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Oklahomans crossed social, racial and economic lines by donating their time, money, resources and services to the less fortunate of Shawnee through a benefit dinner and auction hosted by Labor of Love Charities.
LOL, a local charity designed to serve the impoverished, raised $15,000 for the homeless and needy in the Shawnee area during the event, which included performances by Kane Berry, saxophone musician, and Made in America, a Blues Brothers tribute band.
Guest speaker Paul Whitmire of Cross and Crown Ministry, Oklahoma City, suggested to guests that miracles of God only take place when individuals first “hand over their loaves and fish.”
Items donated for the auction arrived from all across Oklahoma and included tickets to a Thunder basketball game, University of Oklahoma basketball game tickets, paintings, dinners, a trip to Mexico and more.
“It’s important to remember that this all began with hot dogs,” Anthony Rocko, the charity’s founder, told guests of the event. “What began as donating a few hot dogs to the poor one Sunday has grown into just another way that Shawnee residents are looking outside of themselves to serve their community.”
Enough money was raised during the event to provide a down payment towards opening a homeless shelter near downtown Shawnee.
Rocko said he had “been on the hunt for a building, for the last eight months, that would be used as a homeless shelter in Shawnee.”
“I want to be able to offer those who are in need a safe place to lay their head at night, assuring them a warm place where they won’t freeze throughout the night and a place where they can work to truly rebuild their lives,” he said. “Throughout these eight months of looking for a building to purchase, I must say that I could not find a building that just felt like the right one. This is where we begin to see God’s perfect timing. Amongst the chaos of rescheduling the charity dinner and auction due to the ice storm, I received a phone call from a friend who encouraged me to check into a building for sale. After some hesitation I walked through the building and to my surprise, felt the exact peace in which I had been seeking in a building the whole time.”
Rocko said the original asking price for the building was $275,000 but after “much prayer and thought, I took a leap of faith and offered $50,000 for the building.”
“I truly expected these people to laugh at the offer and move on,” he said. “Oddly enough, they called back five days later with a counter offer. After less than a week of negotiating, I am happy to say that Labor of Love Charities is now under contract to purchase the old Gaskill Funeral Home for $75,000. This building sits in downtown Shawnee on Union just south of Ninth Street. This is truly a God send.”
Rocko said he was amazed that the money raised at the auction was “the exact amount needed for the down payment on the building.”
“Although we have secured the building, I ask that you help us in the growth of this shelter,” he said. “There is much work that needs to be done. I ask that you bring your gifts and talents forward and use them to help Labor of Love in opening this shelter. We will need some electrical, plumbing and painting work done. We also will be building an industrial kitchen and two communal bathrooms. If you know contractors, painters, builders or just want to donate your own talents we would love to have you be a part of the team.”
Rocko said the shelter will require about $2,000 in operating expenses per month.
“A bank note for $56,000 will be taken out to purchase the building,” he said. “The monthly payment on the loan will be just over $700 a month, not to mention the cost of insurance, taxes and utilities.”
Rocko said he is hopeful that donors might offer monthly gifts to help with expenses and said, “No gift is too small.”
“Without your help, this shelter will not be possible,” he said.
For more information, e-mail LOLCharities@gmail.com, call 273-9LOL(9565) or mail LOL Charities, P.O. Box 3244 Shawnee, OK 74804.
Oklahomans crossed social, racial and economic lines by donating their time, money, resources and services to the less fortunate of Shawnee through a benefit dinner and auction hosted by Labor of Love Charities.
LOL, a local charity designed to serve the impoverished, raised $15,000 for the homeless and needy in the Shawnee area during the event, which included performances by Kane Berry, saxophone musician, and Made in America, a Blues Brothers tribute band.
Guest speaker Paul Whitmire of Cross and Crown Ministry, Oklahoma City, suggested to guests that miracles of God only take place when individuals first “hand over their loaves and fish.”
Items donated for the auction arrived from all across Oklahoma and included tickets to a Thunder basketball game, University of Oklahoma basketball game tickets, paintings, dinners, a trip to Mexico and more.
“It’s important to remember that this all began with hot dogs,” Anthony Rocko, the charity’s founder, told guests of the event. “What began as donating a few hot dogs to the poor one Sunday has grown into just another way that Shawnee residents are looking outside of themselves to serve their community.”
Enough money was raised during the event to provide a down payment towards opening a homeless shelter near downtown Shawnee.
Rocko said he had “been on the hunt for a building, for the last eight months, that would be used as a homeless shelter in Shawnee.”
“I want to be able to offer those who are in need a safe place to lay their head at night, assuring them a warm place where they won’t freeze throughout the night and a place where they can work to truly rebuild their lives,” he said. “Throughout these eight months of looking for a building to purchase, I must say that I could not find a building that just felt like the right one. This is where we begin to see God’s perfect timing. Amongst the chaos of rescheduling the charity dinner and auction due to the ice storm, I received a phone call from a friend who encouraged me to check into a building for sale. After some hesitation I walked through the building and to my surprise, felt the exact peace in which I had been seeking in a building the whole time.”
Rocko said the original asking price for the building was $275,000 but after “much prayer and thought, I took a leap of faith and offered $50,000 for the building.”
“I truly expected these people to laugh at the offer and move on,” he said. “Oddly enough, they called back five days later with a counter offer. After less than a week of negotiating, I am happy to say that Labor of Love Charities is now under contract to purchase the old Gaskill Funeral Home for $75,000. This building sits in downtown Shawnee on Union just south of Ninth Street. This is truly a God send.”
Rocko said he was amazed that the money raised at the auction was “the exact amount needed for the down payment on the building.”
“Although we have secured the building, I ask that you help us in the growth of this shelter,” he said. “There is much work that needs to be done. I ask that you bring your gifts and talents forward and use them to help Labor of Love in opening this shelter. We will need some electrical, plumbing and painting work done. We also will be building an industrial kitchen and two communal bathrooms. If you know contractors, painters, builders or just want to donate your own talents we would love to have you be a part of the team.”
Rocko said the shelter will require about $2,000 in operating expenses per month.
“A bank note for $56,000 will be taken out to purchase the building,” he said. “The monthly payment on the loan will be just over $700 a month, not to mention the cost of insurance, taxes and utilities.”
Rocko said he is hopeful that donors might offer monthly gifts to help with expenses and said, “No gift is too small.”
“Without your help, this shelter will not be possible,” he said.
For more information, e-mail LOLCharities@gmail.com, call 273-9LOL(9565) or mail LOL Charities, P.O. Box 3244 Shawnee, OK 74804.
