Passport to Manhood

Jamar Giddings is second from right.

Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club's special program popular

What does "manhood" mean to today's youth? For many boys in West Tulsa, it means toying with dropping out of school early, seeking friendship and leadership in gangs, and experimenting with drugs.

But one man is setting a different example. West Tulsa Boys & Girls Club director, Jamar Giddings, is a mentor and friend to many young men, welcoming them into his Club, but also his home.
For the past several years, Jamar (who we last saw at the Youth of the Year awards banquet with the 2013 Youth of the Year Anthony Wilson) has lead a program called "Passport to Manhood" and supplemented the lessons of the program with lots of one-on-one time, modeling fatherhood and manhood at his home and with his church family.

Passport to Manhood teaches a variety of basic life skills and lessons cover topics like:

• banking and checking/savings accounts
• hygiene
• job skills/resume
• self-esteem
• etiquette
• relationships/girls/respect, etc.

Caleb Green

The Boys & Girls Club curriculum can be tailored to a specific age group audience, which is generally either Elementary/Middle School (ages 8-12) or Middle/High School (13-18).


In addition to 'lessons' and one-on-one time, Jamar has been good to engage community members to come speak to the Passport guys. He's drawn from a variety of professions, from international sports professionals like Kelvin Sangel and Caleb Green, to Club alumni who are lawyers and bankers, like Lee Jones, formerly with BOK.

Jamar Giddings playing basketball.

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Unfortunately, the curriculum that West Mabee has to work with is outdated (last purchased in 1999) and with new curriculum available, Jamar is hoping to relaunch the Passport to Manhood program and reach more boys than ever before. 

We hope to help him; just last week, I applied for a Passport to Manhood grant for all new curriculum and a program assistant. We won't hear back on the application for a few months, but we are moving forward with a basketball tournament with players from ORU to get kids over to the Club, and hopefully, get them on the right track to true manhood.

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If you would like to support Jamar's efforts to teach young men the art of being a man, you can call The Salvation Army Tulsa Area Command at 918-587-7801 to make a donation or donate online at: http://salarmytulsa.org/Home.

If you would be interested in speaking to a Passport to Manhood group on your area of expertise, call us! We would love to put you in touch with Jamar.

Please share this post with friends or family who may be interested in the program or in supporting the program!

-Vicki


 

"The Salvation Army Saved My Life"

How the Salvation Army Made a Difference to a former multi-millionaire.

 I first heard Lyle's personal story at a United Way tour through the Center of Hope; I was astonished by his story of loss, recovery and hope and wanted to share it with you.

Lyle Lawrence has a strong handshake, makes good eye contact & talks easily when you meet him. He is an experienced businessman & salesperson, and currently, a Center of Hope resident. Although Lyle once retired at the age of 36 with a net worth of 3.5 million dollars, he now shares a room with a fellow homeless substance abuser in recovery. How did he get here? Alcoholism. 

Lyle credit’s the Salvation Army with saving his life. Although he developed alcoholism late in life, it didn’t take him long after his retirement at the age of 36 to drink, gamble and smoke his savings away. He was broke by 47. And sleeping in his car shortly thereafter.   

But he had further to fall.

Summer Day Camp packed with fun

Mabee Red Shield members at Woolaroc

Salvation Army Mabee Red Shield Boys & Girls Club ramps up program

The Salvation Army Mabee Red Shield Boys & Girls Club is almost too busy for me to keep up with. Every time I visit, I see kids having fun in a new program. Plus, Mabee Red Shield gets a lot of support from the community. For example, Ross Dress for Less Stores assisted with the Club’s Mother Day Tea and Cox Communications donated all the computers and equipment for the club to open up the Cox Technology Center this summer.

Maj.Jim Taylor learns a video game.

"The computers will go a long way in helping them to keep up their skills during the summer and keep up in school next year,” club director Jerome Smith said.

Club program Melissa Gruszeczki has several special summer classes planned. The older members get to take journalism class from program aide Crystal Mastandrea and create a newsletter which is sent home to parents. In “Sports Club,” athletic director Jason weeks coaches the older kids on teaching the younger kids organized sports.

“The older kids take it very seriously and get a lot out of taking responsibility to teach the younger kids the rules of the game,” Jason said. Program aide Anthony Hall is coaching the kids in track and field sports.

Volunteers from Ross at Mothers Day Tea

So far the club has taken field trips to the Blue Bell Ice Cream factory and Woolaroc. Fun activities scheduled for later this summer are an outing to see the Tulsa Shock play and a trip to Frontier City in Oklahoma City. I’m just sorry I missed the trip to Blue Bell – I heard there were free samples! –Sallie

Supporting Little Axe with presence and prayer

The Salvation Army mobilized to help hard-hit areas

On the evening of Sunday May 19, tornadoes damaged hundreds of homes in Shawnee, Newcastle, Carney and Little Axe..  The Salvation Army responded immediately with food, hydration and emotional and spiritual care.  The very next afternoon the unimaginable happened. An F5 tornado, nearly four miles wide in some places, dropped only 25 miles away from Sunday’s damage, in Moore.

Many of the national emergency organizations that had been in Shawnee and Little Axe immediately left, heading to the area of greater damage on the other side of Oklahoma City.  The Salvation Army was one of those agencies that had to pull out, but it was only temporary. By Tuesday afternoon more mobile feeding units and staff had been mobilized and care of the lesser-hit (but still devastated) areas resumed.  I visited one of these areas, Little Axe, on Wed., May 29, ten days after this small town lost so many homes.

My guides for the day were  Major Marion Durham, Captain Chris Farrell and Lieutenant Michael Missey, Emotional and Spiritual Care (ESC) counselors, all of whom traveled from Florida to help Oklahomans. This was their seventh day on the ground in the Little Axe community and most of the homes we visited were repeat visits; daily check-ins to offer water, ice, Gatorade, snacks and spiritual care.

The Little Axe community was devastated;  many of the homes impacted were mobile homes with lightweight walls, no foundation and roofs with very little support.  The tornado made a great impact on these rural homes, spreading debris across pastures and up and down red dirt roads, all through the area’s hills and valleys.

The ESC team knew each homeowner by name. As we pulled up, Major Durham would give me an overview of the family’s situation.  Many were still trying to get access to basic needs, others were on the road to recovery, but all were just trying to clear the debris from their land while simultaneously planning to rebuild.

Major Durham visits with Robert near Little Axe, Okla.

When we pulled up to the home of a man named Robert, it didn’t look like anyone was home.  The mobile home looked almost untouched from the front yard, but I knew there was more than met the eye based on the large pile of debris by the curb.  We unloaded and headed to the back of the lot where you could see the back half of the home was completely missing.  We spotted Robert feeding his chickens and said hello while he updated the team on his family’s situation. He was angry; the insurance agency had offered his family less than what he owed for his home and the land it sat upon. Using “colorful” language, Robert shared his feelings with the team and they did what they have been trained to do, listened.

He was frustrated that looting was becoming  a problem along his country road.  Although all of his metal debris, appliances, lawn mowers, etc. had been earmarked for the city to pick up and sell for money that would benefit his community, others kept coming by and trying to take it.  “It’s spoken for,” he related angrily to us.  Just because these items were damaged and piled in the front yard, he was still the owner and felt violated when others stopped and started rifling through his belongings. “People can be real mean at times and real helpful at times,” he said.

Salvation Army National Doughnut Day Is Friday!

The Sweetest Celebration: National Doughnut Day

I prefer mine with maple or chocolate on top. My husband grabs the one with filling inside, while my son likes the Spongebob-shaped pastry. Everyone has a favorite type of doughnut and we have the Salvation Army to thank for the popular treat.

On Friday, June 7th, we celebrate the pastry on National Doughnut Day. This day commemorates the “doughnut lassies,” female Salvation Army volunteers who provided writing supplies, sewing, home-cooked meals, and of course, doughnuts, for soldiers on the front lines during World War I.

For the third year in a row, Merritt’s Bakery is showing its support of the Salvation Army by donating 10% of its doughnut sales on Friday to the organization. Merritt’s Bakery has three locations:  3202 E. 15th Street (near 15th & Harvard), 2832 E. 101st Street (near 101st & the Creek Turnpike) and 4930 W. Kenosha Street (near 71st & Garnett). This week, all three stores will also have small red counter kettles for people to toss their change into as an additional fundraiser.

Plan on celebrating Doughnut Day, while also making your co-workers happy by grabbing some doughnuts at Merritt’s Bakery on Friday!
-Carrie

Summer Day Camps in full swing

Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club members enjoying day camp
At the Mabee Red Shield Boys & Girls Club, members got a treat on Wednesday when supporters from JP Morgan Chase Bank representatives brought by summer supplies including water pistols,  Slip ‘n Slides, a wading pool, beach balls and pool noodles. Program Director Melissa Gruszeczki said the supplies fit perfectly with her once-a-week water games program called “Splash Into Fun.” The Mabee Red Shield members also swim once a week at Chandler Park or the Broken Arrow Boys & Girls Club.  In the photo at left, three club kids unpack the gifts as JP Morgan Chase bankers David Stratton and Kristin Bohanon watch.

At the Broken Arrow Boys & Girls Club, Director Janis Fraley said she has 153 kids in Summer Day Camp. The cost is $100 a week with a $5 deposit to reserve a spot. The club also requires the $45 annual membership fee that includes a T-shirt. This club takes kids on two field trips a week, to the movies, Incredible Pizza, Laser Quest, horseback riding, and even a float trip. Janis said one of the favorite features of Summer Day Camp is Fast Food Wednesdays, when parents who are tired of packing their child’s lunch can send money for the club to provide a meal from local fast food restaurants.

It’s hard to believe that Summer Day Camp in Sapulpa has already been going on for a month! Because none of the schools had to use snow days this year, several Day Camps started earlier than usual. Sapulpa Boys & Girls Club Director Jake Law said the club has lots of fun events and field trips planned. When I talked to him he was busy setting up “Tent Day” in the gym. He said kids bring in their tents and sleeping bags and set them up in the gym just as if they were outside. I love the creativity of our Boys & Girls Club directors!

Comfort comes in many ways

One Salvation Army officer's experience in Moore

On Monday May 20, Salvation Army minister Sergeant Rob Daniels, was serving in Shawnee, Okla. following the tornado that hit that area the day before. His team was offering services to those affected when he heard on the radio that a large tornado was on the ground, headed toward the adjacent city of Moore, Okla. While his team took shelter in the basement of City Hall, stories started flooding in over the radio about the devastation in Moore: The hospital was gone, children were stuck in a school, and hundreds were without homes.

New disaster response orders rolled in from Emergency Disaster Services Director Steven Hartsook,  “As soon as it is safe, we need you in Moore.” Within the hour Sgt. Daniels and his team were racing to the hardest hit areas. As they approached the city via I-35, Sgt. Daniels was struck by the amount of dirt and debris--at least three inches thick--covering the highway. Seeing the remnants of what had been the Warren Theatre brought back memories of his previous disaster service after the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City.  “Everywhere I looked that day,” he said, “there were injured people seeking medical attention, begging for someone to help them. Medical personnel were scrambling to help as many people as possible.”

When he reached the emergency response command post at Plaza Towers Elementary, he saw many who were not hurting physically, but emotionally. Parents were pacing or lying on the ground, lost in a fog of emotions--wondering where their little ones were. “My mind raced back to the evening in 1995 when a firefighter, with tears in his eyes, told me they had finally reached the daycare,” he recalled. “I wondered if this night would end in the same way, with a brave firefighter crying on my shoulder for the children that were lost.”

Eventually Sgt. Daniels found himself among the first responders who had recovered the children lost from the rubble. They didn’t want a lot of people in the area; these brave men and women needed to process what had happened, but they also asked that one person stay with them. Sgt. Daniels stayed, offering to listen if they needed to talk. He was there with them until the medical examiner and mortician arrived. “My heart broke,” he said, “as I saw these men and women who have committed their lives to saving others watch the vans leave with those that they could not save.”

Sgt. Daniels has stayed in Moore since the tornado. He continues to care for those who are struggling, hurt, and emotionally drained from losses of homes, transportation, loved ones, and security.

Salvation Army officers are trained in emotional and spiritual care.  They  may not be able to heal a broken bone, but they step in when they can to help heal a broken heart; they do it with hot meals, cold water, a hug, and a prayer because they know that these small actions can be more powerful than they seem.

 Serving in Moore over the last week, Sgt. Daniels has traveled through the same neighborhoods over and over. The daily improvements aren’t drastic; they are slow and steady. The roads clear one day, as a few destroyed cars have been hauled off. The most common sight is homeowners sorting and cleaning, throwing out the obvious trash and keeping the items that might be salvageable--or are just too precious to let go. Salvation Army mobile kitchen units, like what Sgt. Daniels uses, drive up and down the streets, offering support—food, comfort, prayer, whatever is needed.

 Sometimes the impact of The Salvation Army isn’t seen but felt. One woman in her early 50s sat on her porch every day waiting for Sgt. Daniels and his canteen. Day after day she would only take a bottle of water or Gatorade and a bit of food . And she was always alone. Her home was standing, but there was damage all around her and large holes in her roof. When Sgt. Daniels asked if she needed anything--gloves, masks, or sunscreen--she said she was fine, but wanted to thank him for coming by to check on her. “She told me that as much as she appreciated the cold drinks and food,” he said, “we gave her something much more important; comfort and stability.”

"’I know that you will come by here at least twice every day, and whenever you come by, you will ask me how I am doing and how you can help,’ she told me. ‘While the rest of my world is turned upside down, I know The Salvation Army will always be right on time when I need you most.”

At the end of their daily conversation Sgt. Daniels prays with her, hugs her neck, and continues making  his way through the ruined neighborhood. - Lindsay