On October 2nd, 2024, our 111Project team members got the opportunity to collaborate once again with the University of Oklahoma Football team’s S.O.U.L. Mission program and CityServe to provide support to approximately 200 foster families in Cleveland County through a project day held at Christ Church in Norman, Oklahoma. 14 of 111Project’s church partners also participated in this event, including Redeemer Church Norman, Magnify Church, Christ Church, Paradigm Church, Westmoore Community Church, Noble Assembly of God, Summit Church, Wildwood Community, Frontline South, Norman Bible Church, Providence Road Church, Church of God Moore, First Moore, and Alameda Baptist. Together, these church members, O.U.’s Football players and coaches, and 111Project volunteers and staff formed an assembly line to pack care packages for these foster families.
Foster families can always use support and encouragement! The church aims to help families in crisis but often lacks a connection to them, while the families are unaware of the support the church wants to provide. This project day was geared towards practically supporting those families by providing care packages that include household items, family games, health and wellness items, and supplies that every family could use. It also provided a bridge to communicate what additional supports are available through the local church network on an ongoing basis. All the supplies were provided by CityServe Oklahoma. Some of these care packages were then delivered to families by the football players, coaches, and church leaders.
111Project’s partnership with OU’s S.O.U.L. Mission began in 2023 with the Build-a-Bunk project that helped provide 250 bunk beds for foster children across the state of Oklahoma. Each year, S.O.U.L. Mission provides a local service experience for their players during their season’s bye week. We have had the great honor of being their non-profit partner for these efforts for the past two years. The OU Football team also participated in a shared life events exercise and the 111Project Experience, which highlights some of the challenges that children face in foster care bringing additional awareness of the effects of relational and financial poverty.
Tulsa’s CityServe has been a resource partner with 111Project since 2022. Our two organizations share the belief that the church is central to caring and providing for vulnerable families. CarePortal has been a pathway to connect the resources CityServe has available to the local churches to serve families in need. Partnering on this project day was a great example of how the community can come together leveraging its strengths to serve more children and families.
It was a tremendous joy for our team to have the opportunity to collaborate with both CityServe and OU’s S.O.U.L. Mission program to provide these care packages for foster families in Cleveland County. It was an amazing, powerful day of impact and a true joy getting to love on foster families in need of encouragement and support!
