Olympian To Speak At JLLS Luncheon

Source: Girl Scouts of Western Oklahoma Newsletter, Jan 2009

We are excited to announce that Olympic Gold Medalist Dominique Dawes will be the guest speaker at this year's JLLS Luncheon -- Feb. 19 at the Oklahoma City Golf and Country Club. Tickets for the event are $60 per person and went on sale Jan. 15.

“We are very fortunate to have Dominique speak at the luncheon this year,” said Karen Luke and Charlotte Richels, luncheon co-chairs. “The mission of the Juliette Low Leadership Society is to share the message of the wonderful influence Girl Scouts makes in the life of a girl, and to help garner financial support for enhanced opportunities that encourage girls to be leaders in their communities. Dominique exemplifies that mission as a leader in sports, motivational speaker and broadcaster, and we are honored that she has chosen to share this important day with us and for Girl Scouts.”

Dawes, 31, is an accomplished motivational speaker, broadcaster, national spokeswoman, Broadway performer, part-time coach and gymnastics clinician who also conducts self-esteem and fitness workshops. She says that while competing in gymnastics was such an important part of her life for so many years, championing other causes has become her focus now.

“People always ask me what my most memorable moment was in my career, and I always answer by saying, ‘My most memorable moments continue to happen today,’” Dawes said. “When I have the opportunity to inspire someone to envision more for their lives or to reach their full potential, I try to capture it.

“I try to impress in young people that it’s not about the glamour of the gold, or the endorsements or reaching a certain salary, but it’s more important to make a difference in someone else’s life. That’s what I think makes you a more fulfilled person.”

Dawes has served as a spokeswoman for the Girl Scouts of America’s Uniquely Me program, Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty – a program that GS-West offers to thousands of Girl Scouts through it’s In-School program.

To purchase a ticket to the luncheon, call (405) 528-3535.

Oklahoma Social Innovation Challenge 2009

Social Innovation Challenge 2009
Statewide Call for Student Entries

A few facts*:
~ Oklahoma has more women in prison per capita, than any other state in the nation
~ 75% of the women were convicted of a non-violent crime
~ 81% of the women have dependent children
~ A child of an incarcerated mother is 3 times more likely to be involved in the criminal justice system
~ It costs taxpayers $19,487 a year to keep each female inmate in prison

The challenge:
Oklahoma's moms-in-jail issue is urgent because of the "ripple effects" it exerts on our communities' children, the extended family members, and our economy. We want you to team up with other students at your school and prepare an entry that responds to this year's challenge:

Create a 5-7 minute video that clearly demonstrates an activity or action you took that made a difference on this issue - how you effectively remedied / improved / redressed / increased awareness of /... the ripple effects of Oklahoma's incarcerated moms.

For example, your team may focus on the legislator-society interaction and have a petition drive and send signatures to Governor Henry and your state legislators. You might focus on the society-children interaction, hit the streets and take up donations of food items and put on a small dinner theater for the kids or host a community fashion show with the female children as models. Maybe you want to focus on several interactions and use the Internet to help all the parties communicate more effectively, receive training, etc. A focus on interactions with not-for-profit agencies could lead you to research services that are already available (e.g., Big Brothers Big Sisters, YMCA camps) and show how you improved their access or connection to the children, caregivers, and women. You may have your own idea, and you can show off a new not-for-profit agency specifically designed to help Oklahoma address this issue."

Bottom line: Your goal is to make a change, no matter how big or small.

Prizes for top entries!

Entries should be action-oriented, and represent "HERE'S WHAT WE DID" rather than "Here is what somebody ought to do." This is a complex issue - Small effects are expected, appreciated, and welcome!

Learn more about the competition and sign up your team at: http://studioblue.utulsa.edu .

Once your team signs up, you will be sent a wealth of background information, videos, stories, and statistics on this important issue. As you form your plans, it may help you to consider the parties involved and how to improve some of the interactions between:

~ moms and their children
~ moms and the caregivers of their children
~ caregivers and the children
~ society (neighborhoods, community members) and the children
~ businesses and the caregivers

~ businesses and the moms
~ not-for-profit agencies and caregivers
~ public services and the children
~ the Department of Human Services and the caregivers
~ educational institutions and the moms
~ legislators and the moms
~ legislators and the caregivers
~ legislators and society

Your entry: A 5-7 minute video of your idea, the action and activity you did, and the result. Videos must be posted to the competition's designated website by 12:00 noon on Monday, March 30, 2009.

Three criteria will be used to evaluate entries: potential impact, originality, and transferability. Judges will be drawn from industry, funding organizations, the Oklahoma legislature, and the not-for-profit sector.

The top 20 entries will be invited to Tulsa to present their work at the Social Innovation Summit event on April 10 to Oklahoma dignitaries (e.g., legislators, foundation representatives, state officials, not-for-profit agency directors), to discuss future actions with those attending, and to receive some nice awards.

Sponsors: The George Kaiser Family Foundation, Campus Compact, Oklahoma Academy, Creative Oklahoma, Oklahoma Department of Corrections, the University of Tulsa, Studio Blue, the Collins College of Business, and GitWit Creative.

Questions? Email studioblue@utulsa.edu or contact Dr. Charles Wood (918) 631-2281, charles-wood@utulsa.edu


* Source: Special Task Force for Women Incarcerated in Oklahoma (Created by S.B. 810 of 2003 Legislative Session) REPORT to the Governor, President Pro Tempore of the Senate, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, January 5, 2004. http://www.ocjrc.net/pubFiles/OtherPub/R-S/stffwiio.pdf

Jean Warner's Short Bio

Jean Warner authors a website and a weblog under the heading of the Oklahoma Women’s Network. The goal of both is to celebrate, inform, and empower Oklahoma women and girls.

Dr. Warner is co-founder of The Oklahoma Women’s Coalition, a statewide nonprofit organization organized in 2008 to advocate on behalf of Oklahoma women and girls at the State level. She is currently serving as chair of the Coalition.

Jean has a PhD from the University of Oklahoma in Political Science and – with Norman Mayor Cindy Rosenthal - co-founded and ran Oklahoma's National Education for Women’s Leadership program. This is a five-day leadership academy hosted each May for undergraduate women across Oklahoma. NEW Leadership seeks to educate, inspire, and empower participants to become political leaders.

Jean lives with her husband, Larkin, in Oklahoma City. In her spare time, she spends time with her extended family and holds various leadership positions in her church. She has led three mission trips to Kenya to build children's libraries, renovate a hospital and make improvements at a school for deaf children and a school for mentally challenged children.

January 19, 2009

Dominique Dawes

OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL-WINNING GYMNAST AND THREE-TIME OLYMPIAN DOMINIQUE DAWES CRAFTING A SECOND CAREER AS A MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER, SPOKESWOMAN, BROADCASTER

Dawes won Gold with the ‘Magnificent Seven’ at the 1996 Atlanta Games, became first African-American female gymnast to win individual medal with bronze on floor

Rockville, Md. (June 9, 2008) — For most people, the lasting images of Dominique Dawes are of a pint-sized gymnast twisting and tumbling her way to Olympic glory, then victoriously raising a bouquet of flowers with her teammates as the United States team – forever known as the “Magnificent Seven” – received its gold medals at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.

Dawes, a three-time Olympic medalist and a four-time medalist at the World Championships of gymnastics, will forever be remembered for those heroics, achieved at the young age of 19. But nearly seven years after her latest Olympic feat, she has become much more than a champion gymnast.

Dawes, 31, is an accomplished motivational speaker, broadcaster, national spokeswoman, Broadway performer, part-time coach and gymnastics clinician who also conducts self-esteem and fitness workshops. She says that while competing in gymnastics was such an important part of her life for so many years, championing other causes has become her focus now.

“People always ask me what my most memorable moment was in my career, and I always answer by saying, ‘My most memorable moments continue to happen today,’” Dawes said. “When I have the opportunity to inspire someone to envision more for their lives or to reach their full potential, I try to capture it.

“I try to impress in young people that it’s not about the glamour of the gold, or the endorsements or reaching a certain salary, but it’s more important to make a difference in someone else’s life. That’s what I think makes you a more fulfilled person.”

With the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing approaching, if you would like to schedule Dawes for an interview or other media appearance, please contact us. Dawes can talk about athletes’ preparations for the Games, her Olympic memories, diet and body-image issues among athletes and motivational issues, and other topics.

Dawes was not only the first female African-American gymnast to win an individual medal, but also the only U.S. gymnast to compete in three modern Olympic Games. She was best known for her up-and-back tumbling past that consisted of 11 flips in a row, tumbling from one end of the floor to the other. One of her most memorable achievements was at the ’96 Games, when she tumbled and danced her way to a bronze medal in the floor exercise.

After her competitive career wound down with an appearance in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Dawes earned a degree in communications from the University of Maryland and set out to put her education and the fame associated with her Olympic success to good use. She has done work in broadcasting – commentating from national and international competitions – but she has focused a large portion of her attention on motivational speaking and campaigns to support women and youth’s self-esteem and other health and wellness issues.

Dawes has been involved in motivational speaking for 11 years, talking to schools and groups of young people about health, wellness and building self-esteem. She recently developed a 30-minute motivational CD aimed at teens and tweens titled “Envision: Reaching Your Full Potential” to get her message out to more people.

Capitalizing on a platform that has allowed her to capture the attention of millions of people, Dawes has served as a spokeswoman for the Girl Scouts of America’s Uniquely Me program, Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty and the American Heart Association’s Choose to Move program. She serves as a past president of the Women’s Sports Foundation and on the athlete committee for USA Gymnastics as well as Sesame Street’s Health Advisory Committee. While the majority of her work is aimed toward women and youth, Dawes also speaks to corporations and non-profit organizations on leadership skills, goal-setting and teamwork. She has served as an event host or master of ceremonies at many events as well.

Between those duties, Dawes also works as a part-time coach with young athletes and offers a fundamental gymnastics clinic, in which she travels to gym facilities and provides a full day of gymnastics instruction and motivation for young aspiring gymnasts.

Dawes began competing in gymnastics at the age of 6 and spent the better part of 20 years in a gym – but she can’t envision doing that for the rest of her life. She said she has found a new purpose and passion, and that is working to improve the lives of others and sharing the story of her trials and triumphs.

“What motivates me now is realizing that this is my passion – teaching and speaking about the issues that are near and dear to me are my passions,” Dawes said. “Knowing that I can make a difference, whether it’s through writing, coaching, public speaking or teaming up with certain non-profits or initiatives that corporations have – knowing that I can make a difference in someone else’s life – is what motivates me.”

Having overcome many obstacles and having been taken under the wing of her one and only coach, Kelli Hill, at a young age, Dawes knows the power of self esteem, positive reinforcement and solid role models. Remembering the support she received as a child trying to grasp a dream as difficult as Olympic gold, she said, drives her to support young girls and women in sports and other aspects of life.

“I truly believe competition in gymnastics prepared me for life,” Dawes said.

“I also feel that my talent is in motivational speaking, in empowering other people. I am a strong believer in my faith, and I believe that if you are blessed with a certain talent, that you shouldn’t waste it. That’s what motivates me each and every day, knowing that I’ve been blessed with this and that I can make a difference in someone else’s life.”

Dawes attributes much of her success to positive reinforcement and the endless encouragement she received from Hill. Because of that, she is dedicated to using her positive attitude and outlook to help others.

“The saying ‘Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never break me’ is a myth. … I know from experience that negative words can damage but positive words can heal and empower,” Dawes said. “My goal in life is to empower and make a positive impact with all that I do.”

Update from A Perfect Cause's Wes Bledsoe Fri 11/7/2008

Here’s to ending the week on an excellent note!

Committee Meeting

Yesterday’s Long-Term Care Facilities Advisory Board Ad Hoc Committee meeting to address policy on reporting criminal acts to law enforcement was a great success!

Together with the Board’s committee members, Dept. of Health officials, industry representatives, families (Curnutt, Kipps, and Goings), Shannon from the YWCA, Deana, and yours truly… we came to agreement on the policy which A Perfect Cause proposed, with relatively minor modifications that enhanced what we originally proposed.

Not only does the policy address the immediate reporting of ALL criminal acts to law enforcement, it also addresses crime scene preservation, and rape / sexual assault examinations!!!

At the end of the meeting, board members, and Dept. of Health officials commented on how successful the meeting was and that it was one of the best committee meetings the board had ever conducted. This is very exciting as this gives us even more opportunities in the future to address and resolve other critical issues.

Today, the Attorney General’s office agreed to review our modified policy recommendation and provide us with additional legal and wordsmithing support!

Crow Case

Ms. Crow was not able to offer any new information during her interview with the Norman Police Dept. on Wednesday. However, we did fight for… and did secure… the opportunity for her to be interviewed and to attempt to ID her assailant. So on that note… it was a victory!

One another note… It appears the reward we offered for information about what happened to Ms. Crow, the leads we received, and the information we were able to share with the state is leading to some very exciting… albeit disturbing news!

We should receive the state’s investigative report in a few days… from what we’ve been told… the report is “big, VERY BIG!” Again that nursing home is Whispering Pines in Norman, OK.

So it is getting cited for numerous deficiencies, which also opened some criminal investigations.

I’ll let you know as soon as we hear more.

Capitol Hill

Deana and I attended both the Republican and Democrat Watch Parties in OKC on Tuesday evening. As soon as we entered the Republican Watch Party we literally ran into Congresswoman Mary Fallin’s Chief of Staff from DC. In talking with the Congresswoman’s Chief of Staff and later the Congresswoman… both offered and acknowledged their support to present Oklahoma’s Sex Offenders Long Term Care Facility Law to Congress in the upcoming session!

Plus, if we can get some help, we can possibly add reporting criminal acts to law enforcement into the bill. The help we need is to ID the laws and policies addressing the immediate reporting of criminal acts to the police. What we’re finding is… the few laws we’ve been able to explore outside of Oklahoma are calling for staff to contact state agencies… not law enforcement when criminal acts occur in facilities.

More Legislative News

We also ran into Oklahoma State Rep. Kris Steele at the same watch party, where he gave us a huge welcome and extended his offer to carry more legislation for us in the upcoming state session. Again, Kris Steele is an amazing man… and one I am personally thrilled to have the opportunity to work with on these very important issues.

Later at the Democrat Watch Party, Oklahoma State Rep. Anastasia Pittman offered to co-author and / or sponsor bills for us.

At both parties, we were extremely well received… including very warm greetings from many of the reporters and videographers who were present.

Upcoming Meeting

So my friend, we really are making some head way.

We can of course do much more… with your help.

So please plan to attend our next meeting on Nov. 20 at 6 pm CST at our office… and invite your family, friends, and associates to come with you.

If you cannot attend, but want to help… please let me know and we can find a project where you can help us.

In the meantime, thank you for your thoughts, prayers, and support!

This is an exciting time… and I’m glad I can share these exciting experiences with you!
Thank you for all!

Wes

Wes Bledsoe
Citizens’ Advocate & Founder
A Perfect Cause
1501 N. Broadway Blvd., Bldg B
Oklahoma City, OK 73103
C – 405.308.3858
C – 405.802.2903
Wes@APerfectCause.org
www.APerfectCause.org

Our Mission - To End Needless Suffering & Preventable Deaths

"A Perfect Cause must produce a perfect effect."
Science of Mind, Dr. Ernest Holmes

panelists

Expert Speaker Panel:

• Judy Murphy, Co-Founder and Co-Facilitator of Moms Off Meth (MOM), Supervisor of the HOPE substance abuse program in Ottumwa, Iowa. Former Meth Specialist, Iowa Department of Human Services Judy Murphy has been actively supporting recovering women's issues since 1995.

• Sarah Roberts, MPH, Doctor of Public Health (Dr PH) Candidate. Ms. Roberts' work focuses on the role of public health departments in addressing pregnancy, drug use, prenatal care and drug treatment. She works with family, maternal and child health programs at Contra Costa Health Services in California.

• Eli Reshef, MD, Reproductive Endocrinologist and Infertility Specialist, Medical Director, Integris Bennett Fertility Institute and Clinical Associate Professor, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. Dr. Reshef is a graduate of Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. He is a member of the board of the Oklahoma State Medical Association and has been practicing for 24 years.

• Dana G. Stone, MD, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Dr. Stone serves as the Oklahoma state representative to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). She graduated from the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine and has been practicing for 17 years.

Moderator: Carol Mason, PhD, Director, Gender and Women's Studies, Oklahoma State University. Dr. Mason is the author of two books, Killing for Life and Reading Appalachia from Left to Right from Cornell University Press and many articles on issues of gender, race and reproduction.

Co-sponsors include the National Association of Social Workers, Oklahoma Chapter; Gender and Women's Studies at Oklahoma State University; and The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Oklahoma Chapter.