L i ly f ie ld Honored at Sc issorta i l Chi ldren’s Fest iva l

BUILDING HEALTHY FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES

Pass I t On Kids Consignment Sa leDate: Apr i l 26-27, 2019

Website: www.pass i tonkids .com

The Governor and F i rst Lady speaking at the

event .

Sarah St i tt and L i ly f ie ld staf f.

Let ’s come together as ONE to ra ise $200,000.

When we unite around one v is ion for healthy and stable fami l ies for chi ldren, we g ive l i fe and hope to our community. At L i ly f ie ld we are changing the l ives and futures of those we serve through adopt ion, foster care, counsel ing and prevent ion work. By reaching our goal , we can create deep and last ing impact that wi l l rev i ta l ize the impover ished and g ive hope to chi ldren and fami l ies . The unity asked of us by Jesus should never be more evident than when we help the ‘ least among us.’ Even with a l l the work and growth we have seen over the past few years , much remains to be done.

• Provide fami l ies for some of the 8,400 chi ldren in our community who are in foster care.

• Support and care for adopt ive and foster fami l ies so they can help their chi ldren thr ive.

• Address the needs of vulnerable chi ldren and their fami l ies before the state has to intervene.

How can you help?

L i ly f ie ld ONE 2019 Annual Campaign

Vis i t our website: www.lilyfield.org/one-campaign

SPRING 2019

Board of Directors: Risa Forrester, President Amy Emerson, Secretary Diana Perkins, Treasurer Beth Brewer Greg Schaefer Max Pope

Staff:Holly Towers - Executive DirectorAshley Melson - Director of CounselingJordan Sanchez - Director of Community ProgramsRobert P. Elliott - Director of DevelopmentVimala Sekar, MD - Medical DirectorCourtney Sunderland - Tulsa Foster Care CoordinatorEmily McRay - Special Events CoordinatorNatalie Bergstrasser - Independent Living CoordinatorTiffany Ramirez - EmpowerOKC CoordinatorAshley Brand - Foster Care SpecialistBrooke Cargill - TherapistDanisha Walker - Wendy’s Wonderful Kids RecruiterErika Torres - EmpowerOKC AssistantJordan Merrill - Tulsa Foster Care SpecialistLauren Hamra - TherapistLauren Weaver - Tulsa Administrative AssistantLeslie Shuck - Foster Support SpecialistSara Judd - Office ManagerSchaller Wright - Therapist and Adoption SpecialistStephanie Hiebert - Adoption AssistantTiffany Hooper - Business Manager

The inaugurat ion of the newly e lected Governor and F irst Lady, Kevin and Sarah St i tt inc luded many events . One event in part icular was especia l ly important to L i ly f ie ld because the event donated t icket sa les f rom the Sc issorta i l Chi ldren’s Fest iva l to L i ly f ie ld a long with a few other great non-prof i ts in Oklahoma. “L i ly f ie ld was honored to be se lected as abenef ic iary of the Sc issorta i l Chi ldren’s Fest iva l . I t ’s so encouraging to partner with others in the community who are focused on strengthening fami l ies and g iv ing hope to Oklahoma’s chi ldren. The fest iva l provided a unique and fun way to honor Oklahoma’s chi ldren and fami l ies” sa id Jordan Sanchez, our Director of Community Programs. We were so honored to be inc luded in the l ine-up by the Governor and Mrs. St i tt and thankful for the opportunity they gave to 300 foster fami l ies to attend the event for f ree.

The Fest iva l took p lace at the Oklahoma Aquar ium in Jenks, Oklahoma and inc luded an array of enterta inment. Ta lent inc luded: the Osage Chi ldren’s Bal let , Miss Teen Oklahoma, Oklahoma State Univers i ty ’s mascot (P isto l Pete) , among other ta lented Oklahomans.

A specia l thank you to the Governor and F irst Lady and their heart for serv ing chi ldren in need in Oklahoma!

Christmas Party Recap

Donated By:Curt and Deborah Niccum Emma Dowell

“Adopt ion was a lways something we had on our minds to do some day, but never foster ing! We moved to Oklahoma four years ago so my husband could be a L i feKids pastor for L i fe .Church. We got sett led into our new l i tt le l i fe with our 3 o lder k ids (Ethan now 18, Keyen 16, and Ol iv ia 13) . God kept putt ing i t in our hearts to start foster ing. I could never imagine i t , and I to ld God i f he wanted us to foster, he was going to have to bas ica l ly s lap me in the face with something. Wel l you know that when you say that to God, i t typica l ly happens. A few weeks later L i fe .Church had a ser ies ca l led “How to Neighbor.” I t was a l l about help ing k ids in foster care. I to ld God “OK, OK. I get i t !” So we contacted L i ly f ie ld and started the process . I t took us about 8 months and we got our f i rst p lacement, a three-year-old g i r l named Kandice who quick ly gave me a run for my money. Our exc i tement quick ly turned into “ I can’t do th is ,” “What were we thinking? ” and “My l i fe was so easy!” But we hung in there and real ized i t ’s not about us , but teaching th is g i r l that never had boundar ies , love, secur i ty and consistency. She just needed someone who wanted her no matter what and she was gett ing the chance to know and learn about God, and God was with us . Three years later, she became our daughter. There are st i l l some days we wonder i f we can handle i t , but we knew God brought her to us for a reason so we wi l l do what he has asked us to do. Dur ing that t ime, God brought us a 3 month old l i tt le boy, Evan, and we knew he wasn’t going to stay long because they were try ing to keep him with h is s ib l ings , We determined to have fun and love h im whi le we had him. Months went by and he was st i l l with us and we couldn’t imagine h im leaving. We wanted to adopt h im but everyone kept say ing no because of the s ib l ings . This i s when i t ’s very hard to be a foster parent because you fa l l in love and i t feels l ike your own chi ld leaving. So we told ourselves i f God wants us to be h is parents , we wi l l be and we are going to trust and wait . I t wasn’t an easy year and we had many tears and lots of prayers , but boy d id God work mirac les in the story and he moved mountains when we thought i t was over. On December 7th, we adopted Evan as our son. What a day to ce lebrate h im and God and what he d id for our fami ly! Foster ing is not a lways fun and i t def in i te ly has moments of tears but i f God is ca l l ing you, a lways know that he wi l l never leave you. Lean on him and he wi l l be happy to have you put i t on h im. We a lso loved having L i ly f ie ld in our court . Margaret , our case-worker, was a lways so amazing as a great encourager and l i stener when we just needed to vent . God has b lessed our fami ly so much with th is exper ience. I t has change so many people forever and we are thankful for that .” - Megan, L i ly f ie ld Foster/ Adopt ive Mother

Donated By: In Memory of:

TributesAn Adoption StoryDean and Jacque HildebrandDean and Jacque Hildebrand Norman and Kathy DeanDavid and Jean BurnsMuriel GoreGary and Ann WalcottGary and Ann WalcottTerry and Beverly PoffMuriel GoreTerry and Beverly PoffSammy and Nancy GrahamAnonymous

Adalea DuncanAunt MarieDavid WoodsonEd StegallEllen HarrisErvalene WalcottErvalene WalcottE.L. FowlerJack BlackburnJack BlackburnMeg MuhlinghauseMikal Mulcare

Donated By: In Memory of:Toni ScottDavid and Jean Burns Kim and Debbie Carter

Mikal MulcareRhea MontgomeryWinona Skaggs

L i ly f ie ld c l ients were inv i ted to our annual Chr istmas part ies in Edmond, at EmpowerOKC and Tulsa in December. Many donat ions were made by indiv iduals , bus inesses, groups, and churches to make these year ly events happen. We are so grateful to everyone who volunteered or donated!

In Edmond, the chi ldren in attendance were able to te l l Santa what they wanted for Chr istmas and were g iven goodie bags. Diapers f rom a d iaper dr ive at an Oklahoma Chr ist ian Univers i ty Lady Eagle basketbal l game were d istr ibuted to the fami l ies . The chi ldren were a lso able to p lay games and do act iv i t ies whi le their parents were served del ic ious food from Redrock Canyon by volunteers f rom a L i fe Group from L i fe .Church and Henderson Hi l l s Bapt ist Church. A snowbal l f ight even broke out with cotton bal ls !

I t was EmpowerOKC ’s f i rst Chr istmas Party, which inc luded c l ients and their fami l ies who enjoyed food donated by Al fredo’s Mexican Café in Moore. Volunteer and connector, Cei l idh Imes, donated pastr ies and cookies . T i ffany Ramirez, the EmpowerOKC Coordinator sa id, “We played Chr istmas Bingo and every chi ld had the chance to win a bag fu l l of school suppl ies donated by Dudley Chancey. We had a Chr istmas cookie decorat ion stat ion and fami l ies p layed board games.”

The L i ly f ie ld Tulsa off ice enjoyed a Chr istmas party hosted by The Way Church. They provided the meal and toys for the chi ldren to receive for Chr istmas. “We enjoyed the meal , decorated cookies for Chr istmas and there were a lso arts and crafts , ornament making , and other fun Chr istmas act iv i t ies for the k ids and their parents to do together,” sa id Courtney Sunder land, our Tulsa Foster Care Coordinator.

What a great way to end 2018!

Pictured, Santa with chi ldren who attended the Chr istmas Party at Memoria l Road Church of Chr ist .

In Honor of:

Megan and Stephen with their ch i ldren: Evan, Ethan, Ol iv ia ,

Kandice, and Keyen.

Christmas Party Recap

Donated By:Curt and Deborah Niccum Emma Dowell

“Adopt ion was a lways something we had on our minds to do some day, but never foster ing! We moved to Oklahoma four years ago so my husband could be a L i feKids pastor for L i fe .Church. We got sett led into our new l i tt le l i fe with our 3 o lder k ids (Ethan now 18, Keyen 16, and Ol iv ia 13) . God kept putt ing i t in our hearts to start foster ing. I could never imagine i t , and I to ld God i f he wanted us to foster, he was going to have to bas ica l ly s lap me in the face with something. Wel l you know that when you say that to God, i t typica l ly happens. A few weeks later L i fe .Church had a ser ies ca l led “How to Neighbor.” I t was a l l about help ing k ids in foster care. I to ld God “OK, OK. I get i t !” So we contacted L i ly f ie ld and started the process . I t took us about 8 months and we got our f i rst p lacement, a three-year-old g i r l named Kandice who quick ly gave me a run for my money. Our exc i tement quick ly turned into “ I can’t do th is ,” “What were we thinking? ” and “My l i fe was so easy!” But we hung in there and real ized i t ’s not about us , but teaching th is g i r l that never had boundar ies , love, secur i ty and consistency. She just needed someone who wanted her no matter what and she was gett ing the chance to know and learn about God, and God was with us . Three years later, she became our daughter. There are st i l l some days we wonder i f we can handle i t , but we knew God brought her to us for a reason so we wi l l do what he has asked us to do. Dur ing that t ime, God brought us a 3 month old l i tt le boy, Evan, and we knew he wasn’t going to stay long because they were try ing to keep him with h is s ib l ings , We determined to have fun and love h im whi le we had him. Months went by and he was st i l l with us and we couldn’t imagine h im leaving. We wanted to adopt h im but everyone kept say ing no because of the s ib l ings . This i s when i t ’s very hard to be a foster parent because you fa l l in love and i t feels l ike your own chi ld leaving. So we told ourselves i f God wants us to be h is parents , we wi l l be and we are going to trust and wait . I t wasn’t an easy year and we had many tears and lots of prayers , but boy d id God work mirac les in the story and he moved mountains when we thought i t was over. On December 7th, we adopted Evan as our son. What a day to ce lebrate h im and God and what he d id for our fami ly! Foster ing is not a lways fun and i t def in i te ly has moments of tears but i f God is ca l l ing you, a lways know that he wi l l never leave you. Lean on him and he wi l l be happy to have you put i t on h im. We a lso loved having L i ly f ie ld in our court . Margaret , our case-worker, was a lways so amazing as a great encourager and l i stener when we just needed to vent . God has b lessed our fami ly so much with th is exper ience. I t has change so many people forever and we are thankful for that .” - Megan, L i ly f ie ld Foster/ Adopt ive Mother

Donated By: In Memory of:

TributesAn Adoption StoryDean and Jacque HildebrandDean and Jacque Hildebrand Norman and Kathy DeanDavid and Jean BurnsMuriel GoreGary and Ann WalcottGary and Ann WalcottTerry and Beverly PoffMuriel GoreTerry and Beverly PoffSammy and Nancy GrahamAnonymous

Adalea DuncanAunt MarieDavid WoodsonEd StegallEllen HarrisErvalene WalcottErvalene WalcottE.L. FowlerJack BlackburnJack BlackburnMeg MuhlinghauseMikal Mulcare

Donated By: In Memory of:Toni ScottDavid and Jean Burns Kim and Debbie Carter

Mikal MulcareRhea MontgomeryWinona Skaggs

L i ly f ie ld c l ients were inv i ted to our annual Chr istmas part ies in Edmond, at EmpowerOKC and Tulsa in December. Many donat ions were made by indiv iduals , bus inesses, groups, and churches to make these year ly events happen. We are so grateful to everyone who volunteered or donated!

In Edmond, the chi ldren in attendance were able to te l l Santa what they wanted for Chr istmas and were g iven goodie bags. Diapers f rom a d iaper dr ive at an Oklahoma Chr ist ian Univers i ty Lady Eagle basketbal l game were d istr ibuted to the fami l ies . The chi ldren were a lso able to p lay games and do act iv i t ies whi le their parents were served del ic ious food from Redrock Canyon by volunteers f rom a L i fe Group from L i fe .Church and Henderson Hi l l s Bapt ist Church. A snowbal l f ight even broke out with cotton bal ls !

I t was EmpowerOKC ’s f i rst Chr istmas Party, which inc luded c l ients and their fami l ies who enjoyed food donated by Al fredo’s Mexican Café in Moore. Volunteer and connector, Cei l idh Imes, donated pastr ies and cookies . T i ffany Ramirez, the EmpowerOKC Coordinator sa id, “We played Chr istmas Bingo and every chi ld had the chance to win a bag fu l l of school suppl ies donated by Dudley Chancey. We had a Chr istmas cookie decorat ion stat ion and fami l ies p layed board games.”

The L i ly f ie ld Tulsa off ice enjoyed a Chr istmas party hosted by The Way Church. They provided the meal and toys for the chi ldren to receive for Chr istmas. “We enjoyed the meal , decorated cookies for Chr istmas and there were a lso arts and crafts , ornament making , and other fun Chr istmas act iv i t ies for the k ids and their parents to do together,” sa id Courtney Sunder land, our Tulsa Foster Care Coordinator.

What a great way to end 2018!

Pictured, Santa with chi ldren who attended the Chr istmas Party at Memoria l Road Church of Chr ist .

In Honor of:

Megan and Stephen with their ch i ldren: Evan, Ethan, Ol iv ia ,

Kandice, and Keyen.

L i ly f ie ld Honored at Sc issorta i l Chi ldren’s Fest iva l

BUILDING HEALTHY FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES

Pass I t On Kids Consignment Sa leDate: Apr i l 26-27, 2019

Website: www.pass i tonkids .com

The Governor and F i rst Lady speaking at the

event .

Sarah St i tt and L i ly f ie ld staf f.

Let ’s come together as ONE to ra ise $200,000.

When we unite around one v is ion for healthy and stable fami l ies for chi ldren, we g ive l i fe and hope to our community. At L i ly f ie ld we are changing the l ives and futures of those we serve through adopt ion, foster care, counsel ing and prevent ion work. By reaching our goal , we can create deep and last ing impact that wi l l rev i ta l ize the impover ished and g ive hope to chi ldren and fami l ies . The unity asked of us by Jesus should never be more evident than when we help the ‘ least among us.’ Even with a l l the work and growth we have seen over the past few years , much remains to be done.

• Provide fami l ies for some of the 8,400 chi ldren in our community who are in foster care.

• Support and care for adopt ive and foster fami l ies so they can help their chi ldren thr ive.

• Address the needs of vulnerable chi ldren and their fami l ies before the state has to intervene.

How can you help?

L i ly f ie ld ONE 2019 Annual Campaign

Vis i t our website: www.lilyfield.org/one-campaign

SPRING 2019

Board of Directors: Risa Forrester, President Amy Emerson, Secretary Diana Perkins, Treasurer Beth Brewer Greg Schaefer Max Pope

Staff:Holly Towers - Executive DirectorAshley Melson - Director of CounselingJordan Sanchez - Director of Community ProgramsRobert P. Elliott - Director of DevelopmentVimala Sekar, MD - Medical DirectorCourtney Sunderland - Tulsa Foster Care CoordinatorEmily McRay - Special Events CoordinatorNatalie Bergstrasser - Independent Living CoordinatorTiffany Ramirez - EmpowerOKC CoordinatorAshley Brand - Foster Care SpecialistBrooke Cargill - TherapistDanisha Walker - Wendy’s Wonderful Kids RecruiterErika Torres - EmpowerOKC AssistantJordan Merrill - Tulsa Foster Care SpecialistLauren Hamra - TherapistLauren Weaver - Tulsa Administrative AssistantLeslie Shuck - Foster Support SpecialistSara Judd - Office ManagerSchaller Wright - Therapist and Adoption SpecialistStephanie Hiebert - Adoption AssistantTiffany Hooper - Business Manager

The inaugurat ion of the newly e lected Governor and F irst Lady, Kevin and Sarah St i tt inc luded many events . One event in part icular was especia l ly important to L i ly f ie ld because the event donated t icket sa les f rom the Sc issorta i l Chi ldren’s Fest iva l to L i ly f ie ld a long with a few other great non-prof i ts in Oklahoma. “L i ly f ie ld was honored to be se lected as abenef ic iary of the Sc issorta i l Chi ldren’s Fest iva l . I t ’s so encouraging to partner with others in the community who are focused on strengthening fami l ies and g iv ing hope to Oklahoma’s chi ldren. The fest iva l provided a unique and fun way to honor Oklahoma’s chi ldren and fami l ies” sa id Jordan Sanchez, our Director of Community Programs. We were so honored to be inc luded in the l ine-up by the Governor and Mrs. St i tt and thankful for the opportunity they gave to 300 foster fami l ies to attend the event for f ree.

The Fest iva l took p lace at the Oklahoma Aquar ium in Jenks, Oklahoma and inc luded an array of enterta inment. Ta lent inc luded: the Osage Chi ldren’s Bal let , Miss Teen Oklahoma, Oklahoma State Univers i ty ’s mascot (P isto l Pete) , among other ta lented Oklahomans.

A specia l thank you to the Governor and F irst Lady and their heart for serv ing chi ldren in need in Oklahoma!