OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence has awarded $18,000 in grants to Oklahoma mentoring programs that serve students in grades K-12. The grants are expected to impact more than 13,000 students across the state.
The Comeback Kid Society’s Pathways program and the Meeker High School Leadership Team received $3,000 start-up grants, which are designed to encourage communities to establish quality mentoring programs. Organizations or programs in their first three years of operation are eligible.
Based in Oklahoma City, The Comeback Kid Society offers support and resources to young individuals residing in foster group homes, juvenile detentions, treatment centers and local communities. Grant funds will support bi-monthly educational workshops that are central to the organization’s Pathways program, which addresses a critical gap in services for students facing homelessness. The workshops allow students to engage in social and creative activities while developing academic and life skills.
The Meeker High School Leadership Team is dedicated to fostering growth, connection and community impact. Its flagship program, Books for Bulldogs, inspires a love of reading in younger students while promoting literacy and mentorship. The team is expanding its efforts to include a peer-to-peer mentoring program. Grant funds will be used to create meaningful experiences, including a Dr. Seuss Week event that will foster a culture of literacy and learning while strengthening the bond between young readers and their high school mentors.
OFE has awarded $1,500 opportunity grants to 10 existing mentoring programs across Oklahoma. These grants can help fund programming, training, materials or other needs that advance excellence in mentoring for K-12 students.
The opportunity grant recipients are Big Brothers Big Sisters of Oklahoma, Bartlesville; Bruins on the Run, Bartlesville; Bulldog PAWS (Partners at Work in Schools), Okmulgee; Carney Public Schools Top Dawgs, Carney; Loveworks Afterschool Leadership, Norman; M.V.P. (Mentors with Vision & Purpose) Initiative, Shawnee; Norman High School Elementary Spanish Mentor Program, Norman; ReadOKC Book Club, Oklahoma City; Tulsa BizTown, Tulsa; and Whiz Kids of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City.
“We are thrilled to support the growth and development of so many quality mentoring programs with these grants,” said Lauren Dow, OFE program specialist. “These programs all have an incredible impact on students and communities across Oklahoma.”
To be eligible for the grants, programs must serve K-12 age children in Oklahoma. Preference is given to organizations that work in partnership with local public schools. Programs must conduct background checks on all mentors and agree to report quantitative and qualitative outcomes. They must also provide proof of 501(c)3 status or proof of an agreement with a local public school district or other qualified 501(c)3 umbrella organization.
The Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence is a statewide nonprofit that recognizes and encourages excellence in Oklahoma’s public schools. To learn more, visit OFE.org.
More Information on the Opportunity Grant Recipients
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Oklahoma, Bartlesville: This organization focuses on youth mentoring, matching children aged 6 through 18 with mentors who provide consistency and a positive influence. Mentors and mentees meet regularly for at least a year. Grant funds will be used to cover the cost of volunteer background checks that are a vital part of the matching process.
Bruins on the Run, Bartlesville: Launched in 2018 by the Bartlesville Public School Foundation, Bruins on the Run serves as an innovative after-school mentoring and running program for fifth graders at Bartlesville Public Schools. Students run after school with teacher-mentors three days a week, and the students participate in local running events. Grant funds will cover students’ race registrations.
Bulldog PAWS (Partners at Work in Schools), Okmulgee: This Okmulgee Education Foundation program pairs adult mentors with first through fourth grade students for hourlong after-school sessions. Grant funds will go toward background checks and supplies needed to continue the program.
Carney Public Schools Top Dawgs, Carney: This youth mentoring program holds events and assemblies throughout the school year. The grant funds will be used for a workshop that will be part of a schoolwide anti-bullying week. The workshop will include a skit performed by the Top Dawgs, a guest speaker, group discussions and team-building games.
Loveworks Afterschool Leadership, Norman: This program by Loveworks Leadership provides middle school students with purpose-driven, interactive lessons led by dedicated volunteers. Grant funds will be used to expand and enhance core programming through experiences like guest speakers and field trips in addition to increasing volunteer training and support.
M.V.P. (Mentors with Vision & Purpose) Initiative, Shawnee: Uplift Mentoring focuses on closing the mentoring gap in Pottawatomie County, and its M.V.P. Initiative is a one-to-one mentoring program that trains and equips high school student-athletes to mentor at-risk incoming middle school students. The organization will use grant funds to expand the initiative to the Tecumseh, Bethel and McLoud school districts.
Norman High School Elementary Spanish Mentor Program, Norman: Through this program, advanced high school Spanish students volunteer to teach 30-minute lessons to fourth and fifth grade students using Acquisition Driven Instruction techniques like storytelling and reader’s theater. The grant will fund the purchase of two sets of novellas for student mentors to use in reading with their students.
ReadOKC Book Club, Oklahoma City: This program of the Oklahoma City Public Schools Foundation places volunteers in middle and high schools to work with student book clubs to help increase self-esteem, foster self-motivation, promote responsibility and improve attitudes towards reading. Grant funds will allow the foundation to provide each club with a new set of books of their students’ choice.
Tulsa BizTown, Tulsa: Junior Achievement of Oklahoma provides lessons in financial literacy, work/career readiness and entrepreneurship, and Tulsa BizTown serves as a capstone program for its elementary school students. The students serve as Tulsa BizTown’s citizens for a day, learning about running businesses, personal banking and working together. Grant funds will be used to purchase curriculum kits for classrooms to facilitate the program.
Whiz Kids of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City: This volunteer literacy tutoring and mentoring program focuses on students from first through fifth grade. Funds from the grant will be used to purchase materials that address critical literacy needs, including improving sight word recognition, fluency, comprehension, phonemic awareness and English as a second language support.
