoma City, Store #2540
EVERY YEAR, EMPLOYEES at Lowe’s
Home Improvement dedicate thousands of
hours of volunteer service to help improve
the communities in which they do business.
Employees at Lowe’s of Central Oklahoma City
#2540, at 3801 N. May Ave., have a special heart
for children who have suffered from physical or
sexual abuse.
Lowe’s Heroes Project is a companywide
initiative to volunteer to help complete critical
repairs to K-12 schools and educational centers,
contribute valuable construction and repair skills
to build and renovate homes and clean up and
rebuild after disasters.
“This program has allowed our employees to
get active in our community,” said Troy Woodson,
store manager.
For the last two years, Lowe’s of Central OKC
has provided supplies and volunteer hours to help
renovate several projects at The CARE Center in
Oklahoma City, an organization that responds,
Shawnee Milling is donating 50 tons of its Hi Point
pet food to the Oklahoma City Animal Shelter
each year for the next two years.
SHAWNEE MILLING CO. has been
feeding America for more than 100 years with
packaged mixes, grains and more, but the company
is also feeding the lost and forgotten.
The Shawnee-based company is donating 50
tons of its Hi Point pet food to the Oklahoma City
Animal Shelter each year for the next two years.
That’s enough to feed 48,000 shelter animals and
will allow the staff at the Oklahoma City Animal
Shelter to focus on the care and adoption of animals.
philanthropic impact - medium
evaluates, counsels and advocates for children who
have been abused.
“In addition, our direct involvement in
improving The CARE Center has given our
employees insight into the critical work The CARE
Center is doing every day. This gives them a sense
of pride in knowing they have contributed to this
community resource,” Woodson said.
Lowe’s of Central OKC donated $2,500 in
supplies in 2015 in addition to the employee
volunteer hours away from the store, with
continued support in 2016.
In 2014, 722 children received forensic
interviews at the CARE Center, and 2,393 people
received family advocacy services through the
organization. Of the children interviewed, more
than 81 percent reported sexual abuse, 13 percent
experienced physical abuse and more than 2
percent experienced neglect.
The CARE Center provides one-on-one
playtime and an opportunity to meet Harlow, the
therapy dog, before interviews. The center provides
Shawnee Milling Company
“Prior to the donation, the food coming to
the shelter was very inconsistent, and we had
to constantly mix food, which is not necessarily
good or healthy for the animals,” said Julie Bank,
Oklahoma City Animal Welfare superintendent.
“Knowing that we now have a consistent diet for
the animals of good quality food is so important.
When you don’t have consistent quality food, that’s
when you see the animals get stomach issues.”
Shawnee Milling made the donation valued
at more than $200,000 after its leadership toured
the facility and learned about the huge effect the
facility has on animal welfare.
“We hope this will result in more animals
becoming adopted with the goal of becoming
a no-kill facility in the near future,” said Joseph
Ford, president of Shawnee Milling. “We are proud
to make our products in Oklahoma and are glad
to have the opportunity to help Oklahoma City
The Journal Record Beacon Awards 2016 • 13
Lowe’s employees volunteer their time to help
with several projects for the CARE Center.
one-on-one support for every parent and caregiver,
including personalized resource referrals that
can help alleviate barriers to healing. Counseling
services and medical exams are also provided
at the center for children who have experienced
abuse, neglect or trauma.
“The biggest impact is in the improvements
made at The CARE Center. This provides the
center with a safe and inviting atmosphere for
them to provide services to the children,” said
Woodson. “This will allow them to continue
the good work they are doing every day for
years to come.”
Animal Welfare help as many animals as possible.”
Bank said the donation helps not only with
operational costs, but also with the health of the
animals.
All adoptable animals not only receive
vaccinations, but are spayed and neutered as well.
All dogs are tested for heartworm, and cats are
tested for FeLV/FIV. All pets receive a free ID tag
with a collar. The center also has a program called
the Animal Birth Control project for all residents
of Oklahoma City. The program offers free spaying
and neutering for dogs and cats on a first-come,
first-serve basis, as long as funds are available. The
program also offers free rabies vaccinations for
citizens’ pets.
Because funds are always tight, Shawnee
Milling’s donation of pet food frees up money for
programs like ABC and allows the city to continue
its work toward being a no-kill shelter.
The Journal Record 2016 philanthropic impact - medium
Beacon Awards

Skirvin Hilton Hotel

THE SKIRVIN HILTON Hotel has a long
history in Oklahoma City, and in turn, it’s giving
back to the community it calls home.
The Skirvin Hilton Blue Energy program
promotes positivity and a spirit of generosity.
Through donations, employee volunteer hours and
in-kind support, the Skirvin Hilton believes that
giving back only benefits everyone involved.
“Knowing that we are helping others
keeps our employees feeling good about the
work they do, not only inside of the hotel, but
outside of it as well,” said Susan Riley, sales and
marketing coordinator.
With approximately 2,009 hours of volunteer
work done by employees, the Skirvin community
tries to be an example of the true Oklahoma spirit.
“Even through tough times, the Skirvin
has risen up and is seen now as example of the
Oklahoma Standard,” said Riley. “Oklahoma gave
so much to make the Skirvin what it is today. It’s
only natural that the Skirvin gives back to those
around them.”
The Skirvin Hilton has donated more than
$9,000 to the United Way, $1,000 to the YWCA
and more than $116,000 worth of in-kind
donations for charitable events like the Care
Center, Pink Tie Gala, Keep Oklahoma Beautiful,
Canterbury Choral Society, Jim Thorpe Courage
Awards, Foundation for Oklahoma City Public
Schools and the Alzheimer’s Association. The
Skirvin Hilton also contributed more than $26,000
of donations for event space and meeting rooms
to organizations, $7,900 in free room nights and
more than $6,000 worth of donations for charitable
raffles, showcases, trade shows and PTAs.
“The Skirvin Hilton donates, time, money, talent,
and resources to over 60 different organizations and
charities on a regular basis,” said Riley. “Oklahoma
embraced the Skirvin as its own, and the Skirvin, in
turn, gives back as much as it possibly can.”
The Skirvin is a success story of what happens
Skirvin team members join forces with VFW Post
9969 and its post commander, Chris Zuest, to
place flags at the Sunny Lane Cemetery for
Memorial Day.
when Oklahomans set their sights on something.
The grand downtown hotel is a product of people
coming together and believing that the Skirvin can
once again be something great even after sitting
vacant for nearly 20 years.
“It’s only natural that we work together to
build up the community around us,” said Gerald
Rappaport, general manager. “The Skirvin Hilton
is known throughout Oklahoma. We take great
pride in our involvement with the community.”

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14 • The Journal Record Beacon Awards 2016

The Journal Record 2016
Beacon Awards
BA Buzz
DEBRA WIMPEE, OWNER and executive
director of BA Buzz in Broken Arrow, has
a special connection to America’s veterans
and soldiers, and her company has fulfilled a
promise to soldiers through events at the Rose
District in Broken Arrow.
“I have always loved hosting events and have
always had a heart and passion for giving back
to our true American heroes,” said Wimpee.
“My father is a Vietnam Marine veteran, and my
little sister is still currently serving in the Navy
and stationed in Sicily. I have grown up with the
military, and I have always wanted to find a way
that I could give back.”
Wimpee and BA Buzz started organizing large
street festivals in the Rose District three years ago.
“It made sense to have the events be the vehicle
to create awareness for amazing organizations like
Soldier’s Wish and then be able to turn around
Brown-O’Haver of Oklahoma employees and
their families support the varsity girls soccer game
for Santa Fe Charter Schools.
NO MATTER HOW large or small a
community project is, Brown-O’Haver of
Oklahoma is ready to jump into philanthropic
action through its Oklahoma Employee
Community Involvement Program.
In the past two years alone, the public
insurance adjusting company has donated $55,000
to organizations like the Cavett Kids Foundation,
which paid for a camp for kids with illnesses; Food
and Shelter to build a new home for a homeless
Norman family; the Toby Keith Oklahoma Kids
Korral, which offers a place to stay for children
who are receiving cancer treatments; the Student
philanthropic impact - small
and give back through the events,” Wimpee said.
Those events, called ShamRock the Rose and
Red, White & Brew, benefited Soldier’s Wish and
the Pride of Broken Arrow. Soldier’s Wish is an
organization that identifies the unmet needs of
veterans of military service and provides resources
to meet those needs directly to the veteran service
members. Members of the Pride of Broken Arrow,
a competitive marching band for Broken Arrow
Senior High, are Grand National Champions and
raising funds to take part in the Rose Parade in 2017.
“For ShamRock the Rose, I was blessed to be
able to donate $6,687 to Soldier’s Wish and $3,400
to the Pride of Broken Arrow,” Wimpee said.
“Through my ‘Red, White and Brew’ event, I was
able to donate $13,000 to Soldier’s Wish.”
The funds raised for Soldier’s Wish through
Wimpee’s events and others go to granting heroes
wishes, ranging from something as simple as a
Brown-O’Haver
Athlete Foundation, which provides scholarship
and golf training resources to high school golfers
wanting to play in college; and more.
Each employee also sponsors a child at
Christmas, purchasing everything on the child’s
list so he or she has presents for the holiday.
“We give to many high school clubs and
athletic programs in our community on a regular
basis, including but not limited to paying for
uniforms and equipment for Sante Fe South
Charter School’s soccer programs, Moore High
School’s Mock Trial club, Moore High School
cheerleading, Moore golf team and Moore Key
Club, which helps student-athletes get into
college,” said Jennifer Seals, office manager.
Brown O’Haver also volunteers and conducts
giveaways in Moore community events such as the
Easter egg hunt, ServeMoore, community tornado
preparedness events, trike event and more.
“Donating to these organizations impacts
Brown-O’Haver by knowing that the money we
send is actually helping real people,” said Seals.
“We have a great sense of pride knowing that
The Journal Record Beacon Awards 2016 • 15
BA Buzz Executive Director Debra Wimpee, center,
with Soldier’s Wish team Kristal and Mark.
new toolbox or as major as a trip to Arlington
Cemetery for three small children who wanted to
visit their father’s gravesite.
“I am humbled to be the vessel that has been
able to create crazy fun street parties that the
entire community can come out and enjoy, and
at the same time, be made aware of the amazing
organization of Soldier’s Wish,” said Wimpee. “The
community comes out to have a good time, but
leaves with a sense of how important it is to give
back and how a small gift of a wish can be life-
changing for a soldier.”
underprivileged families and children benefit from
our giving. Donating our time helps us to feel
tightly connected to the community from which
we serve as customers in our business.”
In addition, the Brown-O’Haver of Oklahoma
Employee Community Involvement Program
unites the company with a sense of purpose.
Employees rack up 50 hours of volunteer time, and
Brown-O’Haver donates at least 10 percent of gross
income back to the community and volunteers in
at least one activity every quarter of the year.
“When we get out in the community and
give our time, we show that we are not just a
building in Moore, but a friendly business that
is involved with our neighbors,” said Seals.
“We want our community to know that we are
here to help, whether it is for free advice or to
paint a building. In addition to the benefits
to the community, the program also gives
the employees a great sense of satisfaction in
knowing that their hard work throughout the
year is being sewn into our community.”
The Journal Record 2016
Beacon Awards
ITC Great Plains
AS A COMPANY based on technology and
science, ITC Great Plains knows that the education
of youth in such areas ensures the future of not
only the company, but of the country as well.
“ITC is a company founded upon disciplines
of science and technology. In an industry where
our workforce is aging, we believe it’s imperative
to invest in education initiatives that spur
STEM (science, technology, engineering and
mathematics) and STEAM programs (which
incorporates the arts) so that our youth will be
prepared for the 21st-century economy,” said Liz
Hunt, manager of marketing and communications.
“It is our belief that investments into STEM and
STEAM programs will improve our quality of life,
promote a better-educated workforce, create higher-
paying jobs and help Oklahoma retain talent.”
ITC Great Plains is a transmission-only utility
operating in the Southwest Power Pool region. The
company operates approximately 400 circuit miles
of transmission lines in Kansas and Oklahoma.
ITC Great Plains maintains regional offices in
Oklahoma City; Dodge City, Topeka and Wichita,
Kansas; and Little Rock, Arkansas. ITC Great
Water4 Gala, 2015
PLENTY MERCANTILE, a 3-year-old
business in Oklahoma City, has a goal to leave the
community better than it found it.
“We call it our ‘Plant a Seed – Watch it Grow’
campaign,” said Traci Walton, co-founder and
shopkeeper. “Our startup, Plenty Mercantile,
was developed from the ground up with the
overarching goal to be a company that is socially
responsible. We believe there is an innate human
desire to leave something better than it was found.
We align with companies that desire to do the
same. We seek partnerships that provide socially,
16 • The Journal Record Beacon Awards 2016
philanthropic impact - small
Plains is a subsidiary of ITC Grid Development
LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of ITC Holdings
Corp., the nation’s largest independent electric
transmission company.
Over the past year, ITC Great Plains has
invested nearly $100,000 into STEM and STEAM
initiatives in Oklahoma. These investments include
the Putnam City School Foundation for STEM
lab materials; the Foundation for Oklahoma
City Public Schools’ DonorsChoose program
for STEM/STEAM-related classroom projects;
Forest Grove Public Schools’ outdoor classroom
and healthy living program; Oklahoma FFA;
Oklahoma Youth Expo; the Oklahoma Mental
Health Association’s Teen Screen program; and the
Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma.
“The objective of ITC’s philanthropic
investment in STEM/STEAM initiatives is to
inspire Oklahoma’s youth to pursue degrees in
science, technology, engineering, arts and math
and help improve the quality of Oklahoma’s
workforce by providing more Oklahomans with
the skills they need for high-tech, high-paying
jobs,” Hunt said.
Plenty Mercantile
ethically, and-or environmentally developed
goods, services or causes.”
Plenty then goes one step further to reinvest
a portion of all the store’s profits back into the
Oklahoma City community.
In 2015, the shop donated $13,157 in cash and
$27,400 in in-kind donations to various charities.
“Our shopkeepers witness daily our customers
choosing to shop with us in part because of
the good we try to advance,” Walton said. “It is
profoundly inspirational. We offer quality products
responsibly made. We follow the organizations we
invest in. The benefit is measured by their success.”
One of those is Water4, an Oklahoma City
nonprofit with the mission of providing at-risk,
indigenous people access to clean water. As the
Water4 approach is implemented in impoverished
areas, the economic impact is felt immediately,
as water well-related jobs are created, fresh water
sources are established, and the health, welfare and
ITC employee Liz Hunt participates in Hilldale
Elementary School’s STEM demonstration project.
The immediate benefit of the investment,
Hunt said, is to provide children who would
not likely have access to STEM and STEAM
programs, spur interest in math, science,
technology, engineering and the arts and to
provide financial resources to organizations with
limited or dwindling resources for the arts and
STEM programming.
“These gifts are measured in multiple ways to
include knowing that a population is not going to
school hungry, adequate supplies and technology
are available in underserved areas, graduation
rates, retention rates, etc.,” she said.
education of local people are greatly improved. 
Water4 began drilling more wells, thanks in
part to Plenty’s sponsorship of its annual gala.
Plenty started selling bracelets in the store that give
back a portion of their proceeds as well.
Plenty Mercantile also supports the Food
for All food truck, featuring guest chefs from
restaurants all around Oklahoma City who operate
this roving pop-up kitchen-on-wheels. In addition,
the Food for All food truck serves Oklahomans
who are in need monthly by preparing and
distributing complimentary meals in partnership
with the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma.
“Our financial support of the Food for All
food truck benefiting the Regional Food Bank has
both immediate impact by educating people about
nutrition and feeding the hungry, but also a long-
term impact of continued financial support of the
Food Bank,” said Walton.
At ITC, our commitment to the
communities we serve is the
cornerstone of our business and
mission to be a best-in-class
transmission provider.

We are honored to be
nominated as a Beacon Awards
finalist and congratulate all the
nominees for their charitable
investments in Oklahoma.

www.itctransco.com

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Congratulations to all 2016 Beacon Awards Honorees.

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The Journal Record Beacon Awards 2016 • 17

The Journal Record 2016
Beacon Awards
Waters Edge Winery
IT BEGAN WITH a single, abused mother
sleeping in the back alleyway of the Waters Edge
Winery property downtown. When the owners
approached her, they decided to contact the
YWCA for assistance and partnership discussions.
Since that moment, the Oklahoma City-based
winery has been serving those less fortunate.
Waters Edge Winery in Oklahoma City created
the Water to Wine Network with the sole purpose
of benefiting local charities and artists on a monthly
basis. By uniting community partners with local
charities, Waters Edge Winery aims to not only
serve one-of-a-kind wines, but also build positive
outcomes and provide hope to those in need.
“We aspire to impact our community through
awareness, conscious giving and connections,”
said Adam Edwards III, co-founder and CEO.
“For Waters Edge Winery, serving others and
giving freely is a high priority and embraced by
our organization. I’ve witnessed firsthand that
charitable giving improves employee engagement
“Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others,
for their sakes and for our own.”
18 • The Journal Record Beacon Awards 2016
philanthropic impact - small
by boosting productivity, ethical behavior,
gratitude to the organization and pride in their
work. Overall, becoming a charitable influencer
has most certainly made us a better community
partner and a better employer.”
Waters Edge Winery employees volunteered
nearly 500 hours through Water to Wine, which Waters Edge Winery’s Breast Cancer Survivor
Fashion Show
aims to provide emotional, spiritual and material
comfort to those in need.
percent of those earnings to their favorite charity.
“By giving, we engage in community
The winery also raised more than $2,000 in one
building and practice social consciousness. It is
evening to support a breast cancer awareness
through these actions that we hope to achieve
campaign, raised more than $2,500 for a homeless
a servant’s attitude of gratitude,” Edwards said.
“This is our objective.” family and raised more than $5,000 annually for
Through its Water to Wine Network program, a local homeless alliance. Its efforts go beyond
the winery was able to help the YWCA provide charities helping people, and also target local
five free memberships for a year to families and to animal shelters and pet fostering programs.
help the organization in its fight to prevent sexual Other results included raising $1,000 in one
violence against women. evening for disaster relief during the Oklahoma
In addition, the program enabled local artists ice storms for three families and raising more than
the ability to earn commissions on their artwork $50,000 for an African charity serving both local
– greater than $10,000 while committing 10 and international communities.
Cesar Chavez
40+ community organizations x 61 ENB employees =
5500 volunteer hours annually
We can count pennies or people. We choose people.
THE Community Bank .
Eastmannational.com or call 1.855.350.1ENB Toll Free
The Journal Record 2016
Beacon Awards
Blue Cross and Blue Shield
of Oklahoma
BLUE CROSS AND BLUE Shield of
Oklahoma leaders view volunteerism as a
critical piece in achieving employee satisfaction
and retention. It also offers an appeal to newer
generations of employees who are looking for
purpose and passion in their workplace.
These benefits, among others, have led to
an engaged and energetic workforce that is
proud to work for BCBSOK. Additionally, high
employee volunteerism allows BCBSOK to engage
community partners at levels beyond just financial
support, and transforms interactions into true
partnerships, strengthening the experience for
both BCBSOK and its community partners.
Every Blue Cross and Blue Shield of
Oklahoma employee is a member of Blue Corps,
the company’s volunteer program charged with
making a positive impact on the community
through volunteer events, fundraisers, material
drives and individual engagement in the
community.
Grand Casino Hotel Resort general manager Joe
Garcia and Salvation Army Shawnee Lt. Phillip
Canning sit with Santa Claus during CPN’s 2015
employee toy drive for the Salvation Army.
THE CITIZEN POTAWATOMI Nation’s
charitable giving efforts are part of a larger strategy
to operate tribal government, commercial and
philanthropic efforts for the betterment of the
entire community in Pottawatomie County. This
strategy has been developed in line with Tribal
Chairman John “Rocky” Barrett’s ethos that “a
rising tide lifts all boats.”
Citizen Potawatomi Nation, with more than
2,300 employees in its commercial enterprises
and tribal government programs, is the largest
employer in Pottawatomie County. The vast
charitable influence - large
“We did so many things to help and serve
our community throughout the year, and being a
part of this initiative makes me very proud of our
company and our employees,” said Laura Hottel,
BCBSOK’s director of network management and
chair of the 2015 Blue Corps Steering Committee
in Oklahoma City. “Blue Corps allows us to help
not only our members, but our entire community.
It is another way the employees can make a
difference, which is such an important part of who
we are at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma.”
BCBSOK employees volunteering in the
community provide valuable assistance to
community organizations, allowing them to
transfer tasks that would otherwise cost them
valuable staff time and dollars.
“By tracking volunteer hours, we are able
to calculate the economic impact of those
hours using the Independent Sector value of
a volunteer hour in Oklahoma,” said Brooke
Townsend, BCBSOK’s director of community
Citizen Potawatomi Nation
majority of these individuals live and work in the
communities near the tribal jurisdiction, meaning
the presence of charitable services and civic
engagement directly affects their families, friends
and neighbors.
“By supporting charitable giving efforts,
CPN’s objective is to foster a deeper investment
in the people that patronize its businesses, work
in tribal programs and grow the overall economy
of Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma,” said Citizen
Potawatomi Nation Vice Chairman Linda Capps.
Tribal-owned enterprises make significant
charitable contributions in the area, including
providing food and grocery donations at cost to area
nonprofits including the Shawnee Rescue Mission’s
food pantry and the Salvation Army’s weekly soup
kitchen. In addition, gaming enterprises such as the
Grand Casino Hotel Resort host events such as an
annual toy drive and fundraiser, with the proceeds
and gifts being donated directly to local youth and
families who are in need.
In 2015 alone, employees donated more than
The Journal Record Beacon Awards 2016 • 19
Tulsa Blue Cross and Blue Shield employees
volunteer at the local food bank.
affairs. “With 10,005 hours valued at $21.50 per
hour, that is an economic impact of $215,107.50
for nonprofits. Additionally, with matching
volunteer hour donations from the company
for approved community partners, employees
were able to earn another nearly $43,000 in
direct donations to the nonprofits where they
volunteered their time.”
In the long-term, this engagement allows
employees to feel connected to the community,
identify issues that could affect the business and
help the company be proactive in preparing for
coming trends in health issues.
1,274 pounds of food for full Thanksgiving dinners
to 175 families in the CPN service area, which
encompasses most of Pottawatomie County and
parts of Cleveland and Oklahoma counties.
Through these and numerous other examples,
the tribal leadership encourages the spirit of
partnership and investment in fellow community
organizations that benefited the tribe and its
people so many years ago.
For the most recent fiscal year, Citizen
Potawatomi Nation donated more than $2.2
million to the local community. Donations from
CPN tribal car tag sales to Oklahoma schools
were more than $252,000 in this same period.
Through the tribal rolls department, $4.1 million
in scholarships were awarded.
“Even in the best economic times, the roles that
civic and charitable organizations play in a place
like Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, cannot be
understated,” Capps said. “By supporting these
organizations, Citizen Potawatomi Nation and the
entire community benefit in the long run.”
The Journal Record 2016
Beacon Awards
Enable Midstream Partners
WHEN OKLAHOMA CITY-based
Enogex and Houston-based CenterPoint Energy
Field Services merged in 2013 to create Enable
Midstream Partners, a critical element of the
merger was bringing together two companies
under a common set of values and beliefs to guide
its path forward.
An integral part of this transition has been the
company’s keen focus on community engagement.
“The community engagement initiatives have
united employees around a common mission – to
be a partner in the success of the communities
where we live and operate,” said Brian Alford, vice
president of communications and public affairs
with Enable Midstream. “These programs helped
define a pillar of Enable’s culture that is centered
around service, community involvement and
teamwork.”
Employees are given, and expected to use,
16 hours of paid volunteer time with their teams
each year to positively affect organizations and
IBC-Oklahoma President and CEO Bill Schonacher
and board member former Gov. George Nigh
with the Oklahoma Heritage contest winners.
FROM YOUTH PROGRAMS and
city revitalization projects to hospitals and arts
and culture programs, IBC Bank-Oklahoma’s
commitment to its communities is strong.
Last year alone, IBC Oklahoma contributed
almost $732,000 to those types of programs
and organizations as well as to K-12 campus
developments and higher education institutions
and their programs. That support is partially
demonstrated through IBC Bank’s program to
match employee giving to Oklahoma’s United Way
campaigns each year.
In addition, the financial institution
encourages its employees to become community
20 • The Journal Record Beacon Awards 2016
charitable influence - large
communities throughout Enable Midstream’s
10-state operating area.
In addition to its volunteerism, the company
has a sharp focus on operating safely and
recognizing those who play a critical role in
helping to ensure the safety and well-being of
each of its employees. In 2015, the company
launched the Enable Midstream Safety Partner
Program, which asks employees to nominate
a volunteer firefighter within the company’s
operating area who embodies the company’s values
and demonstrates a strong commitment to the
communities he or she serves. Two Oklahoma
volunteer firefighters were selected – John Brown
Sr. of Luther and Larry Schrock of Thomas.
“Enable Midstream works in close partnership
with local emergency responders in our areas
of operation to help keep the public safe while
protecting our operations,” Alford said. “This
program reinforces Enable’s commitment to the
safety and well-being of the community.”
IBC Bank
leaders through volunteerism. IBC Bank’s
corporate philosophy urges its regional bank
officers to be involved in the community in a
way that is true to their passions and interests.
These regional leaders donate their time and
resources to such things as coordinating blood
drives and putting together donated bags of
essentials for families staying in the Neonatal
Intensive Care Unit at OU Children’s Hospital. IBC
Bank employees also actively participate in local
chambers of commerce to help support business
development.
“Our philanthropic efforts are rooted in IBC’s
‘We Do More’ philosophy,” IBC Bank-Oklahoma
President and CEO Bill Schonacher said. “We
recognize that our employees, customers, and
communities crave both tangible and conceptual
demonstrations of the support of our community
partners’ missions and we are honored to
continually assist them in pursuit of their goals in
whatever ways we can.”
IBC Oklahoma employees have volunteered
more than 7,775 hours across the greater
Enable Midstream employees pack corn on the
cob at the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma.
Since launching the program in April 2015,
Enable Midstream employees have volunteered
more than 14,600 hours, valued at more than
$344,100, for community organizations of their
choice. Alford said the company’s community
engagement programs also help boost morale.
“Our leadership team actively participates
in our community engagement programs, often
leading volunteer shifts or helping mobilize
employees around a cause,” he said. “Having a
culture that values teamwork and community
partnerships also benefits the company through
employee recruitment and retention.”
Oklahoma City, Tulsa, and Lawton areas this past
year. In addition to annual events like the United
Way Day of Caring, where employees volunteer
their time with a local organization for a day,
IBC strives to make a difference by sending out
teams to schools across the state teaching financial
literacy. Since 2013, IBC employees have made
more than 1,200 presentations to almost 20,000
Oklahomans.
“The leaders within IBC Bank and IBC
Oklahoma truly want to leave a legacy for this
corporation and want to make a profound
difference in individual, family, and community
lives,” said Jeni Bruns, marketing manager. “They
do that through their relationships with both
customers and community partners.”
Bruns, who joined the bank in October
2014 after working in the nonprofit sector, said
her background has enabled her to see and feel
the value of what corporate giving does in a
community. “I wouldn’t have made the transition
to the bank had our leadership/executive team had
any other standard,” she said.
PROUD TO BE PART OF Service Above All
OKLAHOMA’S When Gaddis & Gaddis Wealth

COMMUNITIES Management opened its doors on January

16, 1995, our intention was to provide the
Since 1940 best possible financial advisory services to
meet the investment goals of our clients.
For more than 76 years, Blue Cross and
Blue Shield of Oklahoma has been there for That remains our commitment today.
our members, employees and the community. Above all, we believe in service to our
As a member-owned company, we help clients and to the community.
promote health and wellness through accessible
That commitment has helped us grow
and cost-effective health care coverage. from our corporate office in Ada to three
Together, we can make Oklahoma a healthier additional locations in Ardmore,
place to live, work and raise a family. Durant and McAlester.

nds at
th e gr ou
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OK em pl oy ee s fa m ilie s to enjo
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Roger and Leigh Gaddis
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Co-Founders
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Gaddis & Gaddis Wealth Management
1530 Arlington Street • Ada, OK 74820
580-332-4144
www.gaddisandgaddis.com

and distribute items for

BCBSOK employees collect
iting the clients of Sunbe am
St. Nick’s Shopp e in OKC, benef
ties and families in need.
Family Servic es, Catho lic Chari

bcbsok.com Securities and advisory services offered through

LPL Financial, a Registered Investment Advisor.
A Division of Health Care Service Corporation, a Mutual Legal Reserve Company, Member FINRA/SIPC.
an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association 604116.0616

The Journal Record Beacon Awards 2016 • 21

The Journal Record 2016
Beacon Awards
BKD CPAs and Advisors
DURING THE LAST five years, BKD CPAs
& Advisors has taken an active role in “Fighting
Hunger…Feeding Hope,” the mission of the
Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma.
In that time, the firm’s partners and employees
have donated approximately 350 volunteer hours,
300 pounds of food and $10,000 toward the food
bank. Those efforts are a direct extension of the
firm’s foundational PRIDE values – passion,
respect, integrity, discipline and excellence.
“The pounds donated put food directly on the
table. The hours served saves the food bank money
it would otherwise spend on wages that can now
go directly toward their core mission, along with
the $10,000 in funds contributed,” said company
spokesman Chris Zach.
The company’s financial contributions have
provided approximately 50,000 meals to hungry
Oklahomans, given how the food bank can provide
five meals for every dollar donated.
At the 2016 Oklahoma Mission of Mercy in
Oklahoma City, 78 Delta Dental employees
volunteered approximately 900 hours.
ONE WAY DELTA Dental of Oklahoma
strives to make a difference in the lives of
Oklahomans is through its support of Oklahoma
Mission of Mercy, an event aimed at relieving
dental pain and meeting the most pressing
dental needs of patients who are uninsured or
underinsured, or otherwise do not have access to
dental care.
Delta Dental of Oklahoma is a not-for-profit
dental benefits company that serves more than 1
million Oklahomans.
“However, almost half of Oklahomans do
22 • The Journal Record Beacon Awards 2016
charitable influence - medium
Employees have participated in six volunteer
projects that involved bagging, weighing,
sealing, boxing and loading frozen and non-
perishable foods used for the Food Bank’s Food
for Kids backpack program and Senior Feeding
program. Team members, friends and family
at BKD also have joined forces for the Feeding
Hope Food Drive the past three years. To build
excitement, the office has hosted informational
sessions and a hunger simulation with Food
Bank staff, as well as a pie throw and catered
lunch for suggested donations.
“It has made us aware of the prevalence and
severity of chronic hunger in Oklahoma while also
fueling our passion and providing us a platform
to join the Food Bank’s mission. Exposure to the
Food Bank and their many programs gives our
people an appreciation for the complexity and
consequences of this issue,” Zach said.
The firm’s passion, and a primary goal, is to
Delta Dental of Oklahoma
not have dental insurance and face financial,
geographic and other barriers that block access
to the dental care they need,” said John Gladden,
president and CEO of Delta Dental of Oklahoma
and chairman of its Oral Health Foundation.
The Oklahoma Mission of Mercy is an annual
two-day dental clinic event offering free treatment
to patients in need of care they cannot otherwise
access or afford. Each year, hundreds of volunteer
dental professionals and lay volunteers serve about
1,500 patients in just two days.
“Patients are provided with cleanings,
extractions and fillings, as well as some partial
dentures, which restore patients’ ‘smile lines’
and immediately increase quality of life and
employability,” Gladden said.
The Delta Dental of Oklahoma Oral Health
Foundation has partnered with the Oklahoma
Dental Association and Oklahoma Dental
Foundation to conduct seven Oklahoma Mission
of Mercy events since 2010. The events have served
Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma volunteers,
including BKD Oklahoma City employees.
serve others and make tomorrow better than today.
“We aim to provide our people the opportunity
to play a direct role in fighting the hunger and
feeding the hope of more than 650,000 chronically
hungry Oklahomans,” Zach said.
Zach was chosen as a member of the Regional
Food Bank’s inaugural Leadership Council, which
was a two-year commitment with educational
programming, volunteer opportunities, social
events, a group project and more. BKD also has
participated in the Food Bank’s Chefs’ Feast
fundraiser the past two years.
more than 12,000 patients to date.
In addition to its corporate sponsorship of
the events, Delta Dental of Oklahoma promotes a
culture of volunteerism that encourages employees
to make a difference as well. At the Oklahoma
Mission of Mercy event held in Oklahoma
City this past February, 78 of 127 Delta Dental
employees volunteered approximately 900
hours. Since 2010, Delta Dental employees have
volunteered more than 3,800 hours.
“Since the first OkMOM event in Tulsa in
2010, OkMOM has become the highlight of
the year for DDOK employee volunteers who
appreciate the opportunity to serve patients and
to see firsthand the tremendous impact dental
treatment makes on the lives of others. It increases
their understanding of the practical importance of
dental benefits and their compassion for those in
need,” Gladden said. “The rewarding experience
is passed on word of mouth and more of the
company’s employees volunteer each year.”
The Journal Record 2016
Beacon Awards
Eastman National Bank
A VIBRANT CULTURE of service and
volunteerism has propelled Eastman National
Bank in Ponca City and Newkirk to new heights
as schools, community projects and events benefit
from that generosity.
Eastman employees spend countless hours
volunteering, serving in leadership roles and
contributing to nonprofits, area boards of directors
and community activities, such as the Main Street
program, Leadership Ponca City, United Way,
Habitat for Humanity, March of Dimes, Friends of
Education and Marland Children’s Home.
The bank, with its 61 employees, encourages
everyone to participate in volunteerism, especially
with Eastman National Bank’s commitment to
financial literacy. Bank employees participate
annually in Teach Children to Save Day and
complete multiple class trainings for area
elementary schools. Eastman National Bank is a
Partner in Education with Woodlands Elementary
Johnson Controls employees volunteer to plant
trees in the Edmond area during Arbor Week.
WHETHER IT’S PLANTING trees,
volunteering, packing food or donating money,
Johnson Controls’ Blue Sky Community
Involvement team stays busy helping others in
Oklahoma.
The team of 58 employees in Oklahoma City
has participated in several community projects,
including partnering each year with the Tree Bank
Foundation during Arbor Week to plant trees
in the Edmond area. This year alone, the team
planted more than 100 trees at the University of
charitable influence - medium
in Ponca City and sends employees to the school
weekly to read to students.
The number of volunteer hours by bank
employees exceeds 5,500.
The bank is a contributor to the annual
Stuff the Bus effort to help equip area schools
with supplies teachers and students might
otherwise go without. Eastman also sponsors
a monthly program that recognizes an
“Exceptional Citizen” who is praised for his
or her community involvement. The honoree
is presented with an award, and a monetary
contribution is made by the bank to the
organization the award recipient chooses.
“The effects of our volunteerism efforts
produce happier, more productive employees who
genuinely have a desire to see our customers and
community prosper,” said Senior Vice President
Erin Liberton.
Recently, bank employees learned of a school
Johnson Controls
Central Oklahoma. Last year, trees were planted
at Edmond North High School. The Blue Sky
program also donates $1,000 annually to the tree
bank to help with tree purchases.
The group also participates in several
fundraising walks for the Oklahoma Heart
Association, the Susan G. Komen Race for the
Cure and the Walk to End Alzheimer’s.
In addition, the Blue Sky team is a strong
supporter for the Regional Food Bank of
Oklahoma. Another annual event is volunteering
to pack and sort food to help Oklahoma
families and donate money to help feed hungry
Oklahomans.
The Blue Sky team likes to end its year with
the Holiday Giving Program, which raises money
and donates items to charity. In 2015, Johnson
Controls supported The Sharing Tree, formerly the
Christmas Connection, with a coat and toy drive
to benefit needy children. When tragedy strikes,
The Journal Record Beacon Awards 2016 • 23
Burger Bash April 2016
field trip that was in jeopardy of being canceled
due to funding cuts and transportation costs.
Within 24 hours, bank employees pooled together
their money and made a cash donation that
allowed the students to take the field trip.
“This is just one example of the influence the
bank has made in children’s lives,” Liberton said.
A longtime slogan of Eastman National Bank
is “where exceptional service isn’t just a policy …
it’s personal.”
“As times have changed and banking has
become more difficult, the level of commitment to
the community has not changed,” Liberton said.
the team is ready to engage and make a difference.
After a tornado decimated a family’s home, the
same family was forced to deal with the death of
the father, who suffered a heart attack. Seeing the
obvious need, the Blue Sky team purchased new
bikes and helmets for the children and donated
money for the family’s financial needs.
The Oklahoma City team is a loyal supporter
and helps sponsor events for Norman Regional
Hospital, Mercy, Children’s Hospital, Tinker
Air Force Base, UCO, public school children
throughout Oklahoma and the University of
Oklahoma College of Engineering.
“We are a small group of 58 employees but
you can see with our list of program activities
we are always giving back. We hope the spirit we
give to our employees is carried back with their
family and friends,” said Branch Sales Manager
Angelica Freimann. “This is part of our culture
and our JCI family.”
The Journal Record 2016
Beacon Awards
Mabrey Bank
AS A LONGTIME supporter of the Tulsa
Area United Way, Bixby’s Mabrey Bank and
its employees give their money and time in a
manner consistent with the company’s mission of
helping others.
With 222 people on the company roster, most
donate either a one-time gift or on a monthly basis,
said Katie Mabrey, the bank’s marketing director.
The bank also made a $250,000 contribution
to the Gathering Place for Tulsa, a $350 million
park project headed by the George Kaiser Family
Foundation. The park is located along Riverside
Drive and the Arkansas River, with the first phase
scheduled for completion in late 2017.
Mabrey Bank also provides a corporate
donation, along with a membership, in the Alexis
de Tocqueville Society, which is the Tulsa Area
Oklahoma Electric Cooperative employees
volunteer at Special Olympics.
OKLAHOMA ELECTRIC
COOPERATIVE’S Operation Round Up is
a few cents here and few cents there, but as the
company discovered, it all adds up.
The program is funded by OEC members
who voluntarily “round up” their monthly electric
bills. For example, a bill of $97.43 is automatically
rounded up to $98, with the additional 57 cents
going to the Operation Round Up account. The
money is pooled and then allocated to a variety of
worthy causes.
24 • The Journal Record Beacon Awards 2016
charitable influence - medium
United Way’s most distinguished organization of
individual donors who support the needs of their
community at an exceptional level. Tocqueville
members support the United Way with annual
gifts of $10,000 or more. The society bears the
name of Tocqueville, a Frenchman who came to
America in 1831 and later published Democracy
in America.
Bank employees participate in the annual Day
of Caring and donate time to serve on United Way
committees. Employees serve in some capacity
with 14 of the 61 Tulsa Area United Way agencies.
“As part of our core values, serving as good
stewards of the communities in which we live
and work is important to us,” said Kim Carroll,
bank vice president and special events officer.
“It is well-represented and meaningful at every
Oklahoma Electric
Cooperative
The direct effects of Operation Round Up can
be seen through the lives of individuals who have
specific immediate needs ranging from handicap-
accessible access for homes to critical dental care.
The program also benefits organizational needs
for charities that support and uplift people with
Christmas presents for children, free health care
for the sick and food for the hungry.
“It is our commitment to Operation Round
Up that has laid the groundwork for individual
employee engagement in the community,” CEO
Patrick Grace said. “We track the success of this
program through the stories of these people and by
the fact that they do not require repeat assistance.”
OEC employees also participate in fundraising
and volunteer drives with the United Way of
Norman and in the Day of Caring, an employee-
wide service day.
All of the money contributed to Operation
Mabrey Bank employees prepare trays to use for
competition and to serve food to the public at
the Bixby BBQ N’ Blues festival.
employee level within the organization.”
Gifts to the Tulsa Area United Way program
have increased each year at the bank, with 57
percent of the employees participating.
“We do a lot of volunteering,” Mabrey said.
“We participate in fundraisers, send volunteers to
do silent auctions, employees are on the boards
and we attend many United Way events each year.”
Round Up is placed into the OEC Foundation
fund, separate from OEC’s other accounts. The
foundation is administered by a nine-member
board composed of volunteers nominated by the
OEC board of trustees.
Last year, OEC employees participated in an
Operation Round Up project by tearing down an
aging fence and building a new one for an entire
special-needs community in a single day. OEC
also supports a new initiative through its statewide
organization to bring electricity to rural Bolivia.
“One of our skilled linemen will literally help
turn on the lights this summer,” Grace said.
Since OEC was formed in 1937, the
organization has been dedicated to improving the
quality of life for the people in central Oklahoma.
“At Oklahoma Electric Cooperative, we not
only encourage community engagement, we base
our company culture on it,” Grace said.
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The Journal Record Beacon Awards 2016 • 25

The Journal Record 2016
Beacon Awards
Bare Property Management
BASED ON THE work Meals on Wheels of
Norman performed for her mother, Lydia Bare
is a strong believer and passionate supporter of
the charity.
Bare, business manager for Bare Property
Management, witnessed firsthand the kindness
and care her mother received when the quality
meals were delivered. Understanding the
importance of the human contact and services the
organization provides its beneficiaries, Bare later
volunteered as a driver for Meals on Wheels and
now serves on its board of directors.
Taking her involvement a step further, Bare
shared her experiences with the BPM team, which
selected Meals on Wheels of Norman as its charity
of choice. Since becoming involved, the company
has committed time, influence and financial
resources to support the Meals on Wheels mission.
Castle Falls has played a major role in revitalizing
the WesTen neighborhood.
WESTEN’S NEIGHBORHOOD
ALLIANCE is moving forward with its annual
fall fundraiser and efforts to re-create an area
historically known as one of the most underserved
in terms of social services in Oklahoma City.
Castle Falls Restaurant & Special Events
Center, 820 N. MacArthur Blvd., has been at the
forefront of the neighborhood’s revitalization
the past eight years. Now neighbors, businesses,
26 • The Journal Record Beacon Awards 2016
charitable influence - small
Bare Property Management is a Meals on
Wheels Adopt-a-Route sponsor and the presenting
sponsor of the annual Meals on Wheels golf
tournament and silent auction.
“We believe in providing the valuable service
of proper nutrition for the aging and disabled
community and the importance of human contact
that Meals on Wheels provides,” Bare said. “We are
able to refer Meals on Wheels to our tenants who
need the services and have peace of mind knowing
that the people in our homes are being cared for.”
Whether serving as a board member, filling
in as a meal delivery driver or helping with the
annual golf tournament, BPM employees know
their time is well-spent because their work creates
safe, healthy environments for the elderly and
disabled in the community.
About 500 volunteer hours have been donated
by BPM employees.
Castle Falls Restaurant &
Special Events Center
faith-based groups and social service agencies are
joining together to unite the community and raise
money for the NW 10th Street corridor and the
WesTen alliance.
The largest fundraiser, known as Top Ten on
WesTen, is a wine and dinner event followed by
silent and live auctions. This year, the event will be
Sept. 15 at Castle Falls’ Grande Hall.
WesTen has a full-time administrator and an
active board of directors to oversee a multitude
of projects, which include safety and security,
beautification, social services and economic
development.
“This isn’t your grandmother’s neighborhood
association raising $125 from a baking sale,” said
Amy Rollins, owner of Castle Falls Restaurant &
Special Events Center.
Last year’s auction and dinner raised more
Bare Property Management’s Bart Byrd, Lydia
Bare and David Bare prepare shelf-stable meals
for Meal on Wheels of Norman recipients.
Meals on Wheels of Norman began in 1972
serving nutritious meals to the ill, elderly and
disabled. A 2015 Meals on Wheels client survey
shows 99 percent of meal recipients report they
look forward to the meal delivery, 94 percent are
able to live independently because of receiving
services, 100 percent report having a healthier diet
and 99 percent said they have improved physical
health because of the meals.
BPM is a property management firm
committed to protecting the investments of its
clients and providing quality housing and services
to tenants.
than $32,000. The bulk of the money raised each
year is used to pay the administrator’s salary.
“That’s the person who coordinates all the
programs and activities,” Rollins said. “That’s
the liaison for everything that goes on. As a
group, we’ve done a lot to help our neighbors.
We’re just now getting started with the economic
development. But we have 10 to 15 businesses that
are as active as we are.”
Business owners and residents routinely gather
to pick up trash along NW 10th Street to maintain
the group’s beautification efforts.
In May, the alliance held a car show with 50
cars and large groups of people attending the
event. In addition, an annual community fair is
organized by social service agencies. During the
event, school backpacks are distributed to children
in the community.
The Journal Record 2016
Beacon Awards
Children’s Musical
Theatre of Bartlesville
THE CHILDREN’S MUSICAL Theatre
of Bartlesville could not survive without its
volunteers, which are the backbone of a highly
successful summer production designed to share
the Broadway experience with students ages 7-17.
Since 2000, CMT has produced a five-week
arts-intensive, full-scale Broadway-type musical
with a cast of students living within a 40-mile
radius of Bartlesville. Yet, it couldn’t happen
without volunteers. In 2015, between 100 and 150
community volunteers put in 9,000 hours before
the curtains were raised for the Mary Poppins
performance.
Parents of cast members and other volunteers
construct elaborate costumes specifically sized
for children and paint sets and set pieces. One
volunteer has committed time to 13 of the 17
productions performed since 2000. A team of
volunteers also serves as security during rehearsals
and the actual production while others hold
Gaddis & Gaddis donates an electric vehicle to
East Central University.
ROGER AND LEIGH Gaddis never
thought of promoting their community service
efforts. They just did it because others could
be helped.
“For us, community service is not a program,
but a way of life,” Roger Gaddis said. “We see it
as part of our overall practice as a professional
financial services firm.”
The couple started Ada-based Gaddis &
Gaddis Wealth Management in 1995. The company
now has satellite offices in Ardmore, Durant and
McAlester.
Growing through community service is an
charitable influence - small
fundraisers, assist with ticket sales or prepare
snacks for the cast.
The show’s producers are volunteers and
provide a wide range of services from show
selection, artistic staff selection and securibg
performance rights for the show while also
arranging and negotiating contracts for the script
and musical scores.
In addition to the volunteer hours, the
program is partially underwritten by donations
from individuals, corporations and foundations.
“The driving force for this volunteerism is the
finished product – a full-scale musical with live
orchestra, elaborate sets and costumes performed
over four days in front of a community of 4,000
people,” said CMT’s Development Manager Angie
Thompson. “Without the generous support from
local volunteers, the cost for producing this show,
tuition-free to the young participants, would not
be possible.”
Gaddis & Gaddis Wealth
Management
accurate way of describing the couple’s business
and volunteer efforts. They’ve gone from local
community service to involvement at the state level.
Roger Gaddis is serving his second term as
a trustee for the Oklahoma Teachers Retirement
System, an organization that manages the $14
billion pension fund for the state’s public teachers.
He serves on both the investment and audit
committees and is chairman of the latter. Gaddis
is also a graduate of Leadership Oklahoma.
At the same time, Leigh Gaddis is serving her
second term as a commissioner for the Oklahoma
Department of Wildlife Conservation and she
serves on four ODWC committees.
At the local level, Roger Gaddis serves on
Ada’s Community Advisory Board, the Boy Scouts
of America and the Arbuckle Council Executive
Board; is a member of the East Central University
President’s Circle; and has previously served on the
Board of Trustees for the Ada Boys & Girls Club
and The Salvation Army in Ada.
Meanwhile, Leigh Gaddis serves on the
The Journal Record Beacon Awards 2016 • 27
A volunteer construction crew moves sets
from a scene shop.
In 2015, CMT auditioned 167 participants,
cast 76 performers and performed more than
four shows. Cast members received 135 hours of
training and instruction over five weeks.
The summer program has successfully
prepared 43 young people to pursue professional
careers in the performing arts, including one
young woman with a leading role in Bridges of
Madison County. Another young man is currently
performing on Disney Cruise ships and another
former CMT student is a highly successful lighting
designer in New York City.
Leadership Ada Committee for the Ada Chamber
of Commerce and is co-chairman of Career
Discovery, an educational program founded by
Oklahoma state Sen. Susan Paddack. She also is
an active member and current president of P.E.O.,
a national philanthropic program that supports
educational programs for young women.
“Both Leigh and I have grown as professionals
as our community service responsibilities
increased,” Roger Gaddis said.
Gaddis estimated the couple’s state-level work
takes up nearly 500 hours a year.
In addition, they have donated electric vehicles
valued at $12,000 each to East Central University
and Mercy Hospital/Ada.
“These donations are certainly not isolated
instances of our firm’s contributions,” Roger
Gaddis said. “However, they serve to illustrate
the approach we take as a company in identifying
those areas of community service and support
where a smaller company like ours can do the
most good.”
The Journal Record 2016
Beacon Awards
MA+ Architecture
AS EDUCATIONAL FACILITY planners,
the folks at MA+ Architecture see firsthand the
needs of school districts across Oklahoma. That is
why the Oklahoma City-based architecture firm
decided to focus its volunteerism efforts on the
needs of the state’s education system.
The company started its Architects for
Education volunteer program six years ago to
encourage employees to donate their time during
normal office hours, but with the hope that would
grow to volunteering outside of the office. And
that’s just what has happened.
“People who were normally quiet and reserved
were volunteering to read or to mentor to high
school and college students,” said principal
architect and partner Gary Armbruster. “We
are very pleased how everyone has embraced
the idea of giving back to our education system.
Employees are encouraged and given the time
each week to volunteer their expertise and services
for nonprofits and education organizations
throughout the metro area.”
OKC Faith members pass out backpacks and
school supplies.
DURING THE LAST 14 years, OKC
Faith church reached out to help people less
fortunate with a program known as Feeding
5,000, which was taken from the biblical
account when Jesus fed 5,000 people with a
small amount of fish and bread.
Since 2002, the project has been renamed
Backpack 5000, which assists families and
children with school supplies and a meal the
day the backpacks are distributed at the church,
28 • The Journal Record Beacon Awards 2016
charitable influence - small
In 2015, MA+ Architecture donated more
than 325 hours of time and gave over $30,000 in
monetary donations and architectural services to
nonprofit groups including Positive Tomorrows,
Fields and Futures, Capitol Hill High School,
Oklahoma Public Schools Foundation, Jefferson
Elementary and Norman Public Schools
Foundation.
For the past three years, MA+ Architecture
has donated all architectural services acting as
architectural adviser for Positive Tomorrows, a
school for homeless children, as it searches for a
new location.
“By allowing our staff the time to volunteer
for this organization, we are assisting them in
changing the lives of the children and their parents
as we assist them in creating a school where the
children feel safe and gain the knowledge to get
out of their situation,” Armbruster said.
Susan Agel, president and principal of Positive
Tomorrows, said MA+ Architecture has been a
valued partner in the nonprofit’s strategic planning.
“MA+ Architecture, and particularly Principal
OKC Faith
located at 800 S. Portland Ave. in Oklahoma City.
The annual event has allowed the church to
reach more than 55,000 children and families.
“Probably the biggest reward for us is enabling
our own organization of people to give back and
serve,” said Jamie Shirey, director of music and
media relations.
Church members work about 500 volunteer
hours each year as they raise money, prepare for
the event and then pass out the backpacks and
supplies during several presentations throughout
the day. In many instances, families have two to
five school-age children, and the cost of buying
supplies can be expensive.
“Some families have to choose between
purchasing school supplies or paying their electric
bill. It can be embarrassing on the child who
shows up on the first day of class and doesn’t have
what they need,” Shirey said. “When our people
Principal architects Heath Tate and Gary
Armbruster discuss plans for Taft Middle School’s
new athletic fields.
Architect Gary Armbruster, has been a great friend
of Positive Tomorrows over the past couple of
years,” she said.
MA+ Architecture also mentors students
at Capitol Hill High School and Norman
Public Schools as well as students interested in
architecture at the University of Oklahoma and
Canadian Valley Technology Center.
“As a mentor we have students in our office
throughout the year, giving them office tours and
allowing them to visit our job sites so students can
have a firsthand look at how a building is designed
and built,” Armbruster said.
partner together with these single moms, dads and
struggling families, it shows them that someone
cares and that they are more than just a number.”
Each year, OKC Faith collects $100,000 for the
supplies and food. In some cases, church members
will adopt a family and provide all the backpacks
and supplies for those children. For the last several
years, families have lined up at the church as early
as 4:30 a.m.
“There might be as many as 100 people in line,”
Shirey said.
Grandparents often bring their grandchildren
to the event, including one grandmother who was
raising eight children.
“It’s an unbelievable scene,” Shirey said.
“Everyone is treated with respect because you
never want to herd them through like cattle. We
don’t want anyone to feel less than.”
 TheThe
Chickasaw
ChickasawNation
Nation

United
UnitedWe
WeThrive
Thrive
Bill Anoatubby,
Bill Governor
Anoatubby, Governor
www.chickasaw.net
www.chickasaw.net
HoganTaylor recently held a volunteer day at Special Care. Special Care provides the highest quality of education, care and therapeutic services to children with and without special needs. To learn more about making a
contribution or volunteering your time, visit www.specialcareinc.org

At HoganTaylor, we have a passion for service.

Service not only to our clients but to the communities where we live, work and play.
Giving back has always been an essential part of who we are and what we do as a firm. Individually and collectively,
we encourage and value community involvement through the giving of time, talent and financial support to the
many Oklahoma nonprofit organizations that are making a difference every day.
It’s been our honor to serve. We’ve gained more than we’ve given as we believe there is no better training
ground for lifelong learning than that which comes from helping those in need.

Congratulations to the 2016 Beacon Award Honorees from all of us at HoganTaylor.

We applaud and value your contributions to our community.

HoganTaylor provides assurance, tax and advisory services to a variety of regional and national nonprofit
organizations. Visit our website to learn how we can help your organization.

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