| Sally Ray Joins Staff |
 In January, Sally Ray joined our staff to head up the new Wellness Initiative. A longtime development officer with several nonprofits, Sally worked at the American Red Cross - Central & Western Oklahoma Region as the chief development officer prior to joining the Oklahoma City Community Foundation. To welcome Sally, you may reach her at s.ray@occf.org and 405/606-2930.
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| Estate Planning 1.5 |
We are once again hosting the year-long Cannon teleconference series through our Estate Planning 1.5 luncheons. The monthly teleconference offers 1.5 hours of free continuing education credits for attorneys, CPAs, trust officers and other financial planners on topics including tax law, estate and trust planning and current issues affecting wealth management professionals. In 2013, more than 140 individuals attended one or more of the teleconferences that averaged 56 attendees each month. For more information about Estate Planning 1.5 including the 2014 schedule and online registration, click here.
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| Investment Performance |
The Oklahoma City Community Foundation's pooled investments yielded a return of 5.06 percent for the quarter ending Dec. 31, 2013, and 9.68 percent for the first six months of FY2014. Our investment policy is specifically designed for an endowment fund to provide annual distributions for charitable purposes in perpetuity. Find more information about our investment performance here.
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| Grants Awarded to Mobile Meals Providers |
For the fifth consecutive year, Oklahoma City Community Foundation Trustees awarded grants to Mobile Meals providers in central Oklahoma. $28,800 in grants went to 55 churches that provide meals to homebound elderly through Mobile Meals of Oklahoma County, as well as Edmond Mobile Meals and Norman's Meals on Wheels program. Learn more here.
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Contact Us
405/235-5603 1000 N. Broadway Ave., Oklahoma City, OK 73102 ( directions) Staff
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New Website Offers Improved Donor Experience
We have a new www.occf.org and are excited to share the changes and improvements! You can download a guide to the changes that include:
- Streamlined Navigation - With two navigation areas, links to commonly visited pages such as online giving and Donor Central are readily accessible and more navigation choices are viewable on each web page.
- New Online Giving Service - Donors can now complete online gifts with greater ease using our new online giving service Authorize.net.
- Staff Contacts - It's now easier to contact our staff with key contact information featured on a majority of the pages as well as an online contact form.
- Responsive Design -Visiting OCCF.org from your mobile device? Our new website automatically responds to your screen size, providing an optimal viewing experience.
Learn more about our new website here and let us know what you think by emailing editor@occf.org. |
Trustee Scholarship Initiative Awards $211,500 to 141 High School Seniors
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Community Foundation Scholar Award recipients from ASTEC Charter School and their high school guidance counselor at one of three recognition luncheons we hosted honoring the students.
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Trustees awarded 141 area high school seniors with a total of $211,500 in scholar awards through the Community Foundation Scholars program. The recipients, who represent 51 public and private high schools located in four counties within central Oklahoma, will each receive a $1,500 award for the 2014-2015 academic year. The Community Foundation Scholars program rewards good students who are also good citizens. Within the program, recipients include students who might not otherwise qualify for awards based solely on academic standards and students who will be the first in their family to attend college. View more photos of the 2014 award recipients on our Scholarship Facebook page here. |
Oklahoma City Parks Foundation, Wellness Initiative Underway
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Parks consultants Andrew Dobshinsky with WRT (left) and Peter Harnik with the Trust for Public Land (right) with Nancy B. Anthony and Leslie Hudson at the Oklahoma City Community Foundation.
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The Oklahoma City Council has accepted the Oklahoma City Parks Master Plan, the result of a joint project between the Oklahoma City Community Foundation and the Oklahoma City Planning and Parks departments to develop a comprehensive plan of the existing public parks system. Developed by the consulting firm Wallace Roberts Todd (WRT), the Parks Master Plan outlines the current status of the Oklahoma City public parks system and recommends action steps for improvement and enhancements.
Following the acceptance of the Parks Master Plan, we announced the formation of the Oklahoma City Parks Foundation. The initial purpose of the foundation, which will be a 501(c)(3) public charity, will be to encourage public-private partnerships for the benefit of existing neighborhood parks. Currently, we are researching successful park foundations in other communities as we build the framework for the Oklahoma City Parks Foundation. Our goal is to create an organization that attracts multiple partners and will support specific activities in the parks and serve as an advocate for public parks.
In addition, Trustees have approved a new Wellness Initiative that will focus on promoting wellness through our parks, school grounds and public spaces. The initiative will also include a grant program. For more information about the Oklahoma City Parks Foundation or the Wellness Initiative, contact Sally Ray at s.ray@occf.org or 405/606-2930.
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GiveSmartOKC Features 225 Charitable Organizations
 Area charitable organizations continue to provide a look into their financials, governance and management policies and other areas of nonprofit efficacy by completing a GiveSmartOKC profile. As of April 1, Give SmartOKC features publicly-viewable data on 225 nonprofits in central Oklahoma. Area funding organizations and corporations including Bank of Oklahoma, Devon Energy and the Kirkpatrick Family Fund are also using Give SmartOKC to research potential grant recipients. We encourage you to use Give SmartOKC to help inform your charitable giving. Visit www.givesmartokc.org and search for an organization by name, keyword or geographic area. If you don't find your favorite charitable organization, please encourage them to contact Jana Steelman at 405/606-2922 or email givesmartokc@occf.org to request a profile. Also, we are currently promoting Give SmartOKC in radio commercials and online advertisements. |
OCCF Long-range Plan to be Developed
Oklahoma City Community Foundation Trustees have hired the consulting firm Ekstrom and Associates to help develop a new long-range plan for the organization. We have surveyed donors, charitable organizations and professional advisors to help learn more about how we are performing in the community. Consultants have interviewed donors, community leaders, current and past Trustees and staff and a planning retreat will take place in May.
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