Tulsa CARES

Club Red coming soon 03.08.25! 🎟️ www.redribbongala.org

As the year comes to an end, we must celebrate and highlight a few of our favorite memories that made 2024 a year to remember at Tulsa CARES! 🎉 🌟 Community Impact | Staff represented the agency at 150+ community events including community meetings, health fairs, off-site testing, and safer-sex education for at-risk populations. 🌟 Year of the Dragon | Raising critical funds for the agency, our biggest gala yet raised an incredible $1.23M. More than 100 sponsorships and over 670 attendees joined us for an unforgettable evening of celebration and impact. 🌟 Student Day of Caring | For Tulsa Area United Way's inaugural Student Day of Caring and community food drive, we received 1,187 pounds of canned food donations from Hilti. With the help of Tulsa Changemakers, we were able to sort, organize, and stock our market shelves. 🌟 Client Engagement | This year, we brought our clients together for meaningful and joyful events. From June in Bloom to celebrate growth and renewal to our town hall and education series to foster learning and engagement, these moments became our favorite memories.

This holiday season, we are honored to once again partner with Oklahomans for Equality for our annual Fairy Tree. We are beyond grateful for OkEq staff, board members, and the community for their generosity and compassion for our clients! 🎁🎄

As we near the end of 2024, we're looking back on our centennial year! Back in April, we held our first-ever Student Day of Caring. Student groups completed volunteer projects with our nonprofit partners and companies held food drives to fill food pantries at schools in our community.

We are honored to announce that Tulsa CARES has been named a 2024 Neighborhood Champion by Bank of America and was awarded a $50,000 grant toward our HCV program! 🏆 This recognition is part of Bank of America’s longstanding efforts to build thriving communities by addressing issues fundamental to economic opportunity. The Neighborhood Champions program is an invitation-only, highly competitive initiative, with awardees selected by a committee of community leaders and past honorees. In addition to this incredible honor, Bank of America has generously supported Tulsa CARES this holiday season by donating holiday baskets to our Nutrition program, providing baked ham for our Client Advisory Council, supplying essential winter items for our clothing closet, and offering dental hygiene products for our market. A heartfelt thank you to Richard Pieper, our Board Treasurer and longtime champion of Tulsa CARES, for presenting this generous check on behalf of Bank of America. We also want to thank Mary Burchett for organizing this celebration and continuing to support our clients through financial literacy education. We are deeply grateful for this partnership and their investment in our mission and the community we serve. #BofAGrants

What an incredible day at Tulsa CARES as we came together to honor resilience, share stories, and celebrate community! This day wasn’t just a celebration—it was a recommitment to our mission. We honored those who have passed, celebrated the lives of those living with HIV/AIDS, and reaffirmed our dedication to the ongoing work ahead. Together, we stand stronger, elevate each other’s stories, and move forward in community. 💖

Today, on World AIDS Day, we shine a light on the resilience of those impacted by HIV/AIDS and recommit to building a future free of stigma and inequity. 📊 Did you know? Oklahoma is one of just 7 states identified with a significant rural HIV burden. Access to testing, prevention, and care remains critical, especially in rural areas where resources can be limited. 🩺 Why Testing Matters: 1 in 8 people living with HIV don’t know their status. Early testing saves lives by connecting individuals to treatment and preventing transmission. At Tulsa CARES, we’re committed to providing compassionate care and support to those living with or at risk of HIV, regardless of their status. Call our office or walk in during agency hours for free, confidential testing. We also offer free at-home testing kits that can be both picked up or mailed directly to you.

We’re 1️⃣ week away from the agency’s World AIDS Day celebration, and prep is underway! About 100 bags of paper/cleaning products have been assembled by staff to go along with produce clients will receive next Tuesday. In addition to those items, the following activities will be going on: 🕯️ Reflection & Remembrance station | We will light a candle for clients we have lost this year. Supplies for those who would like another outlet to express their sympathies will also be available. 🗣️ PhotoVoice Storytelling | PhotoVoice is a unique way to share your personal experiences, challenges, and triumphs through photography and storytelling. For those comfortable to do so, we would like to capture those meaningful moments and share them with others to help raise awareness and foster understanding within our community. 🎨 Art Project | Clients will be given a blank canvas to paint their own red ribbon and express what the day means to them. This is a chance to reflect and connect through creativity. Each canvas will become part of a collective display in our dining hall.

In collaboration with Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma, Tulsa Area Fair Housing Partnership, Tulsa Health Department, and City of Tulsa, join us at the Centennial Center at Veteran’s Park for an important discussion on fair housing, housing policy and advocacy, and community resources specifically for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. Sign up using the link below ⬇ 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gDH5j4Zc

100% Staff Participation 🤝 Goal Met Last week, we celebrated meeting our Tulsa Area United Way campaign goal with a staff outing to Main Event. After signing, sealing, and delivering our Centennial Campaign Report earlier today, we are proud to announce that we raised a grand total of $34,462.72 with staff contributing more than $12,500! As a TAUW partner agency, we know first-hand how our vital these funds are. Interested in donating? Go to www.tauw.org . 💙💛 #100StartsWith1 #LiveUnited