Sarkeys Foundation Site Visit Featured in Tulsa World
By : Kate Thompson
Posted June 07, 2010 10:53 to Sarkeys News
Thunderbird seeks foundations' donations
by: SARA PLUMMER World Staff Writer
Saturday, June 05, 2010
6/5/2010 4:39:02 AM
PRYOR — After Friday's tour of the Thunderbird Youth Academy campus — where the buildings range from 50 to nearly 100 years old — Gov. Brad Henry said his first visit to the alternative school was an eye-opener.
"The facilities are even worse than I ever imagined," Henry said. "They do great work here, literally saving kids that are headed to prison. They put all the money into the classroom, the program, the discipline."
Representatives from foundations and philanthropic groups such as the Tulsa Community Foundation, Sarkeys Foundation and the Inasmuch Foundation, many of whom were not even aware of the program before Friday, accompanied Henry and his wife, Kim, on their visit to the campus.
Thunderbird Youth Academy is Oklahoma's site for the National Guard Youth Challenge. Youths 16 to 18 who are failing or have dropped out of school or have discipline problems can apply to the 22-week program, which is free for participants.
The residential program, although not a recruiting school, does have a military-like structure with emphasis on academics, job training, life skills and community service.
"The program is absolutely phenomenal," Kim Henry said. "To take these kids, they're on a road to being a menace, and create kids that have self-esteem, respect for themselves, respect for others and take control of their own lives."
During an orientation and presentation to the visitors, several cadets shared why they came to Thunderbird and how it has helped them.
"In high school, I didn't know what I was doing. Now my mom is proud of me. She looks at me with excitement at all I've accomplished," said Cory White, 18, of Tulsa. "I can't thank Thunderbird enough for what they've done for me, how they've changed me."
Two classes go through the Thunderbird program each year. Most start out with about 200 students, and about 100 make it to graduation.
"It's not an easy course It's a rigorous program," said Lt. Col. Brent Wright, state resource manager with the Oklahoma National Guard.
Wright has a special connection to the Thunderbird campus. It started as the Whitaker Orphanage in the late 1890s, and his grandfather was an orphan there. Wright also stayed on the campus after it became a National Guard training facility. Now as resource manager, the program is under his authority.
The program, which started in 1993, costs more than $3.4 million to operate every year with 80 percent of the total cost going toward salaries and benefits, Wright said. As of July 1, federal dollars will cover 75 percent of funding and 25 percent will come from the state.
Wright said that doesn't leave a lot of money for building maintenance and growth.
Thunderbird Challenge Inc. is a nonprofit organization formed to help fund needs of the program, such as scholarships for cadets after graduation, recreational needs and special trips, that fall outside of the budget.
Derek Melton is president of Thunderbird Challenge as well as assistant chief of police in Pryor and pastor of Pryor on Fire Teen Ministries.
Thunderbird Challenge, which has no full-time or part-time employees, usually raises $10,000 to $15,000 a year for the program, but Melton said he would like the organization to raise enough money to assist in renovating buildings or constructing new ones.
"The facilities are old, and we need some help," he said. "With these leaders here, they'll see the value."
Kim Henry said she hopes Friday's visit has an effect on the visitors.
"I would like to see the philanthropic community support the program," she said. "It's absolutely amazing what they (Thunderbird) do. It's amazing what they can do with little resources."
Associate Images:
During lunch, Thunderbird Youth Academy cadets Samantha Rodriguez (top, left) and Victoria White (top, right) chat with Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry (bottom, right) and his wife, Kim Henry, after their tour of the campus in Pryor on Friday. Here, the governor gives Rodriguez a fist bump. CORY YOUNG/Tulsa World
Cadets from the Thunderbird Youth Academy fall in behind state and local officials and foundation representatives as they tour the campus in Pryor on Friday. The alternative school is seeking money to improve and expand. CORY YOUNG/Tulsa World
For more information on Thunderbird Youth Academy click here
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