Celebrity Softball Slug Out!

Permanent Supportive Housing Program Announced

Tulsa, OK – The Tulsa Day Center has announced that it is seeking input and support from city and neighborhood leaders for a permanent supportive housing program to be built in Tulsa with services to help people live more stable, productive lives.

Modeled after the country’s best supportive housing programs, Hudson Villas will provide a safe and healthy permanent home to about 60 individuals. The program will help end the cycle of chronic homelessness, which is a critical and costly issue for the City of Tulsa, social services agencies, hospitals and medical centers. The largest factor contributing to this issue continues to be an extreme lack of affordable housing in Tulsa.

“We know many homeless people who, when given the opportunity, can live successfully in permanent supportive housing and break free from the cycle of chronic homelessness,” said Sandra Lewis, executive director of the Tulsa Day Center for the Homeless. “Programs like the Hudson Villas will present a significant annual cost savings to the City and reduce the cost and work burden to numerous social services agencies in the Tulsa community.”

Hudson Villas will be supported through a combination of private donations from local foundations and grants from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. It will be managed by the Tulsa Day Center for the Homeless.

The construction of Hudson Villas is proposed on vacant land near 11^th Street and Hudson Ave. Officials from the Tulsa Day Center for the Homeless have met with city and neighborhood leaders and are working diligently to integrate Hudson Villas into the existing neighborhood.

“In the last month we’ve met with Councilor Maria Barnes and other neighborhood representatives to listen to their input and incorporate it into our plans as we move forward,” said Lewis. “One of our top priorities is to ensure that Hudson Villas is a good neighbor and becomes an asset to the neighborhood.”

Permanent supportive housing provides a long-term solution to chronic homelessness that produces positive results for residents and our community. Hudson Villas is modeled after best practices endorsed by the Corporation for Supportive Housing.

  

Rain or shine: Spring event features music, fun Lyrics on the Lawn is a fun, family-friendly event benefiting the Tulsa Day Center for the Homeless. The Eighth Annual Lyrics on the Lawn will be Sunday, April 18, 2010 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the H.A. Chapman Green at Sixth and Main Streets, in downtown Tulsa. Adult tickets are $10, Children under 12 are $5. Lyrics on the Lawn will again feature Cindy Cain, Annie Ellicott and Rebecca Ungerman. Kids’ activities include balloon art by Dustin Reudelhuber and face painting. Food and Beverages will be available for purchase. Bring your lawn chair or blanket and join us for a fun, relaxing event for a great cause. Click here to buy tickets online by donating $10 for each adult ticket and $5 for each kid (under 12) ticket. Thank you for your donation and enjoy the event! You can also call or write to: Tulsa Day Center for the Homeless 415 W. Archer Street Tulsa, OK  74103 918-583-5588

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Alana Hughes
Director of Administration
918.591.1074
ahughes@schusterman.org Tulsa, OK—December 15 – The Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation (CLSFF) will present grants of $50,000 each to six nonprofit organizations that are providing direct services in the Tulsa area. The program, called "Lights On!," is designed to help the organizations that most efficiently provide for basic needs like food, clothing, and shelter to the community.

"We looked for organizations that are positioned to serve the greatest number of Tulsans who are most in need," said Lynn Schusterman, chair of the Tulsa-based foundation. "'Lights On!' celebrates the community spirit of these organizations. During the holidays, the whole city is lit with this spirit and we hope this program will help make the city a brighter place throughout the year."

The selected agencies that will receive the grants are:
1. Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma
2. Emergency Infant Services
3. Neighbors Along the Line
4. Neighbor for Neighbor
5. Meals on Wheels of Metro Tulsa
6. Tulsa Day Center for the Homeless

In its second year, "Lights On!" provides one-time, end-of-year grants to local organizations to assist them with their operating costs. These gifts are chosen by the CLSFF and require no application.

About the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation
The Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation was established in 1987 with a mission to spread the joy of Jewish living, giving and learning throughout the world. In Tulsa, the foundation strives to improve the quality of life through investments that seek to eradicate and prevent child abuse, support education and develop young leaders through community service projects.

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Tulsa Day Center Needs Volunteers, Clothing & Food for the Holidays

Volunteers and donations are a year-round need at the Tulsa Day Center for the Homeless. But during the holidays there are several special projects where we could use the giving spirit of Tulsa area residents.

Please contact Debra Dester at 556-6418 or ddes...@tulsadaycenter.org about the following opportunities:

• Holiday Lights Installation – Bring the colorful warmth of the holidays to the Tulsa Day Center by decorating our courtyard with lights. Help make the outside of our building as festive as the inside.

• Holiday Crafts - Come with craft supplies and holiday smiles. Please bring enough to make 25-30 ornaments, cards or other decorations.

• Be Santa to Someone Special! Treat one of our housed clients(mostly single adults, but some families) to the holiday they wouldn't have without you! You will receive a Wish List for each person or family that has been nominated by a Case Manager.

• Rise & Shine! Help us collect 150 of these items so the folks who wake up here on December 25th will have a special breakfast: flavored oatmeal packets, fruit cups or fruit, muffins, milk, sugar, sweetener, juice, hot cocoa packets and decaffeinated coffee.

• Holiday Buddies – Come be a friend for a day. We need child-friendly helpers to play with our kids during Christmas break. Bring a toy car, truck or hand-held game and make a kid’s day.

• Let There Be Light! Let there also be water, heat and the staff to serve our clients all year long! Honor friends and family this holiday with a donation in their name and a holiday card you may send out acknowledging your gift.

• Clothing needs – For our children we need diapers and wipes and clothing size 18 months through size 14. We also need men and women’s clothing, coats, jackets, shoes, scarves, hats, gloves, warm shirts, sweaters, jeans and warm pants.

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Tulsa Day Center for the Homeless Awarded $1.4 million in federal funds Rental aid marked for people facing sudden financial crisis

October 2, 2009

Tulsa, Okla. – The Tulsa Day Center for the Homeless today announced that it was awarded $1.4 million in federal funds to rapidly re-house families and individuals who fall into homelessness, or to prevent them from becoming homeless in the first place. The Tulsa Day Center is partnering with 11 other agencies in the community to distribute the Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP) funds to eligible families and individuals for short- and medium-term rental and utility assistance.

“We are honored that the Tulsa Day Center was selected for this grant, which will separately fund a new program on top of our core services that help  those in need in our city on a daily basis,” said Tulsa Day Center Executive Director, Sandra Lewis. “In this economic crisis, this much-needed federal assistance will help us assist our neighbors who have hit a bump in the road and are on the brink of homelessness or are already homeless.”

The grant to the Day Center is part of $1.5 billion awarded to more than 400 communities that is provided through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The purpose of the HPRP is to provide homelessness prevention assistance to households who would otherwise become homeless – many due to the economic crisis – and provide assistance to rapidly re-house persons who are experiencing homelessness.

The grant will not fund operations at the Tulsa Day Center for the Homeless, which provides food, shelter and safety to an average of 400 people each day. Donations at the shelter are down about 30 percent for the year, and the successful operation of services is still dependent on the generosity of the community.

The Tulsa Day Center is working in collaboration with 11 other agencies in the community to administer the HPRP funds. They include DVIS, Veteran’s Administration, Volunteers of America, Tulsa Housing Authority, Tulsa County Emergency Services, Mental Health Association in Tulsa, John 3:16 Mission, Youth Services of Tulsa, Family & Children’s Services, Legal Aide Services of Oklahoma and Community Service Council.

Founded in 1985, the Tulsa Day Center for the Homeless provides a safe, healthy environment for the homeless and opportunities for these individuals to achieve self-sufficiency. The center provided care for 11,419 individuals in 2008. For more information about the Tulsa Day Center for the Homeless, visit the Web site at www.tulsadaycenter.org

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Home Run for the Homeless 2009 The third annual Home Run for the Homeless is a celebrity softball game benefiting the Tulsa Day Center for the Homeless. Played on June 18, 2009, the Orange Team once again prevailed. Thanks for coming out to support the Tulsa Day Center for the Homeless!  See you again next year!

 

 

3 - 0. The Undefeated Orange Radio/Writers Team. Back Row (left to right): Joe Kelley, Dave Weston, Rick Wrona, Gary Greenwood, Don King and Chris Plank. Front Row (left to right) PJ Lassek, Betty Casey, Sunny Leigh, Melvin Gilliam and Matt McCoy.




0 - 3. Next year will be their year! The Green TV Team. Back Row (left to right) Abbie Alford, Russ McCaskey, Julie Chin, Paul Heggen, Chris Wright, Kristen Dickerson, Scott Smith and Big Al Jerkens. Front Row (left to right) Emily Sinovic, Sharon Phillips, Burt Mummolo, Heather Been, Kristina Giustozzi and Frank Mitchell.



Phil and Brent in the Booth. 


Dave Weston and Chris Wright


Balloon Guy, Dustin Reudelhuber, is always a hit!


Heather Been tagging out Matt McCoy.


Frank Mitchell and Rick Wrona