Lisa Perry, Regional Development manager for the Food 4 Kids Program of the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, spoke to Shawnee Rotarians earlier this week and pointed to some interesting statistics.
• 1 in 5 children are at risk of going hungry every day
• In 2009, her organization served nearly 8,000 kids in 293 schools in 41 counties in central and western Oklahoma.
The program provides chronically hungry children, identified by school personnel, with backpacks filled with non-perishable, kid-friendly food to eat on weekends and school holidays.
• She said school personnel have seen positive results from the children on the F4K program. They have seen improvements in attendance, attention span, grades, self esteem and health.
• $200 will provide a backpack to a child for an entire school year
Following the Rotary meeting, I asked Lisa to send me some information regarding how many students from area schools are impacted and involved in this program. Here’s what she provided.
• Wilson Early Childhood Center — 37 kids
• Horace Mann Elementary — 24 kids
• Will Rogers Elementary — 18 kids
• Jefferson Elementary — 70 kids
• North Rock Creek School — 42 kids
• Pleasant Grove Elementary — 15 kids
• Earlsboro — 15 kids
Lisa said to be added in the fall in Tecumseh are:
• Krouch Early Childhood Center — about 45 kids
• Barnard Elementary — about 40 kids
• Cross Timbers Elementary — about 70 kids
•••
One way to ensure that local sales tax revenues increase each month and annually is to shop in the Shawnee area. The Small Business Council of the Greater Shawnee Chamber of Commerce once again is sponsoring the Shop the Greater Shawnee Area Campaign.
The launch coincides with the statewide Tax Free Weekend, Aug. 6-8.
Focus of the campaign is on attracting and keeping area shoppers in Shawnee.
A number of chamber members and retailers in the area have participated in previous years, but others, who are chamber members, have refrained, apparently because of some confusion that it might be too costly for them to be involved.
That is why the chamber again is making a concerted effort to better inform its members of the advantages of participating in the campaign.
While the cost for a business to participate is $250, plus a modest gift certificate from the business, there are several benefits.
That cost includes being part of a full-page color advertisement that will run four times in the Shawnee News-Star and twice in the Countywide News/Shawnee Sun. Deadline to reserve the advertisement is Friday, July 30.
Those advertisements begin running the week the campaign is launched.
To participate, call Geri Huston at the News-Star at 214-3970. She will coordinate with the merchants and the other media involved in the campaign.
•••
Oklahoma’s Department of Wildlife Conservation says Aug. 20 is the deadline to apply for bonus youth deer hunts.
According to information provided by the ODWC, beginning deer hunters have a unique opportunity to participate in two youth controlled antlerless deer hunts that will take place on private land in Alfalfa and Osage Counties and are scheduled for October and January.
This year, 22 youth will be drawn to receive one of the bonus private lands antlerless deer gun permits. To be eligible, youth must have completed their hunter education requirements prior to applying and must be 12-16 years old at the time of their scheduled hunt.
“These hunts are on private property and should provide young hunters a great opportunity to see some deer as well as a chance to harvest a doe,” said Bill Dinkines, assistant chief of wildlife for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. “The Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission has endorsed the youth hunt program and we are thankful for the landowners’ willingness to allow these kids the opportunity to hunt on their property.”
To apply for a hunt, applicants must send the Department a 4 inch by 6 inch index card with the following information:
• Hunter’s name
• Date of birth
• Mailing address
• Telephone number
• Hunter education certification number
• Social security or driver’s license number
• Their order of hunt preferences: Osage County (Oct. 1-3) & Alfalfa County (Jan. 7-9)
• Lifetime license number if applicable
• A non-hunting adult (licensed or unlicensed) who is at least 21 years old must accompany the youth and must also be listed on the index card
Youth who will be 16 years of age at the time of the hunt, who are required to have a hunting license, may possess an apprentice-designated license; however, the non-hunting adult accompanying an apprentice-designated hunter must possess a valid Oklahoma resident or nonresident hunting license, lifetime hunting license or lifetime combination license and be hunter education certified, unless otherwise exempt.
The envelope/card should be labeled “Private Lands Youth Deer Hunt” and should be mailed to: Department of Wildlife, Attn: Wildlife Division-Youth Deer Hunts, P.O. Box 53465, Oklahoma City, OK 73152. Applications must be received at the department by 4 p.m. Friday, Aug. 20, 2010.
Applicants who are successfully drawn will receive a notification letter in the mail about their hunt the following week. The letter will inform them of their selection and provide details about the hunt and license requirements.
Selected resident youth will need to purchase a $10 resident youth deer gun license unless they possess an Oklahoma resident lifetime hunting or resident lifetime combination license. Selected nonresidents will need to purchase a $206 nonresident deer gun license.
Any antlerless deer harvested during the controlled hunt will be considered a bonus deer and will not count against the youths’ combined season limit.
For additional information concerning the hunts, contact the Wildlife Department at 521-2739.
•••
If you have ideas or something of interest for this column, please call me at 214-3922 or e-mail me at michael.mccormick@news-star.com. Please include your name and a phone number for contact purposes.
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Lisa Perry, Regional Development manager for the Food 4 Kids Program of the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, spoke to Shawnee Rotarians earlier this week and pointed to some interesting statistics.
• 1 in 5 children are at risk of going hungry every day
• In 2009, her organization served nearly 8,000 kids in 293 schools in 41 counties in central and western Oklahoma.
The program provides chronically hungry children, identified by school personnel, with backpacks filled with non-perishable, kid-friendly food to eat on weekends and school holidays.
• She said school personnel have seen positive results from the children on the F4K program. They have seen improvements in attendance, attention span, grades, self esteem and health.
• $200 will provide a backpack to a child for an entire school year
Following the Rotary meeting, I asked Lisa to send me some information regarding how many students from area schools are impacted and involved in this program. Here’s what she provided.
• Wilson Early Childhood Center — 37 kids
• Horace Mann Elementary — 24 kids
• Will Rogers Elementary — 18 kids
• Jefferson Elementary — 70 kids
• North Rock Creek School — 42 kids
• Pleasant Grove Elementary — 15 kids
• Earlsboro — 15 kids
Lisa said to be added in the fall in Tecumseh are:
• Krouch Early Childhood Center — about 45 kids
• Barnard Elementary — about 40 kids
• Cross Timbers Elementary — about 70 kids
•••
One way to ensure that local sales tax revenues increase each month and annually is to shop in the Shawnee area. The Small Business Council of the Greater Shawnee Chamber of Commerce once again is sponsoring the Shop the Greater Shawnee Area Campaign.
The launch coincides with the statewide Tax Free Weekend, Aug. 6-8.
Focus of the campaign is on attracting and keeping area shoppers in Shawnee.
A number of chamber members and retailers in the area have participated in previous years, but others, who are chamber members, have refrained, apparently because of some confusion that it might be too costly for them to be involved.
That is why the chamber again is making a concerted effort to better inform its members of the advantages of participating in the campaign.
While the cost for a business to participate is $250, plus a modest gift certificate from the business, there are several benefits.
That cost includes being part of a full-page color advertisement that will run four times in the Shawnee News-Star and twice in the Countywide News/Shawnee Sun. Deadline to reserve the advertisement is Friday, July 30.
Those advertisements begin running the week the campaign is launched.
To participate, call Geri Huston at the News-Star at 214-3970. She will coordinate with the merchants and the other media involved in the campaign.
•••
Oklahoma’s Department of Wildlife Conservation says Aug. 20 is the deadline to apply for bonus youth deer hunts.
According to information provided by the ODWC, beginning deer hunters have a unique opportunity to participate in two youth controlled antlerless deer hunts that will take place on private land in Alfalfa and Osage Counties and are scheduled for October and January.
This year, 22 youth will be drawn to receive one of the bonus private lands antlerless deer gun permits. To be eligible, youth must have completed their hunter education requirements prior to applying and must be 12-16 years old at the time of their scheduled hunt.
“These hunts are on private property and should provide young hunters a great opportunity to see some deer as well as a chance to harvest a doe,” said Bill Dinkines, assistant chief of wildlife for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. “The Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission has endorsed the youth hunt program and we are thankful for the landowners’ willingness to allow these kids the opportunity to hunt on their property.”
To apply for a hunt, applicants must send the Department a 4 inch by 6 inch index card with the following information:
• Hunter’s name
• Date of birth
• Mailing address
• Telephone number
• Hunter education certification number
• Social security or driver’s license number
• Their order of hunt preferences: Osage County (Oct. 1-3) & Alfalfa County (Jan. 7-9)
• Lifetime license number if applicable
• A non-hunting adult (licensed or unlicensed) who is at least 21 years old must accompany the youth and must also be listed on the index card
Youth who will be 16 years of age at the time of the hunt, who are required to have a hunting license, may possess an apprentice-designated license; however, the non-hunting adult accompanying an apprentice-designated hunter must possess a valid Oklahoma resident or nonresident hunting license, lifetime hunting license or lifetime combination license and be hunter education certified, unless otherwise exempt.
The envelope/card should be labeled “Private Lands Youth Deer Hunt” and should be mailed to: Department of Wildlife, Attn: Wildlife Division-Youth Deer Hunts, P.O. Box 53465, Oklahoma City, OK 73152. Applications must be received at the department by 4 p.m. Friday, Aug. 20, 2010.
Applicants who are successfully drawn will receive a notification letter in the mail about their hunt the following week. The letter will inform them of their selection and provide details about the hunt and license requirements.
Selected resident youth will need to purchase a $10 resident youth deer gun license unless they possess an Oklahoma resident lifetime hunting or resident lifetime combination license. Selected nonresidents will need to purchase a $206 nonresident deer gun license.
Any antlerless deer harvested during the controlled hunt will be considered a bonus deer and will not count against the youths’ combined season limit.
For additional information concerning the hunts, contact the Wildlife Department at 521-2739.
•••
If you have ideas or something of interest for this column, please call me at 214-3922 or e-mail me at michael.mccormick@news-star.com. Please include your name and a phone number for contact purposes.
