Party WithA Purpose

Would you like to contribute to a worthy charity but you aren’t sure which one?

Would you like to contribute to a worthy charity but you aren’t sure which one?  Would you like to experience the sites, sounds and cuisine from Mexico to Rome, all in one evening but leave your suitcase at home?  Owasso Community Resources has an event that will satisfy your charitable nature and your taste buds.  The perfect opportunity will occur on March 29 as Dr. Rodger Mattson and his wife Beth host the Owasso’s Best 2008 – Around the World Gala.

This annual event, benefiting Owasso Community Resources, will be held at the Bailey Medical Center and is the one major fundraiser that OCR relies on each year to fund it’s various programs.

Jeanette North, OCR Executive Director, says that she has already been blessed by the many donations of time, services and items to make the evening a success.  Bailey Educational Foundation is generously providing use of their facility with Bailey Medical Center preparing the meal.  The Tulsa Global Alliance has donated the use of 60 international flags to grace the entry and set the evening’s international theme.  

The new Reasor’s Foods location on Highway 20 in Owasso will provide sushi and is the country sponsor for Japan, Anheuser-Busch will sponsor the South American tent and Andolini’s Pizzeria and Italian Restaurant will play host for Italy.  Floral décor provided by Art In Bloom, Countryside Flowers and Sutterfield’s will add to the elegance.

Auction items will be bid upon prior to dinner as the reception and shopping begin at 5:30 p.m. Dinner will be served at 7:15 p.m. and North says donations of auction items are welcome.

Individual tickets are $100 and Event and Table Sponsorships for eight or more people range from $1,000 to $20,000.  Some of this year’s tables have already been sponsored by RCB Bank, F & M Bank, Candlewood Suites, N E Oklahoma Urology, Lynn and Barbara Owens and New Heights Church of Owasso.

Many of those helped by OCR are from the Collinsville area. Businesses and individuals from Collinsville support OCR including Ken Underwood, attorney for the City of Collinsville.  “We are fortunate to have a wide variety of sponsors,” says Jeanette North.  “We work in close contact with the Collinsville Ministerial Alliance, the Owasso Ministerial Alliance and several other local non-profits to coordinate our efforts and make the best use of our resources.”

Those resources are extremely important to the Owasso and Collinsville communities and the client needs have continued to grow. Last year OCR saw an increase in the amount of assistance provided in every category.  OCR provides $4,000 a month in emergency utility assistance alone.  While they receive partial funding from the United Way, North said that funding only accounts for about 17 percent of her total budget.  The rest comes through the generosity of individuals, church groups, families, businesses and corporations.  “We served 4,221 individual needs in 2007.  Many clients are single working mothers without child support.  That is a very common thing to hear.” North says that while OCR has received financial assistance from FEMA in the past, that has not occurred since Hurricane Katrina.  “Some of our financial sources are just simply tapped out right now, that’s why this benefit is so important.”

OCR also provides transportation to doctor appointments, counseling for adults and children, a food pantry and office space to be used by counselors visiting from other organizations such as Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Domestic Violence Intervention Services and the Palmer Continuing Care programs when their clients are located in the Owasso/Collinsville area.

“Our motto is ‘Investing in our Community… one life at a time’ and I know Owasso will get behind us,” says North.  “We are a city that takes care of our own.”

Tickets for the event are available at F & M Bank, the 86th Street location of RCB Bank and at the Owasso Community Resources office at 109 North Birch in Owasso.  They are also available online at www.owassohelps.com or by mail at P O Box 2280, Owasso, OK 74055.

For more information, contact

Owasso Community Resources

Jeanette North, Executive Director

109 North Birch, Owasso, OK

(918) 272-4969