Vision - Faith, Community & Education

Faith, Community & Education

April 6, 2012

Norman 2012 VISION 3

By Jerri Culpepper Special for the Transcript

Antioch Community Church Normanis a relative newcomer to the commu-nity – it was launched locally in spring2009 with a special calling to impact theUniversity of Oklahoma as well as thecommunity in which it is nestled – butits lead pastor and other membersbelieve that Norman is on its way tobecoming an epicenter of teaching,training and planting of churches allover the world.

The Norman church plant is one ofnearly 50 in more than 20 nations aswell as many more throughout the Unit-ed States planted by the original Anti-och Community Church, which wasfounded in 1999 in Waco, Texas.

Chris Bennett, Antioch’s lead pastor,welcomes members of the communityto visit their church for one of their ser-vices, including this Sunday’s Easterservice (please see accompanying arti-cle), to learn what it has to offer.

He also welcomes visitors to thechurch’s website – www.antiochnor-man.com – to research their basicbeliefs, vision, and core values, as wellas testimonials and additional informa-tion. A sampling follows.

Basic beliefs:• The Bible is the inspired, authori-

tative, living, externally reliable Wordof God

• There is one God who hasrevealed himself as the Father, the Sonand the Holy Spirit, and that He is theFather, creator of all things visible andinvisible

• Jesus Christ, God’s only begottenson, came into the world to reveal theFather

that man was created by a direct andimmediate act of God

Core values: “Love God. Love one another. Love

the lost. Love the city.”Process: Antioch takes a simple approach to

church philosophy; the idea is that thesimpler the process, the easier it is toremember and replicate. Antioch hasestablished a simple process of 1)encounter (create an environmentwhere individuals can encounter the

presence of God), 2) Disciple (equippeople to become disciples of Jesusthrough life-giving relationships, 3)Serve (mobilize each person to serve

God and others through volunteeringand short-term missions) and 4) Impact

(empower individuals to impact theEarth through their unique gifts andvocational callings).

Upon joining the Antioch communi-

ty, members are invited to join one ofseveral “Lifegroups” – small-group

gatherings, including those for youthand college students, which serve asthe basic building blocks at Antioch.Ranging from eight to 15 members,these groups are designed to facilitatecommunity, personal growth and evan-gelism. Lifegroups meet weekly inhomes across the city for a time of fel-lowship, worship, discussion andprayer.

Of course, Antioch also offers Sundaymorning services. Expect expressiveworship, with contemporary, freshsongs; and accurate teachings of God’sword. Children are an integral part ofAntioch life, and the church offers funand interactive Bible teaching and wor-ship weekly.This is a paid advertorial by AntiochCommunity Church.

You’re invited!

Easter Program to Pose Question: What Now?Antioch Community Church Norman Lead Pastor Chris Bennett invites members of the Norman

community to join members in a special Easter observance, scheduled at two times – 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. –at Norman’s historic Sooner Theatre, 101 E. Main St.

“Are you looking for good news that is helpful and actually makes a difference in your life? God is aperfect Father and He wants to show you the amazing plans He has for your life and give you relationshipsthat bring your life joy and freedom,” Bennett said, adding, “If you are tired of religion and are truly wantingto know who Jesus is and discover the incredible plan He has for your life, come join us this Sunday.”

The Easter program will pose the question: “What now? In light of what Jesus has done for us, what isour response?” Child care and special children’s programming will be available. For more information,please visit www.antiochnorman.com.

Antioch Community Church Norman’s philosophy: keep it simple

Photo Provided

4 Norman 2012 VISION

The dozens of brightlydressed cyclists gathered in acorner of the BrookhavenVillage parking lot were readyto put a winter of pent-upcycling behind them oneTuesday night this pastmonth.

They were there for thefirst Bicycle League ofNorman Tuesday night ride.Two days later some came to

the 405 Bicycle Shopand Reaves Park forone of two Thursdaynight sponsoredrides. Then otherscame back for aSaturday spin.

Cycling has ahealthy following inthis community butit still trails runningand walking for

exercise. At nearly every hourof the day, you can findneighbors walking andrunning. This time of yearseems to bring out the best ofhealthy intentions. Some thathave walked the mall, hometreadmills or the indoortracks venture outside as thetemperatures rise.

A group of runners meets at5:15 nearly every morning inthe parking lot of the ClevelandCounty Family YMCA. It’s 15minutes before the Y evenopens for the day. There’s a linewaiting for it to open.

At the hospital’s healthclub, some private ones andeven the scattered boxingand martial arts gyms, it’s thesame story. Fitness hasbecome a ritual for manyfamilies.

They will help bend thetrend of poor health and

obesity in our state. Okla-homa ranks 48th in overallhealth and 43rd in child wellbeing. In Norman PublicSchools, more than 30percent of students in Pre-Kthrough fifth grade areconsidered overweight orobese.

It’s not just adults, too.Nearly a third of our studentsin pre-k through fifth gradeare considered overweight orobese. Type 2 Diabetes isbecoming an issue in elemen-tary schools with studentsneeding insulin shots.

If changes are not made,Oklahoma is on course tobecome the nation’s mostobese state by 2018. Somespeculate it could come evenearlier.

There are a few brightspots. Cleveland County wasjust named the state’s healthi-est county. That’s a good startbut the bar is set pretty low.

According to the rankings,residents of Seminole Countyhave more than twice thenumber of premature deathsthan residents of ClevelandCounty. According to therankings, the five healtiestcounties of the state areCleveland, Texas, Canadian,Payne and Beaver. The fivecounties in the poorest health,starting with least healthy, areSeminole, Greer, Kiowa, Love,and Harmon Counties.

Our county’s healthdepartment has initiated aCounty wide Health Improve-ment Plan recently releasedaddressing three priorityareas that include: tobaccoprevention, obesity reduction,and child health.

Andy RiegerExecutiveEditor

Next up: Arts & Entertainment

Animal Emergency Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Antioch Community Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-3

First Baptist Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-9

Goodwill Industries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15-16

Havenbrook Funeral Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Journey Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

McFarlin United Methodist Church . . . . . . . . . . .13

Spaulding Chiropractic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

St. Mark Catholic Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

FAITHNorman is a community of faith as evidenced by itsmany houses of worship. As the city continues togrow and prosper, congregations are growing aswell. Many find themselves in need of a largerworship space and are buying land and building newchurches. BridgeView United Methodist Church isone of the congregations. PAGE 10

COMMUNITYFrom vibrant volunteerism to a multifacility librarysystem to abundant outlets for health and recreation,Norman has so much to offer the residents of Cleve-land County. PAGE 5, 11, 14

EDUCATIONThe University of Oklahoma is a major presence bothnationally and locally, encompassing thousands ofundergraduate and graduate students on three campusesin Norman, Oklahoma City and Tulsa and includingpremier research facilities and world-class museumsamong its many assets. PAGE 12

INDEX

n Clockwise from upper left: Animal Emergency Center, First Baptist Church, Goodwill Industries andHavenbrook Funeral Home. Photos by Kyle Phillipls / The Norman Transcript.

ON THE COVER

Healthy rituals take hold in community each spring

ADVERTISER INDEX

Norman 2012 VISION 5COMMUNITY

By Hannah CruzTranscript Staff Writer

With 150 organizations receivingassistance this year from 5,735 volun-teers, the University of Oklahoma’s 13thannual Big Event has truly earned itsname.

Every spring more 5,000 volunteersfrom OU students, faculty and staff,disperse across Norman and the Okla-homa City area for one day of service.

This year’s event will be April 14.“OU’s Big Event is a special day for

both the University and the entire metroarea community,” OU President DavidBoren said “Each year, thousands of ourstudents give their time to serve localcharities and organizations.

“I’m very proud of the way theyrepresent their university,” Boren said.

With the goal to help those who helpothers, Big Event Chair Rachel Tyrrellsaid the event assists nonprofits, church-es, school and other community orientedorganizations to complete tasks that needman power.

The event is a completely student-runservice project that allows students to payforward the support the community givesthem, she said.

Gilbert Magdaleno with Arts Council of

Oklahoma City said last year was theorganization’s first time receiving helpfrom the event.

Volunteers benefit from the experienceas well, Tyrrell said. She first got involvedwith the event her freshman year, andhas been hooked ever since.

“I think it’s really given me a passionthat I don’t think will burn out when Ileave OU,” she said, referring to herhopes to go into nonprofit managementupon graduating from OU in May.

Helping so many in the communitycomes at a priceand wouldn’t be possiblewithout generous community corporatesponsorships, organizers said.

Besides providing labor for organiza-tions, the event is able to supply materialsorganizations need but cannot afford.

Between the event coordinators,volunteers, sponsors and jobsites, theevent’s rapid growth is headed in theright direction, said Jeff Moseley, vicechair of jobsite relations.

“This year with Big Event it’s definitelybigger than it’s ever been. We have morevolunteers than we’ve ever had. We havemore spots for jobsites for volunteers togo to than we’ve had in the past. It’s just areflection of all the hard work we’ve doneas a team of getting all the word out to thecommunity.”

The Big Event began at TexasA&M University in 1982 whenstudent leaders saw a need togive back to their surroundingcommunity of Bryan-CollegeStation — a community thatcontinually supported theiruniversity. Joe Nussbaum, vicepresident of the StudentGovernment Association at TexasA&M took the initiative to makeothers aware of this need, andafter a passage through thestudent senate, The Big Eventwas born. After 24 successfulyears, The Big Event is now anannual event at more than 60major universities across thenation.

The program has not onlyseen tremendous national growthsince its beginning, but alsotremendous local growth at theUniversity of Oklahoma. OU heldits first offical Big Event in thespring of 1999, after it wasadopted by the University ofOklahoma Student Association,the official student government ofOU. Along with many other majoruniversities, The Big Event hasbecome a prominent and lastingtradition at OU and continues togrow each year.

Source: bigevent.ou.edu.

Big Event: The History

Annual volunteer event allowsOU students to pay it forward

Kyle Phillips / Transcript File Photo

Then OU freshman Caroline Scott clears an areawhere flowers will be planted at RooseveltElementery School during the 2011 Big Event.

By Joel PruettTranscript Staff Writer

Facilities of Norman PublicSchools have been namednational Blue Ribbon Schoolsnine times since 1987, anddistrict educators said the awardrecognizes not only teachers,but everyone involved in theeducational process.

“We are very proud to berecognized for the hard work ofour faculty, staff and, mostimportantly, of our students,”said Peter Liesenfeld, principalat Longfellow Middle School.

“Our kids were really proud oftheir accomplishments.”

Although Liesenfeld was not theschool’s principal at the time hisschool received the district’s mostrecent Blue Ribbon — in the 2010-2011 school year — he saidstudents and teachers workedhard to achieve the accomplish-ment, though they didn’t doanything for the award that theywouldn’t do in a normal year.

Mandy Woodford, theschool’s gifted resource coordi-nator, said the school tookadvantage of a number ofopportunities to prepare stu-

dents for success on the tests.“One of the things that we did

was the way we used assess-ments, we would have collabora-tion time,” Woodford said. “Theteachers would review thatmaterial and look at how theycould improve instruction.”

Gail Richardson, math coordina-tor and math intervention special-ist at Longfellow Middle, said thedistrict made use of data pulledfrom testing benchmarks at thecollaborative teacher meetings,which showed teachers whichlessons were not up to par.

With this information, Richard-

son said, teachers formed smallgroups three times a year whichstudied a particular testingstandard.

With strategies like this,teachers not only worked toimprove their instruction, butalso to engage students in thelearning, the educators said.

Although testing scores areinfluential in becoming a BlueRibbon School, Liesenfeld saidmeasurable student testingperformance isn’t the only thingthat’s being recognized.

“A Blue Ribbon indicatesoverall accomplishment of the

school process,” Liesenfeld said.“We’re looking at a lot ofdifferent initiatives that speak tothe whole student.”

And he said that high testingscores and associated awardsbenefit not just those directlyinvolved with the educationalprocess, but also .

The fact Norman PublicSchool’s students can gothrough “a train of high-perform-ing schools,” a number of whichhave been recognized as BlueRibbon Schools, Liesenfeld said,might be impressive for familieslooking for a school district.

Blue Ribbon awards benefit teachers, students, community



While continuing to cherish its rich his-tory and traditions, the First Baptist Churchof Norman in the beginning of the 21st cen-tury just isn’t what it used to be – it’s more.

Under the leadership of Pastor WadeSmith, who celebrates five years of ministrythis June, the church has moved into whathe calls a “new season of life, growth, andvibrant community and ministry.” After aperiod of contemplation and discussion, thechurch reworked its mission statement,which can be stated succinctly as: “To LovePeople, Teach the Word, and to Live theJourney as Followers of Christ.”

To better understand the journey that ledto this point, it’s helpful to know somethingof the church’s local history and the role ithas played in the community it calls home.

Established on Oct. 27, 1889 – onlymonths after the official beginning of theOklahoma Land Run and years before state-hood – First Baptist Church filed andreceived its articles of organization from theTerritory of Oklahoma “for the purpose ofdisseminating the word of God and of ourLord and Savior Jesus Christ.” On Jan. 22,1893, the church dedicated its new sanctu-ary at the corner of Webster and Comanche.

As the church moved through the 20thcentury, Smith said, First Baptist was char-acterized by strong, consistent pastoral lead-ership through the ministries of E.F.“Preacher” Hallock, who served for almost46 years, and Dr. Lavonn Brown, whoserved for 29 years. Under their leadership,Smith said, “First Baptist became a leaderin student work, denominational life andinternational missions.”

Beginning in 1979, an added emphasiswas placed on the physical well-being of itsmembers and the community. The FamilyLife Center was dedicated that year, whichincluded a fitness center, bowling alley, bas-ketball and racquetball courts, and multi-purpose rooms. Additionally, communitysports leagues, summer camps, outreachevents, and ministries were launched, fur-thering First Baptist’s longtime involvementin the community.

During the past decade, First Baptist hasfurther extended its outreach and ministryefforts to another segment of Norman resi-dents. Under the leadership of Vickie Rig-gs, senior adult minister, First Baptistlaunched efforts to provide temporary orlonger-term assistance. A food pantry and

a clothes closet were established, and a“Bikes and Bible” ministry was formed toprovide basic transportation to those inneed. Church members began offering Sun-day lunches for anyone seeking a hot mealand fellowship; today, as many as 150 peo-ple partake of Sunday lunch any given week.And recently, First Baptist Church Normanextended an invitation to the broader Nor-man Christian community to join togetherin a day of service. To find out more aboutthe “To Norman With Love” project, whichthis year is scheduled for April 21, visitwww.fbcnorman.org.

As the church moves forward into thenew decade, Smith said, “the First Baptistfamily has called a staff of ministers wholove the local church and who offer creative

and dynamic ministries to equip and chal-lenge its members.”

First Baptist “is committed to developingdynamic ministries for children, youth, col-lege students and adults of all ages,” Smithsaid, noting that the church has made acommitment to be a “multigenerationalcommunity of faith that celebrates the gen-erations and looks for ways to engage andbring the generations together.” Uncom-mon Love, IRON Men and GALS are pro-grams offered by the church to help itsmembers discover meaningful discipleshipand ministry. Additionally, First Baptist sup-ports regional, national and internationaltrips for ministry and missions, which havetaken participants as far away as Europe,Africa and the Far East.

Recognized in the “Best of Norman” listsfor 2009 and 2010, First Baptist offers mean-ingful worship for church-goers who preferto keep things more traditional, and forthose seeking a more contemporary vibe.Sundays offer two choices: a “Classic” ser-vice – designed around traditional worshipelements, with a choir, organ music andorchestra engaging the congregation in tra-ditional hymns and classic and modernsacred music – in the sanctuary, dedicatedin 1950, and the LifeSong worship, featuringcontemporary Christian worship music andlyrics. The latter is held at Common Groundon Main Street.

Smith noted that First Baptist makes itsbeautiful campus and facilities available toNorman and area groups, centers, schoolsand others needing a convenient and safeplace to hold meetings and other gather-ings. First Baptist also recently added a play-ground to enhance its children’s ministriesand to serve Norman children and their fam-ilies. Also as part of its expanded public offer-ings, First Baptist has adopted a long-rangecampus plan to update and enhance its facil-ities and to strengthen its long-term com-mitment to the downtown Norman com-munity. Plans call for improvements toeducational areas, a facelift for the FamilyLife Center, a new elevator tower to provideeasier access to the offices and educationalspace in the east wing, and a new staircaseleading to the sanctuary from theComanche Street entrance.

“First Baptist values the history and tra-dition of its Baptist roots,” Smith said. “It val-ues the unique combination of the doctrinesof Believers Baptism, Local Church Auton-omy, Priesthood of All Believers, ReligiousLiberty and Biblical Authority. It celebratesthe opportunities to cooperate and partnerwith others for Kingdom purposes.

“First Baptist,” he said, “is a vibrant faithcommunity that celebrates its diversity inJesus Christ.”

He added, “I am blessed to serve as thepastor at First Baptist Church, a historicchurch that is enjoying a season of renewalthat is strengthening our community, deep-ening our worship and enhancing our ser-vice to others. We are sensing and experi-encing the presence of God in life-giving andtransforming ways. Join us on our journey todiscover what it means to be the presence ofChrist to each other and to our community.”This is a paid advertorial by First BaptistChurch.

First Baptist Church moving into a new season of life and growth

Photo Provided

If You GoFirst Baptist invites the public to celebrate the miracle of resurrection and the victory of Christ over deaththis Easter Sunday for a joyous day of worship. The church’s Easter celebration is scheduled to begin at10:30 a.m. at the church, 211 W. Comanche St.


FAITH

By Shana AdkissonThe Norman Transcript

Members of BridgeView UnitedMethodist Church have been patientlyawaiting a new home. And soon, theyhope to have their dream come true.

In 2006, church members purchased30 acres of land on Indian Hills Road, withhopes to open a new church by 2012. Butwith every project, there are bound to besome bumps in the road. But the Rev.Sheri Lashley sees the light at the end ofthe tunnel.

“We are in the last stages to gettingeverything set. People are standing on theyard line saying ready, set, go,” Lashleysaid.

Lashley adds that she hopes to see agroundbreaking ceremony by the end ofthis year and that the church is justinsuring that they have all of their ducks

in a row before going through with theconstruction.

BridgeView started as a UnitedMethodist Church on the west side ofNorman in 2000.

The church later found renting a space— even if they could have found one —was too expensive, which led the deter-mined congregation to meet in thecafeteria of Truman Elementary School.

But the congregation grew and, in2002, the church reached its 100-membermark. It was then that the “little churchthat could” was able to charter andofficially become part of the UnitedMethodist Church.

The church, now housed in a strip mallat 900 24th Ave. NW, sits on a little morethan 6,000 square feet. Phase one of thenew facility will be 18,252 square feet.

The church will be in the Moore schooldistrict but in Norman city limits.

Methodist congregation readyto continue with new facility

Norman 2012 VISION 11COMMUNITY

By Christian PottsFor The Transcript

With more than 700,000 books, DVDs,periodicals and downloadable items as partof its collection, the Pioneer LibrarySystem offers a variety of resources onetypically would expect from the library.

But the library system that servesNorman as part of its three-county areagoes well beyond that, through itsprogramming, outreach efforts andgeneral involvement in the communities itserves.

The Pioneer Library System provideslibrary services in Cleveland, McClain andPottawatomie counties, through 10 branchlibraries and eight Information Stations inrural communities. Anyone who lives,works, attends school or owns property inthe three-county area is eligible to have alibrary card free of charge for themselvesand their immediate family.

That means that wherever they live,when they come to the library, they haveaccess not just to the public computers andmaterials under that roof, but anything inPioneer’s collection. PLS transfers itemsbetween its libraries six days a week toquickly get a reader what they are seeking.

While access to books and a quiet, coolplace to read them is a part of the library,so too are the variety of programs offeredfor all ages.

During June and July, PLS librariesopen their doors for programming optionsnearly every day of the week. The 2011Summer Reading Program saw more than10,000 children, teens and adults sign up toparticipate, and thousands more beyondthat number come through the doors ofthe 10 branch libraries during their busiesttime of the year.

Another staple of library programmingis the annual PLS Big Read. Each spring,the library centers several weeks ofprogramming and events on a noted workof literature. The 2012 selection, “The JoyLuck Club” by Amy Tan follows suchworks as Dashiell Hammett’s “TheMaltese Falcon,” John Steinbeck’s “TheGrapes of Wrath” and Tim O’Brien’s “TheThings They Carried.”

While these events garner a lot of

attention, the library’s programmingschedule runs year-round. In the previousfiscal year, more than 163,000 peopleattended about 5,500 programs put on atPLS branches.

More than 20 book discussion groupshosted by PLS libraries meet monthly,including several tailored specifically teensor even tweens in the 8- to 11-year-oldrange.

And Story Time is a staple at all PLSlibraries. Throughout the system, about 30to 35 programs a week for children areoffered, ranging from the musical MelodyHounds programs in Norman andBlanchard to Baby and Lapsit Story Timesfor the youngest of library users and theircaregivers to a number of outreach StoryTimes in communities, including Normanstaff conducting a weekly Sooner MallStory Time that draws around 75 guestseach week.

PLS continues to look to the future withcontinuing expansion of its onlineresources. The PLS Virtual Library branchhas more than 22,000 downloadableeBooks and audio books, which areavailable for download to a number ofeReaders, including the Amazon Kindle,Barnes & Noble Nook and Sony Reader,as well as other mobile devices such as aSmartphone or an MP3 player.

The library system subscribes to severalonline databases, such as Ancestry.com forgenealogy researchers, Reference USAand BusinessDecision for small businessentrepreneurs or Brainfuse for studentsand homework help.

The Norman, Moore and Noblelibraries also offer in-person homeworkhelp for school-age from volunteer tutorsduring the school year. And the PLSLiteracy Department is in tune with theneeds of adult literacy, with volunteertutors working with both English as aSecond Language students as well asnative speakers who need help with theirliteracy skills.

The Pioneer Library System operatesbranch libraries in Blanchard, McLoud,Moore, Newcastle, Noble, Norman,Purcell, Shawnee, Southwest OklahomaCity and Tecumseh. Each of the libraries isopen seven days a week.

Norman’s library offersmuch more than books


Transcript File Photo

The Seed Sower marks the entrance to the University of Oklahoma’s South Oval. Student to faculty ratio is 18 to 1, and the average class size is 31, but the sense ofcloseness and even nurturing generated by the university can be witnessed by visiting its main campus in Norman on almost any given afternoon.

By Caitlin SchudallaTranscript Staff Writer

To attempt summing up the University of Oklahomain a single sentence or even series of adjectives wouldnot do it justice.

Statistics, national recognition, even campus pho-tographs provide only a glimpse of what an incrediblyremarkable institution OU is.

It is a major presence both nationally and locally,encompassing thousands of undergraduate and gradu-ate students on three campuses in Norman, OklahomaCity and Tulsa, and including premier research facilitiesand world-class museums among its many assets.

The Princeton Review named OU among the top 10public universities nationwide for academic excellenceand cost for students, and the school holds the nation’snumber one spot for freshman National Merit Scholars,per capita at a public university.

Yet, in the midst of its overwhelming size and scope,OU’s sense of community is so strong that referring toits students, faculty, staff and administrators as a “family”is entirely accurate.

Student to faculty ratio is 18 to 1, and the average class

size is 31, but the sense of closeness and even nurturinggenerated by the university can be witnessed by visitingits main campus in Norman on almost any givenafternoon.

Sidewalks are colored with chalk announcementsadvertising the thriving activity of the school’s 150student organizations, faculty and administrative officesare housed in the heart of the campus next to classbuildings,many of which are historic, and studentsthemselves can be seen studying, sharing lively discus-sions or even attending class in the campus’s manygardens and green spaces.

Much of this atmosphere of intellectualism andcommunity is the result of the historic leadership ofPresident David L. Boren and his wife, Molly Shi Boren,who, in their nearly 18 years at OU, have brought theuniversity dramatic expansion and improvement onmany levels.

From such massive projects as creating the universi-ty’s South Research Campus (including the NationalWeather Center) to more intimate changes like rejuve-nating campus gardens and horticulture, the campus

The University of Oklahoma is in a class of its own$1.5 billion Total university-related operating expenditures

$262 million Sponsored research expenditures

$639 million Estimated wage and salary income generated inFY2011

$391,000 Patent reimbursement venue

$366 million Off-campus expenditures by students and visitors(includes museum and athletic events visitors)

$42,681 Estimated number of jobs generated annually by univer-sity, student and visitor expenditures

$1.5 billion Construction expenditures on the 3 campuses overthe past 12 years

$348 million Approximate federal, state and local taxes associ-ated with OU economic activity

$54 millionEstimated university contribution to local government(via tax dollars)

— Source: From the University of Oklahoma 2012 Economic Impact Report

By the numbers: OU’s impact

• See UNIVERSITY, Page 13

EDUCATION


itself is a great indicator of how Mr. andMrs. Boren have made the overall benefitof the university family a well-establishedpriority with far-reaching results.

Under President Boren, the universityhas seen the inception of 20 major newprograms including the Honors Collegeand the College of International Studies,and a quadrulpling of private endowment— growing from $504 million to over $1.5billion.

The Borens also exemplified dedica-tion and close involvement with theuniversity by restoring and reinstatingthe historic Boyd House — across thestreet from campus — in 1997 as OU’spresidential residence.

The growth and success of the universityextends well beyond its campuses, enrich-ing local communities economically,educationally and culturally.

Sponsored research expenditures atOU generated an estimated $639 million

in local wage and salary income, and theuniversity generates an estimated $7.65impact for every $1 appropriated by theOklahoma legistlature.

OU’s K20 Center for Educational andCommunity Renewal is a statewideresearch and development center,generating a collaborative effort betweenlocal school, community and universityentities to create new innovations ineducation, serving 900 schools and 97percent of Oklahoma’s school districts.

The university also provides localcultural enrichment through a plethora offine arts performances each year,bringing world-class musicians, directors,writers and performers to the university.

The University of Oklahoma is truly aplace where people come together toachieve great things.

It’s a many-faceted entity with anational and global footprint, but itsgreatest and most lasting effect will be onthe past, present and future lives it bringstogether here in the state of Oklahoma,and the extraordinary community it hasforged through continued educationalexcellence and service.

University• From Page 12

Here are just a few highlights of theimpact the University of Oklahoma is hav-ing.

• In 2011 OU Health Sciences Centerwas ranked 37th nationally in total researchfunding from the National Institutes ofHealth, considered the gold standard forresearch.

• The US Department of Interior select-ed OU as the South-Central Climate Sci-ence Center, a site for one of eight region-al climate centers in the nation. Opening inSpring 2012 on the South Research campusin Norman, the Center will use existingweather resources to project climate andmanage federal lands, natural resourcesand wildlife.

• An OU team was recently awarded a$10.7 million grant from the Air ForceResearch Laboratory to develop an educa-tional video game training intelligence ana-lysts

• In 2011, the National Oceanic andAtmospheric Administration selected OUfor a cooperative research agreementwhich is projected to bring up to $75 millionin federal funds and 160 new jobs to the uni-

versity to advance weather radar, storm pre-diction and climate research.

• The Institute of Child Development inthe Jeannine Rainbolt College of Educationoffers young children specially-developedhands-on learning activities to study andcreate new ways to help students developsocially, emotionally, cognitively, creative-ly and physically.

• In 2011, the university communitydonated an estimated 15,000 pounds offoodstuffs to Governor Mary Fallin’s FeedOklahoma Food Drive through the Okla-homa Regional Food Bank

• OU Community Health Clinics pro-vide free health care to local uninsured andunderserved patients while also givinghands-on training to medical, nursing, phar-macy and social work students, culminat-ing in approximately 11,000 hours of com-munity service in 2011.

• In one year, the university’s GeorgeMiksch Sutton Avian Research Center edu-cated an estimated 20,000 children and44,000 adults through a multimedia pro-gram offered at the state wildlife expo andmiddle schools around the state.

OU tops in research, innovationEDUCATION

14 Norman 2012 VISION COMMUNITY

Lake ThunderbirdLake Thunderbird State Park provides visitors a

lakeside getaway while still within easy reach of city-attractions and services. It features 1,874 Park Acres,6,000-Acre Lake Thunderbird, 447 campsites,assigned Campground, nature trail, horse Stables,swimming beach, boating, a bike trail and fishing.

Lake Thunderbird is located at 13101 AlamedaDr,. 13 miles east of Norman on Highway # 9 fromI-35.

[email protected] Park Office, [email protected]

Bowling CentersSooner Bowling Center550 24th Ave NWOpen 11 a.m.-Midnight S-Th and 11 a.m.-2 a.m.

F-S, 360-3634www.soonerbowl.com

Cleveland County Family YMCA1350 Lexington AvenueNorman, OK 73069405-364-YMCA (9622)405-364-9799 fax

Golf CoursesCobblestone Creek Golf Club, Cobblestone

Course1350 CObblestone Creek Drive9 holes over 1,530 yards with a par of 27 (Pub-

lic) 872-2582

Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club1 Par Dr325-671618 holes over 7,380 yards with a par of 72 (Pub-

lic)

Belmar Golf Club1025 E Indian Hills RdNorman, OK 73071-7944364-0111 18 holes over 6,578 yards with a par of 70 (Pri-

vate)

The Trails Golf Club18 holes over 6,602 yards with a par of 70 (Pri-

vate)3200 S Berry Rd(360-1920

Westwood Park Golf Course18 holes over 6,153 yards with a par of 70

(Municipal)2400 Westport DrNorman, OK 73069-6336(405) 292-9700

Perfect Swing Family Fun Center1900 Ann Branden Blvdminiature golf, driving range360-1800

Andy Alligator's Fun Park3300 Market Place321-7275mini-golf

Recreation options around Norman

By Michael KinneyTranscript Sports Writer

Norman has one of the most vibrant bik-ing communities in the state. Whether it'sindividuals and families taking advantageof the area bike trails or the annual NormanConquest, the city has become a haven foravid cyclist.

The Bicycle League of Norman hasweekly group rides on Tuesday and Thurs-days during the spring season. The orga-nized rides are grouped into ability levels.Riders must wear helmets.

More information is available atwww.bicycleleague.com.

• Every night during the summer, thefields at Reaves Park are full. Softball play-ers from around Cleveland County con-verge on the fields for a little competitionand exercise.

Adult league softball is just one of theactivities Norman has to offer residentsthroughout the year. From the cities parksand recreation department to the YMCA,Norman is a treasure trove of fun and fit-ness.

• The Norman Parks & RecreationDepartment offers both youth and adultsports during the year. Everything fromyouth baseball, softball, basketball, golf andtennis can be found at one of the many parkvenues spread throughout the city.

• The City of Norman Recreation Cen-ter’s also offer an After School Care for chil-dren in afternoon kindergarten throughfifth grade. The After School Program runsfrom after school until 6 p.m. each dayschool is in session. The program provideshomework time, indoor and outdoor activ-ities, arts and crafts and movie time. Par-ticipants at Irving and Whittier RecreationCenters will arrive by NPS buses fromWashington, Kennedy, Truman and Jack-son Elementary schools. Staff from the 12thAvenue Recreation Center will walk partic-ipants to the center from nearby Eisen-hower Elementary.

The Cleveland County Family YMCAcovers more than 78,000 square feet andincludes a large health and well-being cen-ter with Cardio Theater, free weights andcardiovascular equipment including tread-mills, stairmasters, bikes, a 25-yard, 10-lanepool with diving board and slide. The Fam-

ily Y features a variety of aerobic and fitnessprograms from yoga to zumba.

"Everything we do at the Y is designedto nurture the potential of children andteens, improve health and well-being andmotivate people to support their neighborsand the larger community," YMCA officialssaid.

One of the oldest and bigger groups isthe Norman Youth Soccer Association.They offer competitive and recreational soc-cer for youth and adults.

The NYSA vision is to encourage, pro-mote and stimulate interest and participa-tion in the game of soccer by organizingrecreational and competitive soccer teams;developing our players, coaches and refer-ees; promoting sportsmanship; maintainingproper playing facilities; and operating in afinancially responsible manner.

Lake Thunderbird and Little River StatePark have multiple uses. The lake coversabout 6,000 acres of surface area. The parktakes up 8,000 land acres inside the parkboundaries.

The state park has designated huntingareas for deer archery season. Water fowlhunting also is allowed. Slips are availableto rent at either the Calypso Cove Marinaand Little River Marina.

Community sports a varietyof recreational activities


Keeping it cool is easy at any of thecity’s pools or splash pads.


The city parks are a good place to enjoy quality time with man’s best friend.



Many of us have visited aGoodwill store or two. They’re agreat place to find gently wornclothing and used appliances,general household items, booksand more. Many others of ushave donated clothing, furnitureand other items to Goodwill,knowing they will go to otherswho need or want them morethan we do. In donating to Good-will, we not only benefit from thetax relief such donations provide,but derive satisfaction knowingour unwanted items won’t end upin a landfill.

But did you know that Good-will – which traces its origins backto 1902 and its introduction to theSooner State in 1936 – also offersa plethora of programs to assistpeople who are un- or under-employed or otherwise in need ofa helping hand?

Chris Daniels, CEO of Good-will Industries of Central Okla-homa Inc., recently shared theGoodwill story with NormanTranscript readers, noting, “Wewant people to think of us as morethan the place where they drop offtheir donations.”

Brief HistoryThe Goodwill “philosophy” is

traced to a Methodist minister,Edgar J. Helms. In 1902, hearrived in his new parish onBoston’s south side – an area pop-ulated by European immigrants,who for the most part were job-less, unfamiliar with the Englishlanguage, and quickly runningout of any money they hadbrought with them – as well ashope. Helms turned to the city’smore upscale neighborhoods forhelp, going door to door and col-lecting goods for his parishionersin burlap sacks. However, hefound them too proud to acceptcharity. His solution? He put themto work repairing and cleaningthe donated items, which he thensold to pay for their training andwages. This simple, yet elegant,

idea – of giving a hand up, not ahand-out – is what gave rise to themodern-day Goodwill.

In 1936, Oklahoma publisherE.K. Gaylord joined forces withmany prominent Oklahoma Cityresidents to introduce Goodwillinto Oklahoma. Originally knownas Oklahoma Goodwill Indus-tries, it later changed its name toGoodwill Industries of CentralOklahoma Inc., or GICO.

Career Development andTraining

When you purchase items at aGoodwill retail store, you arehelping to fund Oklahoma’slargest nonprofit employmenttraining service for people withdisabilities and other barriers toemployment. Since 1936, GICOhas been helping people with dis-abilities and others who face bar-riers to employment, includingthose with little education or workexperience or who do not havethe resources to seek employ-ment. (For example, lack offunds to purchase appropriateinterview or work clothes.) Theprogram has helped numerous

individuals regain self-sufficiency– and with it the pride that comesfrom drawing a paycheck – butothers benefit as well: notably,taxpayers and employers.

“We focus on the individual,not the situation,” Daniels says.“We’re actually going to help peo-ple get prepared to walk throughthe door and gain employment.Today, it takes more than justknowing a job is out there. Wework with people to help thembecome better prepared for com-petitive employment.”

One way that GICO assiststhose needing help finding a jobis through its Job ConnectionCenter, an employment resourcecenter that is available to the pub-lic at no cost to them. Participantswalk away with a stronger workskill set, new career goals and abrighter future for themselvesand their families. And with eachsuccessful job placement, GICOstrengthens the community andlocal commerce by producingskilled, hardworking employees.

One of the center’s recentgraduates is “Shirlene,” a GICOcontract services employee, who

remarked, “I tried a lot of tempagencies, but didn’t like it. I likeworking. I earn a decent pay-check and I can see my threegrandkids more. I feel better.”

In addition to the Job Connec-tion Center, public donations toGoodwill fund the followingcareer development services andtraining programs:

Environmental TechnicianTraining, the focus of which is toassist job-seekers in their effortsto gain basic employment skillsand knowledge, including jobsearch planning, interview prepa-ration and resume development.

Recycle Technician Training,which educates participants onthe components and opportuni-ties available in the “greenindustry.”

Vocational Training, specifi-cally targeting those with disabil-ities, in which clients work with ajob coach to learn appropriateworkplace behaviors and receivespecialized job training.

Work Adjustment Training,targeting high school seniors andjuniors with disabilities, in whichparticipants are given opportuni-

ties to participate in activitiesaimed at easing them throughthe transition from high school tothe office.

Goodguides Mentoring, amentoring program for at-riskyouth between the ages of 12 and17 in which mentees are exposedto topics that help prepare themfor higher education and careerexploration.

Your donations also makegood “green” sense, since donat-ed items are no longer landfillmaterial. By its very nature,Goodwill was a forerunner oftoday’s green trend: it has beenrecycling, reusing and repurpos-ing donated goods since itsinception.

With the help of donors, vol-unteers and advocates, Good-will Industries of Central Okla-homa is working to give “AHand Up … Not a Hand Out.”You can help by donating yourrecyclables and gently usedgoods to a store near you, or byshopping at a Goodwill store.For more information, call (405)236-4451. You can also “Like”Goodwill on Facebook. This is a paid advertorial byGoodwill.

Goodwill: providing a hand up, not a hand out

Photo Provided

Jessica is one of the individuals currently employed in Goodwill’s retail stores.

Goodwill’s EnvironmentalCommitmentDid you know? Buying “recycled” bluejeans from Goodwill saves the planet2,900 gallons of water (water that isrequired to produce a new pair).That’s just one example of howGoodwill is a leader in environmentallyconscious efforts. Some otherexamples:In 2004, Goodwill Industries Interna-tional joined forces with Dell to create atop-tier, technology recycling programcalled “Reconnect.” Goodwill uses theproceeds from these recycledcomputers and computer parts to helpsupport their mission and put people towork. Last year, GICO recycled approximate-ly 10 million pounds of donated goods,including computers, clothing, plastics,shoes, Styrofoam, paper and glass.In 2011, GICO was honored with theTop Nonprofit Recycling Programaward, given by Metrecycle during itsAmerica Recycles Day.

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