111Project, Bright Sky Ministry are the 2023 JT Cares Corporate Fundraiser beneficiaries
OKLAHOMA – Jiffy Trip selected 111Project and Bright Sky Ministry to be the beneficiaries of their annual JT Cares Corporate Fundraiser. Both agencies actively help ensure families in foster care have more than enough support through local fundraising in northwest Oklahoma and northwest Arkansas.
Every weekday until September 29, Jiffy Trip will donate a portion of the proceeds made from purchasing any of the selected items towards the 111Project and Bright Sky Ministry. The selected item for Monday is any candy item, Tuesday’s selected item is a hot dispended beverage (like coffee or cappuccino), Wednesday’s item is fuel, Thursday’s item is any Jiffy Trip deli item and Friday is any size fountain drink.
“We are so excited that the funds from this event and drive will go to both the 111Project and our friends at Bright Sky Ministry to support foster families, biological families and all families involved in the child welfare system,” 111Project Executive Director Chris Campbell said. “If you’re in a community that has a Jiffy Trip location, go out and support them and know that your purchases are making a difference in the lives of kids and families in our community.”
There are 6,238 children in foster care across Oklahoma as of September 1, according to monthly numbers released by the OKDHS.
111Project is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) with the mission to mobilize the local church so every child has family. The organization’s initial goal is to mobilize 1,000 churches across Oklahoma that can serve at least one family a month on CarePortal and recruit and support a foster family every year.
If 1,000 out of the 6,200 churches in Oklahoma commit to recruit and support one foster family a year, and serve one family a month on CarePortal, the state will move closer to having more than enough help for children and families in crisis.
CarePortal is a growing connection technology, managed by the 111Project, that allows agency partners – like Oklahoma Human Services Child Welfare – to submit vetted needs to the community and local churches to serve families in crisis.
These vetted needs can range from diapers and wipes to bunk beds and blankets, which will help support a foster family, strengthen a biological family, or help a family get one step closer to reunification.
Bright Sky Ministry is also a 501(c)(3) with their mission: to provide essentials to foster and kinship families. They utilize their Foster Care Essentials program to equip foster parents with what they need so their foster children feel as comfortable, safe and loved as possible.
Jiffy Trip has been hosting the JT Cares Corporate Fundraiser for the past ten years. Previous beneficiaries included the Children’s Hospital Foundation in Oklahoma City and St. Jude’s.
“We felt like this year was an opportunity to pivot and change directions,” Jiffy Trip Brand and Marketing Manager Lindsey Mateychick said.
They chose to benefit these foster care agencies because foster care is near and dear to the hearts of the Chief operating officer, Alex Williams, and his wife, Angela.
Mateychick said through this fundraiser, they hope to bring awareness to the foster care crisis and provide ways for people to get involved.
“It’s more about just bringing awareness and helping shine a light on the different services that are offered through these organizations that were benefiting,” she said. “I also think it will help Oklahoma and northwest Arkansas realize that maybe you can’t be a foster care parent, right? But there’s ways, tools, services, and resources that you can give back to help in the smallest way or even in a significant way – like using CarePortal or even reaching out to organizations to figure out what are some of the needs. If it’s not monetary, what’s a tangible item I can donate? I think it’s going to hit home a lot bigger than people think.”
There are 26 Jiffy Trip locations in Oklahoma and three in Arkansas. For more information visit https://jiffytrip.com/jtcares/ .