Friday, June 12, 2015

Cheaper than marrying one...

The sun is finally shining on a regular basis in western Oklahoma. The winds over the past few days have been strong enough to do some hang gliding without any need for an elevated launch point. In short, it is an Oklahoma spring, almost summer.

This time of year also brings a host of auctions across the Oklahoma landscape. The Cordell Beacon, Penny News, and other publications in Elk City, Clinton, and surrounding towns are filled with auction notices. Auctions might just be the third most popular sport in the state, behind football, basketball, baseball, and math meets.

A few years ago, I was participating in this popular Saturday activity in the town of Sentinel, Oklahoma. I had scored several good buys already. On this particular day, the auctioneer presented a nearly new, brand name dishwasher. Despite his efforts, the bidding fell short of expectations. This was a very good unit and should have brought a decent price, but on this day it looked as if it would go for under forty dollars.

It was at that point that an old-timer standing in the back of the crowd shouted out, “It’s cheaper than marrying one.”

In some states, the man would have been suppressed with a barrage of outrage. In California, he probably would have been hauled into court on some sort of civil suit. In Sentinel, Oklahoma the bidding resumed as soon as the laughter died down.

The dishwasher sold at a much higher price.

Saturday, January 24, 2015

This is Oklahoman generosity and great stewardship working together!

Hold on a moment.  This blog is all about windmills and hay bails and sunsets, right?

Yes, and other things uniquely Oklahoman, such as generosity.

How can a dollar be worth more than a dollar?
It can’t, can it?

The value of the dollar seems to go down every year, except at the Western Oklahoma Family Care Center.  Over the past year, for every dollar that the Family Care Center took in, it provided $1.41 of benefit to patients and clients.

How is this possible?

Having the ability to maintain a facility that houses medical and dental equipment, to include a licensed pharmacy, a food bank, and counselors enables full time, part time, and volunteer staff to provide an array of services.

In 2014, the Western Oklahoma Family Care Center provided over $281, 244 worth of services and benefits to clients and patients in 4 counties.  Among the items and services provided were clothing, rental and temporary housing expenses, travel assistance, utility assistance, pharmaceuticals, DLO Labs, Optometry services and other general assistance.

That year is in the books.  This year has new challenges.  To do all that the Family Care Center would like to do—too include much more counseling and much more effort focused on the root causes of so many poverty related issues—it needs about a half million dollar budget.

The Center has been getting by on less than half of that.  That sounds like a lot of money, and for a single household, it would be.  Last year the WOFCC helped 3421 people in 1483 households.
There’s more that just giving out money and services.  There is commitment to helping people better themselves.  Perhaps that involves diet or budgeting or learning to serve others.  The WOFCC is not just a warehouse of food and services; it truly is a family care center.

The economy remains unpredictable but even in this uncertain state of economic affairs, there are people who want to bless others less fortunate than themselves.  Many do this through their local churches.  Some are looking to do more.

What if you could donate a dollar and it became worth $1.25 or $1.50 or more?  All unrestricted donations are tax deductable.  The Western Oklahoma Family Care Center maximizes every donation to provide the best care possible to the greatest number of people.  Sometimes, there is a sign on the door that reads, “All funds have been expended for the month.”

Follow this link to see how you can be a part of helping others in Western Oklahoma.


http://www.westokfcc.com/?page_id=19