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December 2004

‘You’re Doing An Awesome Job’:OKDHS Employees Receive $1,000 BonusBy Kevan Goff-ParkerInside OKDHS Editor

There’s a wise saying: “Goodthings come to those who wait.” Truerwords have rarely been spoken when itcomes to the recent fortunes ofOKDHS employees.

The Oklahoma Commission forHuman Services on Oct. 26 acceptedthe hearty recommendation by Direc-tor Howard H. Hendrick to reward allfull-time permanent and probationaryemployees with a one-time high per-formance bonus of $1,000, upgradetechnology within the Department andprovide funds for adoption subsidies.(Editor’s Note: See related story onpage 5.)

After the Commission voted toapprove the recommendation, Okla-homa Commission for Human Ser-vices member Dr. Edward R. Munnellsaid employees get their sense ofdirection from Director Hendrick andhis senior staff. He said awarding theone-time bonus was “good commonsense, practical and realistic.”

“When there’s a problem, thesepeople (OKDHS employees) knockthemselves out each day,” Munnellsaid. “I really feel proud to be on thisCommission and to serve with thesefine people.”

Commissioner Steve Beebepraised OKDHS for the fact that adop-

OKDHS Director Howard H. Hendrick smiles on Oct. 26 as the Oklahoma Com-mission for Human Services approves his recommendation that all full-time per-manent and probationary employees receive a $1,000 high performance bonusfor their exceptional work and performance in recent years. Commission Vice-Chair Ronald L. Mercer is pictured in the background.BONUS continued on page 4

INSIDE OKDHS — December 20042

The Chaplain’s Corner

By Don HendersonGarfield County Director and Chaplain

It is so amazing to live in a landwhere you can freely worship.Regardless of your personal beliefs,you must admit that the holiday sea-son is an incredible time of year forour Agency. I understand that thistime of year has many meanings forthe people who make up our OKDHSfamily. My desire is that you willallow me to share my impressionsfrom the 26 holiday seasons I haveexperienced at OKDHS.

You see, OKDHS has alwaysbeen somewhat of a ministry to me,not just a job. I really believe that thisis the consensus of most folks whowork here, especially during the holi-days. I have witnessed some incredi-ble things during the holiday seasonthat make me so proud of this Depart-ment and my peers throughout thestate. From the smallest county to ourlargest institution, OKDHS staffgoing the extra mile is commonplace– people performing above andbeyond the call of duty, not becausethey have to but because they care for

their fellow man. Countless times I have seen staff

members giving sacrificially of theirfinances, talents and time to meet theneeds of others, and this is especiallytrue during the holidays. They are peo-ple who aren’t concerned with them-selves, but focused on the needs ofothers. Although names frequentlychange within the workplace, ourAgency’s plight and mission remainsconstant, as does our desire to servewhen we become aware of a crisis orneed.

This year will be no different asparents and grandparents will come tous without the resources to provide fortheir children and grandchildren andrequest a helping hand to make theholidays a special time for their fami-lies. Custody children living in fosterhomes, institutions and shelters willwonder if anyone loves them or willremember them during the holidays.

There will be both young andelderly Adult Protective Services andDevelopmental Disabilities ServicesDivision clients who will find them-selves all alone, wondering if anyonecares. More people will come throughour doors with incredible needs andnowhere else to turn. That is the timewhen OKDHS staff will rise to theoccasion, just as they have done timeand time again by providing food,gifts, a warm smile, a pat on the backor even a hug telling those in need thatthey are special to us and that some-one cares about them. Those duties arenot on an OPM-111, they are etchedon the hearts of the staff members ofthis Department.

For many of us it comes very nat-urally because of God’s gift of love.

This gift assures us we are loved, eventhough we know often times we aredifficult to love. God’s gift assures usthat we are never alone, regardless ofwhere we are or our circumstancesand that we have a hope of a bettertomorrow even during life’s darkesthour. What an awesome gift!

For 26 years it has been a bless-ing to watch you reach out to the peo-ple of Oklahoma and provide themwith compassion, resources and hopefor tomorrow and meeting them at thehour of their greatest need. This holi-day season, as an OKDHS chaplain, Iwanted to make sure that each of youknows how special you are and howproud I am of your commitment and

service to others. I have but one request this holi-

day season, when you are at homewith family or friends enjoying thisspecial time, please remember ourmen and women and their familieswho are serving in our armed forcesand won’t be home for the holidays.Please keep them in your thoughts andprayers!

Happy Holidays From Your OKDHS Chaplains!

Chaplain Don Henderson

“From the smallest

county to our largest

institution, OKDHS staff

going the extra mile is

commonplace .”

- Don Henderson

turned all of the praise and honor backtoward his co-workers and co-labor-ers, the employees of OKDHS.

Hundreds have sent e-mails andnotes to Director Hendrick during the

last six-plus years. And he has sentthousands of cards, letters and notes toyou when loved ones were ill or hadpassed away, when your children gotrecognized for their good work atschool or in the communities whereyou live. Notes of thanks for an excel-lent job or good works on your part inkeeping the OKDHS mission alivehave also graced one’s mail.

With nearly 8,000 people on theOKDHS payroll, Director Hendrickhas had to deal with tough decisions,too. I’ve watched him prayerfully con-sider actions when an adverse person-nel decision has to be made, knowingthat the decision goes far beyond justthe inappropriate actions of the personinvolved and knowing that taking suchactions affect the lives of others, too.

I’ve watched him make decisions

3INSIDE OKDHS — December 2004

By George Earl Johnson Jr.

For the record, he wears a size10-1/2. And he puts it forward with aLincoln-like stride as he crosses aroom, an office, our state or the nation.After six and one-half years, we haveseen many of his best efforts in lead-ing Oklahoma’s largest governmentagency – the Oklahoma Department ofHuman Services. His Best Foot For-ward stories are too numerous to listhere and would read like an eloquent-ly written statesman’s biography.

“Yes, this has been an awesomeyear,” coming from OKDHS DirectorHoward H. Hendrick’s lips and key-board – words that have been repeatedso many times it has been coined ashis own iconian statement by those ofus who work with him and around himdaily.

Yes, this has been an awesomeyear for those of us working atOKDHS and for the thousands ofOklahomans whom we have had theprivilege to serve.

When Director Hendrick took hisfirst action as the 14th Director ofOKDHS on July 1, 1998, it was walk-ing through the door at 7:40 a.m. at theCanadian County office in El Reno.Without words, that action said loudlythat his focus would be on OKDHSemployees and that his humanitywould be for the people.

His Best Foot Forward leader-ship efforts in setting new Oklahomarecords in adoptions, child care andchild support enforcement caused theAmerican Society for Public Adminis-tration and the National Academy ofPublic Administration to name him thetop public administrator in Americaduring their 2004 national conventionin Portland, Ore. Gov. Brad Henry andthe leadership of the Oklahoma Legis-lature concurred by also recognizinghim for bringing such a high honorhome to Oklahoma. With his BestFoot Forward, Director Hendrick

and seen members of the ExecutiveTeam and others demonstrate theirloyalty and support as they movedquickly to help him make criticaldirectional decisions.

I’ve watched Director Hendrick’sBest Foot Forward lift people up whenthey were down, and I’ve watchedhim use the same foot to motivatethem when they needed a little extrapush in the right direction.

I’ve watched him take into con-sideration what to do with recentlyreceived federal high performancebonus funds. For those of us whohave listened closely to his wordsover the years, the action he took wasnot really a surprise. It was the actionof a man keeping his word. For morethan three years, he has said there hasto be a way to do something for ouremployees. “We have to find a way tosay more than just a thank you … fortheir loyalty and dedication.” And away was made …

The Oklahoma Commission forHuman Services voted unanimously tosupport the Hendrick plan for investingthe high performance bonus fundsback into those who earned them,directly and indirectly. A Nov. 8 edito-rial in The Oklahoman stepped up tothe plate fully supporting the effort.

Director Hendrick reminds usregularly, through the words of C.S.Lewis, that we must bear the weightof our neighbors on our backs dailyand that we have never met just amere mortal.

Once again applying his Lin-coln-like stride, Director Hendricktakes one more step, wearing hishumanity and humility on his sleeves,putting his Best Foot Forward forimproving service to mankind … it isan example upon which we can all beproud and may cause each of us tothink, “How is our Best Foot Forwardbeing measured against our own bestefforts?”

Howard Hendrick Has ‘Best Foot Forward’All The Time …

Hey, Chief!!In penning this Best Foot

Forward, I am voicing to youthe thanks and gratitude ofthousands of OKDHS employ-ees and their families whowish to salute you as a “Manfor This Season in HumanServices …”

Respectfully,

federal fiscal year 2002 in improvedamounts of wages for TANF recipi-ents and longer lengths of employ-ment after leaving TANF

$1,306,593 forimproved family forma-tion and stability due toimprovements from fed-eral fiscal year 2002 inthe percentage of childrenbeing reared in two parentfamilies.

“We have neverreceived any bonus fund-ing from the U.S. Depart-ment of Agriculture forthe food stamp program,”Hendrick said. “Thebonus for adoptions isamong the largest wehave ever received forOklahoma’s adoptionsprogram. And to top it off,we had another outstand-ing year in the TANF pro-gram.”

Although no fundingwas received for otherdistinguished levels ofperformance, Hendrickapplauded other accom-plishments.

Child Support col-lections reached a record$166 million ($40 millionmore than four years

ago).Monthly average food stamp par-

ticipation for state fiscal year 2004was 11 percent higher than the month-ly average food stamp participationfor federal fiscal year 2003 for whichthe federal high performance bonusaward was received.

Two star child care centersincreased by 35 percent from state fis-cal year 2003, OKDHS’ previousrecord high.

Monthly average Medicaid certi-fications for state fiscal year 2004

Food and Nutrition Services for feder-al fiscal year 2003 for:

Program outreach for recordincreases in food stamp participation

Timely processing of food stampapplications

• $1,062,000 from the UnitedStates Department of Health andHuman Services – Administration forChildren and Families for federal fis-cal year 2003 increases in finalizedadoptions

• $3,030,247 from UnitedStates Department of Health andHuman Services – Administration forChildren and Families for federal fis-cal year 2003 for TANF including:

$1,723,654 for Success in theWorkforce due to improvements from


tions are up, Temporary AssistanceFor Needy Families (TANF) recipientsare getting more jobs and more chil-dren are living in two-parent families.

“Unfortunately, foodstamps are up,” Beebe said,“but that’s the economicenvironment.”

Later during the com-mission meeting, NancyvonBargen, director, Divi-sion of Child Care, andOKDHS Chief OperatingOfficer Farilyn Ballardthanked the commission forawarding the one-time$1,000 bonuses.

“This will mean atremendous amount tothem,” vonBargen said.

In a letter distributedlater in the day on Oct. 26by the Director to OKDHSemployees, Hendrick stat-ed, “I think you know this.But, you are doing an awe-some job! Today, the Okla-homa Commission forHuman Service approvedmy recommendation to rec-ognize your performancewith more than words ofencouragement and grate-fulness.

“The Human ServicesCommission approved thepayment to every permanent and pro-bationary employee of OKDHS a one-time bonus of $1,000 from the highperformance bonus funds for yourexceptional work and performance.”

Distributed three weeks after theannouncement, the bonus was fundedentirely with federal funds. In Septem-ber, the federal governmentannounced several high performancebonus awards for OKDHS employees’work, including the following highperformance bonuses:

• $2,921,548 from UnitedStates Department of Agriculture –

Editor’s Note: This e-mail letter was received from a sen-ior supervisor by Director Howard H. Hendrick on the eveningof Oct. 25, less than 24 hours prior to the Oklahoma Commis-sion for Human Services’ approval of an $1,000 high-perform-ance bonus for OKDHS Employees.

“Our staff need a morale boost that is more than just ourcontinued words of encouragement: Workers are now expectedto maintain a caseload of 496 sections. We want two day childcare processing, 20 day processing for Medicaid’s Sooner Care,all applications, reviews and changes done (in a) timely (fash-ion). Emergency Orders in seven days, Employment & Trainingparticipation at 55 percent … These same caseloads began at285 sections and the bar was raised from there. Let’s not forgetthis work all needs to be done virtually error free or your OPMwill reflect substandard work and we will lose much neededfederal funds. I have worked for the state 33 years. I am a goodemployee and in contrast to many, I still like my job. I havebeen a supervisor since 1982. I am doing the ob two supervisorsused to do; yet we continue on with workers who make as muchas we do … I have been here longer than dirt as they say. Thisis the first time in my tenure with OKDHS that I feel far moreis being asked of me than I can physically or mentally give. Thebad thing is that workers, or at least the eight I supervise, real-ly want to do whatever we (are) ask(ed) and do it well. I see thistaking its toll … I am really frustrated and I appreciate yourtime.” - Field Operations supervisor for Family Support Ser-vices ... Somewhere in Oklahoma

Bonus continued from page 1

BONUS continued on page 5

INSIDE OKDHS — December 2004 5

were 517,289 – an all-time high, and6.13 percent higher than state fiscalyear 2003, OKDHS’ previous recordhigh.

Three star child care centersincreased by 35 percent from state fis-cal year 2003, OKDHS’ previousrecord high.

DDSD served a record 4,267 per-sons in their community serviceswaiver in June 2004 – an increase of6.3 percent from DDSD’s previousrecord in June 2002

A record 7,341 children receivedan adoption subsidy in June 2004, anincrease of 6.5 percent from the previ-ous record in June 2003, and anincrease of 61.3 percent from fouryears ago.

A record 75,246 Oklahomanswere certified for OKDHS’ Aged,Blind and Disabled program, a 1.8percent increase from the previousstate fiscal year 2003 record.

A near record 13,988 seniorswere certified for the ADvantageWaiver program (only 310 less thanthe previous record).

Child Welfare handled a record

number of referrals.Adult Protective Services han-

dled a record number of referrals.The Child Support Enforcement

Division established record levels ofpaternity (more than 95 percent of theout-of-wedlock births had paternityestablished).

“Every division in this agency,including our support divisions, isperforming at record levels,” Hen-drick said. “And our families are start-ing to see the kinds of improvementswe have wanted for some time. Oneexciting statistic that led to our receiptof part of the performance bonus wasan improvement in the percentage ofOklahoma children being reared intwo-parent households.

“While the national average wasdropping, we improved from slightlybelow the national average to slightlyabove the national average. Improv-ing family life is a core belief. Specif-ically, we believe that stronger fami-lies grow brighter futures.

“All of our programs are con-tributing to stronger families and thebrighter future we believe comes from

By Douglas DoeAssociate Editor

Approximately $7 millionfrom the high performance bonusfunds received by OKDHS will gotoward high-priority technologyprojects within OKDHS.

The Oklahoma Commissionfor Human Services approved theexpenditure at its Oct. 26 meeting,when it also approved the recom-mendation by OKDHS DirectorHoward H. Hendrick to reward allof OKDHS’ full-time permanentand probationary employees with aone-time high performance bonusof $1,000.

OKDHS Chief InformationOfficer Marq Youngblood said

Bonus continued from page 4

Technology Projects To Receive Share Of Performance Fundsfunding will be given to informa-tion technology projects that are onthe Data Services Division’s priori-ty list that are in need of funding.Enterprise-level projects, especiallyapplications, will likely top this list.

“That’s where OKDHS’ need isat present,” Youngblood said. “ManyOKDHS employees continually askus, ‘Can you do something about theapplications – either make them bet-ter or replace them?’ ”

He said some potential benefi-ciaries of the one-time fundingmight include the Child CareAuthentication process and theChild Support System. Both are inneed of funding, and they have thepotential to be of a great benefit to

these stronger families. You are mak-ing it happen! Thank you for yourcontinued hard work, your resource-fulness and your incredible resilienceduring these challenging times. I amproud of the great job each of you isdoing.”

staff outside of the Division ofChild Care and the Child SupportEnforcement Division because bothuse the global-module approach –global modules are applicationcomponents that can be reused inthe creation of future OKDHSapplications.

Youngblood said other itemsthat may receive funding from thenearly $7 million include theMicrosoft Content ManagementServer (MCMS) and StatisticalBulletin Automation (SBA) proj-ects. The MCMS project will resultin the re-development of theOKDHS Web site, while SBA willserve OKDHS statistical data froma database.

Nancy vonBargen, director, Divisionof Child Care, thanks the OklahomaCommission for Human Services forapproving a one-time $1,000 high-performance bonus.

county to do their assignments. “It was difficult, to say the least,

on the local workers as they werecontinuing to receive new investiga-tions and had to remove children fortheir protection,” she said. “We strate-gically approached the backlog fromboth ends – the local workers initiat-ing new referrals and concentratingon their backlog assignments and theout-of-county workers completing thelong overdue investigations andassessments. Needless to say, thechild welfare investigators sacrificedpersonal family time to protect thesechildren at risk.”

Hart said from this coordinatedeffort in August, the backlog wasreduced from 57 to 4.

“In addition, we could not haveaccomplished this amazing feat with-out the support of the Area IV Office,Area IV Director Bill Wilson andRhonda Rowe, programs manager,plus each county director from thecounties,” she said. “Child Welfaretends to be looked upon negativelyand any recognition is well deserved.The frontline workers risk their liveseveryday and knowing they are sup-ported by their agency helps themcarry their burden.

“We have to work together in


By Kevan Goff-ParkerInside OKDHS Editor

More than a dozen Area IVemployees were recognized on Oct. 6during the Area IV Listening Confer-ence in Ada when OKDHS DirectorHoward H. Hendrick distributed spe-cial commendations for employeeswho helped Bryan County overcomea backlog in child welfare cases.

One of the many OKDHS AreaIV employees who received a com-mendation was Rita Hart, now BryanCounty director. She received thecommendation for her work as achild welfare supervisor for PontotocCounty. Hart said teamwork has beena priority in Area IV.

“We have several child welfareworkers and supervisors that havegone above and beyond to accom-plish an amazing feat,” Hart said.“From June to August, Bryan CountyChild Welfare had an extreme back-log because two child welfare staffmembers left the agency, one trans-ferred and another was on extendedmedical leave.”

In Bryan County, she said thenumber of backlogged cases in Julyjumped to 58, representing 85 percentof the backlog for Area IV.

“Several county staff membersvolunteered to help complete theinvestigations and assessments byworking nights and weekends,” Hartsaid. “We had child welfare stafffrom Marshall, Johnston, Atoka,Choctaw and Pontotoc counties tohelp us, which created more of a bur-den for their local county responsibil-ities. One worker commented, ‘It’sno big deal, this is what I do. I protectchildren.’ ”

Hart said at the time, BryanCounty only had two trained child wel-fare child protective services workersand one child welfare supervisor forboth Child Protective Services andPermanency Planning Units in the

Heather Jackson is just one Area IVemployee representative of morethan a dozen who received a specialcommendation from OKDHS DirectorHoward H. Hendrick during the AreaIV Listening Conference held on Oct.6 in Ada.

Director Hendrick Honors Area IV OKDHS Employees

these trying times and recognizethose that do well, as we need toretain our brightest and best!”

Additional recognitions wereawarded to Marshall County’s ChadCoble, Cheryl Craft, Heather Jacksonand Julie Riggle; Johnston County’sAngie Ivey and Amy Evans; AtokaCounty’s Doug Ismael; ChoctawCounty’s Vicki Bell and Bryan Coun-ty’s Ange Edwards, Madonna Banksand Courtney Willoughby.



Social Services Specialist JamesFreeman knew something fishy wasgoing on April 5 when he noticed hisbeloved stuffed fish, “Red,” had dis-appeared from his office wall at theCraig County office.

Red was a beloved mementocaught during Freeman’s days as ateen fishing in the Gulf of Mexico. Ithad a place of pride on his office wallin Vinita. Freeman quizzed co-work-ers and searched the office thorough-ly. No one seemed to know anythingabout his fish.

A prankster himself, Freemanoften cracks up his co-workers bypulling shenanigans like dressing upas a woman, complete with featherboa, during St. Patrick’s Day.

It didn’t take long for him torealize the joke was now on him.

“I’m always aggravating peo-ple,” Freeman said, laughing. “I’vepulled pranks like using a plastic dartgun and sneaking up behind peopleand shooting their computers.”

Soon, every third day or so ran-som notes – with letters cut out ofmagazines and newspapers –appeared. One mysterious missivewas a photograph of his fish with asock in its mouth.

The first note said: “Mr. Free-man, we have kidnapped your fish.”Others warned him not to go to theauthorities or to “try any tricks.”Another said: “Clues will follow twoweeks or more if you can solve thecrime or should we make it four?”Another said: “Your fish is big, yourfish is fat. After Dr. Phil, it won’t looklike that.” Finally, he got one thatstated: “The price is set, April 27 isthe date, three dozen doughnuts oryour fish is bait!”

Other clues about the co-con-spirators themselves followed,including hints as to their gender,

places of birth, job titles, phone num-bers and even a diet several of themwere on. But Freeman remained mys-tified as to who was placing the puz-zling messages in his work area andwhy they had absconded with histreasured stuffed fish. One day hefound an audiotape, supposedlyrecorded by Red, pleading for

“Help!” Samuel L. Westfall, director of

Craig and Nowata counties, said theclues were mounted on the walls anda list of suspects was modified as

events occurred during the threeweeks the fish was missing.

“It was a great team builder forthe county because we were all tryingto figure out who did it,” Westfallsaid. “The last note was a ransomnote that said James had to raise $10in donations and buy three dozendoughnuts on April 27 if he wantedhis fish back.

“James put a can in the breakroom, made a giant thermometer andas he got more and more donations hefilled in the mercury on the ther-mometer until he reached his goal.Once the doughnuts were delivered,the fishnappers revealed themselvesand all feasted on doughnuts.”

The culprits were a small team

Craig County Fishnapping Caper Solved

(L-R, back row) Fishnapping has been afoot at Craig County! Here, fishnappersRick Combs, case manager, DDSD; Jonnie Morse, social services specialist;Gigi Wamboldt, social services specialist, Family Support Services Division andIva Samples, Developmental Disabilities Services Division supervisor, pose with(L-R, front row) Samuel L. Westfall, director of Craig and Nowata counties andSocial Services Specialist James Freeman holding “Red,” his beloved stuffedfish.

FISH continued on page 8

On a more serious note, the fish-napping story was delayed for publi-cation this summer because SocialServices Specialist James Freemanwas injured June 4. As he was pitch-ing for his church’s softball team, aline drive hit him in the face. Theaccident broke seven bones in hisface, and he was rushed to ClaremoreRegional Hospital.

Social Services Specialist Jon-nie Morse’s daughter works at thehospital and contacted her mother thenext day to let her and the CraigCounty staff know that Freeman hadaspirated fluid into his lungsovernight and possibly had oxygencut off for a period of time. He wasrushed to St. John’s Hospital in Tulsa.Craig County Director Samuel West-fall actually beat Freeman to Tulsa.

Freeman had a tracheotomy,was on a respirator and unconsciousfor eight days and was hospitalizedfor two weeks. He had the tracheoto-my device in his throat for 13 weeksand missed two months of work.Today, he is back on the job, feelingfine and is grateful to his countydirector and co-workers for their sup-port during the ordeal.

“I came out good,” Freemansaid. “I have a little scar on my neck.There were lots of prayers and myworkers moved their cases around totake care of business. Philip Haltom,social services specialist, FamilySupport Services Division, temporar-ily replaced me.

“They had a fund-raising mealto help my family out on any expens-es that we had. My wife had to staywith me in Tulsa for two weeks andmeals and hotels were expensive.”

Freeman said his staff gave hima nickname while he was recovering.

“They called me, ‘Miracle Base-ball Boy,’ ” he said. “They’ve done so


of co-workers Freeman never sus-pected. Developmental DisabilitiesServices Division Supervisor IvaSamples was the ringleader. She wasjoined by Jonnie Morse, social serv-ices specialist, Gigi Wamboldt, socialservices specialist, Family SupportServices Division and Rick Combs, acase manager, DDSD.

“It was a group effort,” Samplessaid, laughing. “James is just madefor something like this!”

Combs, who originally swipedthe fish from Freeman’s office,agreed.

“I have a black lab at home whowas eyeing the fish,” Combs said.

Freeman can laugh todaybecause he’s got his fish back.

“I guess this was retaliation forall I’ve done to them in the past fiveyears,” he said. “It was a lot of fun. Iguess I had it coming!”

Wamboldt said her office is awonderful place to work because ofthe ongoing camaraderie with officestaff. Morse agreed.

“We love James,” Morse said.“The only reason I’m (working) hereis because of James. He gets the jobdone and makes us want to bust ourtails to get things done.”

much for me since I got hurt. They’vebeen patient, understanding and lov-ing.

“We have three different divi-sions in our office and they all workreally well together. That says a lotfor the way Sam runs things. Wework together, play together and getserious together – it meshes togethervery well.”

Craig County staff also held asurprise welcome-home meal andparty for Freeman when he returnedto work in September. Iva Samples,who writes songs, rewrote and per-sonalized the lyrics of “Take Me OutTo The Ball Game,” and she andother staff members sang it whileattired in baseball uniforms.

“They even presented me with asoftball in a case signed by the doc-tors and nurses from both hospitals,”Freeman said. “It is a miracle every-thing worked out well. Somethinglike this makes you step back and youreally learn what you have aroundyou. I’m blessed.”

Despite still recovering from terribleinjuries received during an accidentthat occurred while playing softball,Craig County Social Services Spe-cialist James “Miracle Baseball Boy”Freeman is all smiles during a sur-prise welcome-home meal and partyheld in his honor by Craig Countystaff in September.

A postscript story

‘Miracle Baseball Boy’ RecoversFishcontinued from page 7

“Knowledge … If a man

empties his purse into his

head, no one can take it

away from him.

An investment in

knowledge always

pays the best interest.

- Benjamin Franklin



OKDHS recently proved it is thefirst line of defense and support forits employees serving in the U.S.National Guard and U.S. Reserve.

The Department and the Nation-al Committee for Employer Supportof the National Guard and Reserve(ESGR), an agency of the U.S.Department of Defense, joined forceson Oct. 5 by holding a signing cere-mony highlighted by OKDHS Direc-tor Howard H. Hendrick’s signatureon a statement of support for OKDHSemployees serving in the military.The event was held in the SequoyahBuilding in Oklahoma City.

ESGR was established in 1972to promote understanding and sup-port among employers and employ-ees who serve as members of theNational Guard and Reserve. In addi-tion to OKDHS employees, digni-taries attending the event includedMaj. Gen. Harry Wyatt III, adjutantgeneral of Oklahoma; Maj. Gen.James Sholar, commander, 90thRegional Readiness Command, U.S.Army Reserve; Retired Brig. Gen.John Hubbard, state chairman of theOklahoma Committee for EmployerSupport of the Guard and Reserveand Retired Col. Gary Jackson, exec-utive director of the Oklahoma Com-mittee for Employer Support of theGuard and Reserve.

Wyatt praised OKDHS, DirectorHendrick and David Shafer, OKDHSchief administrative officer and mem-ber of the Oklahoma ESGR Commit-tee, for the formal acknowledgementof the Department’s commitment toOKDHS employees, the Guard andReserves.

Hendrick said OKDHS employ-ees’ “dedication to serve is unparal-leled.”

“This state agency, probably

(L-R) Ret. Brig. Gen. John Hubbard, state chairman of the Oklahoma Commit-tee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, and Maj. Gen. James Shol-ar, commander, 90th Regional Readiness Command, U.S. Army Reserve, dis-play a large cake created to celebrate OKDHS’ signing of a statement of supportfor the U.S. National Guard and the U.S. Reserves. The cake depicts the sevenseals of the Armed Forces Reserve, including the Army National Guard, AirNational Guard, Army Reserve, Air Force Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, NavyReserve and Coast Guard Reserve.

(L-R) Committed to our troops, OKDHS Director Howard H. Hendrick signs astatement of support during a special signing ceremony on Oct. 5 in the Sequoy-ah Building in Oklahoma City, as Ret. Brig. Gen. John Hubbard, state chairmanof the Oklahoma Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve,looks on.

OKDHS Pledges Support For U.S. Guard And Reserves

SUPPORT continued on page 23


Okfuskee County staff was Caught Working.(L-R) Martha Montgomery, social servicesspecialist II with Linda Moore, social servicesspecialist IV; Phyllis Edwards, social servicesspecialist II; Mary Seran, social services spe-cialist II; Theodoll Magness, social servicesspecialist II; Marilyn Rainwater, child welfaresupervisor IV; Rosena Scott, administrativetechnician III; Teresa Bryant-Leffew, socialservices specialist II; Lisa Williams, adminis-trative technician III; Austin Lewton, socialservices specialist II; and Toni Wisner, childwelfare specialist III.

Caught Working

12 13


Brightly colored dresses swirled as folkloric dancers performed tradi-tional salsa and flamenco dances during the Oklahoma Latino Heritage Cele-bration held Oct. 8 in the Capitol Rotunda in Oklahoma City.

The festive celebration honored the contributions of Hispanic Americansto Oklahoma’s economy, history, diversity, faith and culture and focused onthe beauty of Latino culture. In honor of the event, Gov. Brad Henry pro-claimed October as “Latino Heritage Month.”

The dancers came from Columbus Elementary School, Everything GoesDance Studio, Panamanian Folkloric Dancers Entre dos Mares, Mexican

Latino Heritage Celebration Offers Fun INSIDE OKDHS — December 2004

LATINO HERITAGE continued on page 22


The Pauline E. Mayer Shelter’s annual Hal-loween Haunted House on Oct. 31 often broughtmore giggles than screams for visitors as shelterresidents, staff members and volunteers workedtogether to create the ultimate in scary entertain-ment. John Whyatt, institutional community pro-grams administrator, Pauline E. Mayer Shelter,said donations are accepted during the Hal-loween Haunted House for the shelter residents’recreational activity fund. - KGP

Pauline E. Mayer Shelter Houses Scary Fun During Halloween



Sometimes Christmas comes inJuly … especially in McClain County.

On July 18, 21 foster childrenfrom McClain County embarked on athrilling adventure when they boardeda plane in Oklahoma City and flew toCalifornia to visit Disneyland and toswim in the ocean (many for the firsttime).

Kerri Riley, child welfare special-ist, came up with the idea and beganraising funds in January for the trip.She worked closely with Pat Bain,McClain and Garvin county director,and Rhonda “Me maw” Harmon, a fos-ter mother of six children fromMcClain County.

“Rhonda Harmon knows MickeyMouse personally, so we asked her tohelp,” Riley said, laughing, when sheaddressed the Oklahoma Commissionfor Human Services during a recentmeeting in Oklahoma City. “Her houseis decorated in everything Disney.She’s one of the best foster moms inmy county. On the trip, everyone atDisneyland thought she’d broughtalong her 21 grandchildren.”

Riley said local grocery stores,judges, attorneys and many more madedonations for the trip. Harmon oversawspaghetti and brisket dinners. But inJanuary, the trip nearly hit a snagbecause the airline that had promised todonate some free flights had to canceltheir offer.

As a result, foster parents sold1,200 fried pies to their neighbors andfriends.

“They took the pies to work andsold them to people at a local church,”she said. “Many people made largedonations.”

Bain said the fund-raising washard work, but she appreciated the unit-

Twenty-one foster children from McClain County enjoy a visit to the ocean inCalifornia. For many of the children, it was the first time they had even flown ina plane, visited an amusement park or swam in the ocean.

McClain County foster parentand sponsor, Mary Taylor,enjoys a spin on the carouselduring a trip she, other fosterparents and McClain Countystaff took with 21 area fosterchildren.

McClain County foster children and their sponsors enjoy a parade at Disneylandin California.

McClain County Staff Fulfill Foster Children’s Dreams

DREAMS continued on page 16


ed efforts of her county’s foster parents,the community and Child Welfare forhelping her team to meet their fundrais-ing goal.

“A big thanks to our volunteerswho have worked so well with us,”Bain said. “The community and ourfoster parents really help us out and dowhatever needs to be done.”

Bain said once she, the children,Harmon and Riley arrived in Califor-nia, they checked into a hotel and wentswimming. The next morning they metMickey and Minnie Mouse, plus otherDisney characters before ridingfavorites like Soaring California andthe Country Bear Rapids Ride.

“We took time out to go to theocean where the children got a chanceto ride a boogie board and surf thewaves,” Bain said. “Many of the chil-dren enjoyed playing in the sand andbuilt sandcastles. We shopped down-town for souvenirs and during our lastmorning in California, we had break-fast in Goofy’s Kitchen.

“Everyone had a great time eatingbreakfast with the characters, gettingautographs, taking pictures and exercis-ing with the characters. It was veryexciting for the children because mostof them have never been out of Okla-homa, flown in an airplane and manyof them had never gotten to go to anamusement park.”

Bain said Harmon’s dedication tofoster children and the project was keyto the success of the trip.

“She’s a fun person and really intothe children,” she said.

Bain said McClain County plansto present the foster children with photoalbums from their trip during theirannual holiday party.

By Dustin PyeattAssociate Editor

According to the 2002 Okla-homa Adult Tobacco Survey conduct-ed by the Oklahoma Department ofHealth, more than 67 percent ofOklahomans felt that secondhandsmoke was harmful tochildren. Following thelead of a recent state lawand public opinion,OKDHS is addressingthe issue of secondhandsmoke in foster homes.

Effective Oct. 1,smoking will no longerbe allowed in fosterhomes or automobilesthat are transporting foster children.Notices have been sent out to all fos-ter parents making them aware of thischange in policy. New foster parentswill be asked about their smokinghabits during the home assessment.In the months to come, current fosterhomes will be evaluated duringmonthly visits by their assigned childwelfare workers.

The new policy works like this: If a foster parent smokes in the

home and/or automobile, a writtenplan of compliance will be made toaddress this issue.

During the compliance phase,no new children will be placed in thefoster home.

OKDHS will not remove chil-dren from a homebecause of smoking.This would be disrup-tive to the child andnot in their best inter-est in terms of stabili-ty.

Foster parentsmay smoke outside ofthe home and/or auto-mobile.

Foster parents that are interestedwill be directed toward resources thatwill help them quit smoking.

OKDHS employees are alsosubject to this new policy when trans-porting custody children or makinghome visits.

If you or someone you know isinterested in becoming a foster par-ent, contact the OKDHS Foster CareHotline at 1 (800) 376-9729, or go towww.okdhs.org/fostercare/.

State Foster Care System Addresses Secondhand Smoke In Homes

Dreams continued from page 15

'Smoking will nolonger be allowed in

foster homes orautomobiles

transporting foster children.’


By Sheree Powell Provider and Community Relations DDSD

James Nicholson, director of theDevelopmental Disabilities ServicesDivision, was honored by the Univer-sity of Oklahoma’s School of SocialWork with a “Social Welfare LeadersAward” on Nov. 5 during OU’s annu-al “Social Work Day.”

Nicholson was recognized withthe award for his dedication to publicservice and for his work affecting thelives of people with developmentaldisabilities. He has led DDSD since1991 and is one of the nation’s mosttenured directors of state develop-mental disabilities programs.

Nicholson has provided visionand leadership for the division duringone of Oklahoma’s most complexand costly civil rights lawsuitsinvolving one of the state-run institu-tions. Thanks to Nicholson’s contin-ued vision, litigation in the Home-ward Bound lawsuit is coming to aclose with accolades from nationally

known experts who cite Oklahoma’sprogressive system of care.

Under Nicholson’s leadership,Oklahoma established state-of-the-artcommunity services as an alternativeto institutional care. Thanks to hiseffective advocacy, public funds forcommunity services have grown sig-nificantly. The waiting list for theseservices has also grown, but Nichol-son balances the needs of thoseserved with those who are waiting forservices. During the recent statebudget crisis, he led the division torestructure the way it provides servic-es and make them more cost effectivewithout discontinuing services tothose in need.

Nicholson’s approachable styleof leadership keeps him in touch withnot only his staff, but with the divi-sion’s consumers and providers. Heoften meets with families, self-advo-cates and providers to listen to theirconcerns and makes every effort toachieve balance between the divisionand the groups that interact.

OKDHS’ James Nicholson HonoredWith ‘Social Welfare Leaders Award’

OKDHS Director Howard H. Hendrick congratulates DDSD Director JamesNicholson on receiving the University of Oklahoma’s School of Social Work“Social Welfare Leaders Award.”


By Josh Cain Child Welfare Specialist I Marshall County OKDHS andKevan Goff-ParkerInside OKDHS Editor

Michele Ross, a professionalsinger from Tulsa, is lending hervoice in an effort to help MarshallCounty in its appeal for new fosterhomes.

Ross often accompa-nies child welfare workersto any place of worship,civic clubs, companies orother organizations toexplain the county’s intenseneed for families to providetemporary care for dis-placed children.

A vocalist and privatetheater arts instructor whohas spent the last dozenyears performing in theUnited States and abroad,Ross said she felt moved tovolunteer her talents torecruit new foster homesafter observing and learn-ing about needy children inthe Pittsburg County schooldistrict where her mother teaches.

“There were so many childrenin foster care in just her school dis-trict alone,” Ross said. “Hearingabout their situations broke myheart. I could not stop thinking aboutthem. I could not just listen and goon.”

Instead, Ross visited her localOKDHS office to learn about thefoster care system. She becameimpressed with the need for qualityfoster parents. Ross then made acommitment to share what she hadlearned.

“I woke up in the middle of thenight and was hit with the need topray about it,” she said. “God

dropped into my spirit telling me,‘You know every pastor of everymajor church in a two-county area.Go and present this information.’ ”

For more than a year, she andarea child welfare workers havecommitted a weekend or two eachmonth and traveled to churches torelate the specific needs for foster

parents in their area. Her program consists of a vocal

number, usually “There Will Come aDay,” originally recorded by FaithHill, and a five-minute speech.Afterward, she and a social workervisit with members of the congrega-tion who want to learn more aboutbecoming foster parents.

Ross’ participation fits in nicelywith Marshall County’s social work-ers and child advocates of the “OneChurch, One Child” concept. Underthe plan, a group emerges of one ormore couples who will provide tem-porary residence for displaced chil-dren, while the rest of the group’smembers pledge ancillary support

for the couple and child, such asbooks, toys, clothing, entertainment,transportation and respite care.

The overall goal is to keepMarshall County children in Mar-shall County communities, makinglife easier for the children and therelatives, social workers and volun-teers who serve the child while the

issues that causedremoval from homeare resolved.

“I feel this iswhat God wants meto do and that Hewill take care of myneeds for servingHim,” Ross said.

Josh Cain,child welfare spe-cialist I, MarshallCounty, said thatbecause of the cur-rent dire shortage offoster families,most childrenwhom judges haveremoved from homebecause of neglect

or abuse must be placed outside thecounty.

As a result, Cain has performedoutreach with Marshall County’s 15churches to help book Ross free-of-charge to perform at area churches.

“While OKDHS conducts fos-ter parent training, places childrenin foster homes at the direction ofdistrict judges and provides monthlystipends and other support to fosterparents, the foster care system istotally dependent on citizens of acounty to present enough fosterhomes to take care of their localchildren,” Cain said. “We are grate-ful to Michelle for her work towardthis goal.”

Tulsa Singer Joins Foster Home Recruitment Drive

Singing Praises for “One Church, One Child,” Tulsa vocalist MicheleRoss travels the state with local child welfare workers encouragingchurches and civic groups to take in foster children.


News Briefs

Everything InModeration …

Help the Depart-ment use less paper, savemoney, free up space inyour office and combatwear and tear on youroffice machines. Orderonly the amount of paperyou need for the workyou do. Excess papertakes up needed space inyour office. The SupplyWarehouse has to ordermore paper unnecessari-ly. When paper sitsaround an office, it col-lects moisture and dust,which makes it harder torun through copiers andprinters. Thanks for allyour efforts to conservepaper. – Office SupportServices Division

OKDHS’ 60thAnniversaryCookbook NowAvailable

The holidays arejust around the corner!Are you preparing thatspecial meal or do youneed a gift for someonespecial?

OKDHS’ 60thAnniversary Cookbook isnow available. The cook-book is a collection ofOKDHS employees’ andretirees’ favorite recipes.All proceeds will benefitthe Oklahoma HumanServices Foundation, anon-profit corporationthat receives tax-exemptdonations and submitsgrant proposals on behalf

of Oklahomans who needOKDHS services.

To receive yourcopy of this cookbookthrough interagency mail,please send a $10 checkor money order to: KarenJacobs, volunteer coordi-nator, AdministrativeServices, P.O. Box25352, Oklahoma City,OK 73125. If you wouldlike for the cookbook tobe sent to your homeaddress, an additional$2.50 shipping-and-han-dling cost should beincluded. To order cook-book forms, please con-tact Jacobs [email protected] call (405) 521-3646.

Money-SavingSuggestion

The U.S. PostalService charges OKDHSextra for mail not proper-ly addressed. To ensureefficient, effective mail-ing, please:

• CAPITALIZEEVERYTHING IN THEADDRESS

• Use the two-letterstate abbreviation

• Eliminate allpunctuation

• Use commonabbreviations

• Use the Zip+4Code

For more informa-tion about mail, contactthe OKDHS Mail Centerat (405) 521-3628 or goto the OSSD/Mail CenterWeb site located on theInfoNet under the title“Newsletter Links.”

To look up the stateabbreviations or to findout the Zip+4 Code, goto http://www.usps.com/.

Wagoner County Staff CelebratesWith Tailgate Party

Wagoner County staff combined their love of hardwork and football by participating in a special tailgateluncheon party on Oct. 27. Sandy Grace, licensingspecialist III, Division of Child Care, said employeesenjoyed chili with all the extras, plus great desserts.“We also had some special OKDHS cheerleadersand a pep squad to help us celebrate,” Grace said.“Each unit created a cheer to show their support forOKDHS.” Wagoner County’s Sherry Cannon andPhillip Sullivan performed as two head cheerleaders.– KGP


OKDHS Area V Director JudyAnn Wyatt recently announced that

Rita Bakerhas beennamed MayesCountyChildWelfaresupervisor.

“I ampleased to bein MayesCounty,”Baker said.

“Everyone here has given me awarm welcome. I am looking for-ward to the challenge and experi-ence as a Mayes County permanen-cy planning supervisor.”

Baker holds a bachelor’sdegree in psychology from North-eastern State University in Tahle-quah, and earned a master’s degreein human relations from the Univer-sity of Oklahoma. Prior to workingat OKDHS, Baker served for 18years with the American Red Cross.She was hired as a Child Welfarepermanency planning worker III in2000.

Baker lives in Rogers Countywith her husband, John, who worksas a machinist for Burgess-Nortonin Claremore. They have three adultchildren, Tony, Brian and Darin.Tony is a production manager forCusto Fab Manufacturing in SandSprings. Brian is a mainten-ance supervisor employed by GEARaney Manufacturing at the Port ofCatoosa. Darin is a mainten-ance mechanic employed by GEARaney at the Port of Catoosa. Bakerhas eight grandchildren. She and herhusband enjoy spending time withfamily and fishing.

Baker Named ChildWelfare Supervisor


Editor’s Note: A version of thisstory ran in the September Area VINewsletter.

They brought gloves, shovelsand rakes. They were bribed with“fresh air” and “time outdoors.” Theywere told they could sand, paint andplay in the yard. Most importantly,they were offered a new opportunityto help OKDHS clients and others.

A group of Washington Countyworkers recently volunteered to workon one of the United Way’s “Day ofCaring” projects. Arvella L. Don-ahue, Washington County director,serves on the board of the BartlesvilleRegional United Way and spearhead-ed the drive for volunteers amongstWashington County staff. She saidOKDHS clients are often referred toUnited Way agencies.

“This gave us the opportunity tohelp one agency with badly neededprojects,” Donahue said. “We wereselected to help with some projects atour local Concern Child LearningCenter. Some of us sanded and paint-ed, while others helped put in a newplayground.”

She said they raked sandboxes,swept paths, cleaned out storage clos-ets, programmed computers, cleanedout gutters and more.

“We were just a small part of avery huge army of volunteers frommany agencies and businesses thatjoined together for this project,” Don-ahue said. “We had fun, did good andhad the satisfaction of knowing wehelped.”

Washington County participantsincluded Laurie Paulson, Ben Boat-man, Debbie Turner, Judy Mattix,Linda Christlieb, Keri Shoff andDebbie Klein.

Strattis Wins FoodStamp Quiz

By Douglas DoeAssociate Editor

In recent months, a significantnumber of e-mails infected with theBagle and Netsky viruses have beensent to employees at OKDHS.

From Sept. 21 to Nov. 1, therewere 54,362 instances of the twoviruses quarantined by the spam andvirus protection service used byOKDHS, said Sunni Gancarz, Infra-structure Software Services sectionlead, Data Services Division. Thequarantined viruses accounted for1.45 billion bytes of information.

The sheer number of the virusesis disturbing, but the fact that theyappear to come from OKDHS staff e-mail addresses is drawing the atten-

tion of technology staff. Both the Bagle and Netsky

viruses harvest e-mail addresses fromthe infected computer and use themto construct outgoing e-mail mes-sages, Gancarz said. In some cases,OKDHS staff is seeing e-mails thatappear to be from other OKDHSemployees, but are actually“spoofed” by the virus.

“There is not much that we cando to stop the messages from beingsent,” said OKDHS Chief Informa-tion Officer Marq Youngblood.“However, OKDHS does have soft-ware in place to catch these types ofmessages and protect the integrity ofthe network.”

OKDHS Employees Get ‘Spoofed’

Washington County Staff Serves Others By ‘Playing In The Sand’

Oklahoma 55-A’s Sharon Strattis(left) took home the prize for Sep-tember. OKDHS’ Kathie Wright, pro-grams manager, FoodStamps/LIHEAP, Family SupportServices Division, presented Strattiswith a $50 savings bond, a certifi-cate and candy dish topped off witha “Celebrate!” balloon. Strattis’ namewas drawn during the Food StampQuiz drawing and the gifts honor herparticipation. Five minutes! Fivequestions!

“We are not the only voices

in children’s lives, so we

must be the best voices in

their lives.”

Dr. Phil McGraw, nationally-knownpsychologist, author and host of

“Dr. Phil.” December 2004


Folkloric dancers Las Estrellas andJosé & Elvira Muñoz. Puerta De Oroand Mariachi Orgullo de América alsoplayed traditional Mexican music.

Stephen Louis Cortés, deputygeneral council to Gov. Brad Henry,was the keynote speaker and honoredguests included Rep. Debbie Blackburnand members of the Governor’s LatinoAdvisory Council, OKDHS ChiefInformation Officer MarqYoungblood and Director ofthe Latino Agency Civil AirPatrol Squadron WilliamFennell.

Awards were given tojunior high school studentsfrom Oklahoma City whoentered the Latino HeritageEssay Contest. The childrenwere asked to write about adifferent Latino country anddescribe what makes thatcountry special to demon-strate the diversity of theLatino heritage. The essayswere on display at the capi-tol during the celebration.

Kathleen KinKade,administrative programsofficer, Field OperationsDivision, and member of the LatinoHeritage Celebration Committee saidshe has special memories of this year’sevent for many reasons, including thehonor of serving on the committee.

“The people on the committee allwork very well together, with respectfor one another and our many Latinocultures,” KinKade said. “I have madenew friends and strengthened olderfriendships through my work on thecommittee. This year, there were threegenerations of my family at the cele-bration – my parents, my husband andmy son were all there with me to cele-brate and that is very special to me.

“My parents, along with some ofmy new friends, and I all cookedtogether to provide samples of Spanishtortillas for people attending the cele-

bration. We all were there to see thelook on people’s faces as they sampled,enjoyed and then asked for the recipe.”

Debbie Drain, administrativeassistant, Adoption Subsidy, Childrenand Family Services Division, is presi-dent of the Central Oklahoma ClownAssociation. She said the most memo-rable part of the celebration was enjoy-ing time with the children in attendance

and seeing their reaction to all the activ-ities.

“As a clown, I am around manychildren at many different schools,”Drain said. “I see the way the childrenact and how they are monitored. Ialways like clowning for the LatinoFestival because the children are wellbehaved.

“The teachers and principals whocome with them are very good at keep-ing them together, but more than that, Isee the one-on-one relationshipsbetween the children and teachers. Theother clowns in my group also enjoyedthe event! It was a very enjoyable daywith the children.”

Cecilia Tannehill, administrativeprograms officer, often volunteers hertime during OKDHS events and the

Latino Heritage Celebration was nodifferent. She assisted with speakers forthe program, helped with the basketraffle and served as a “gofer” as need-ed.

“My favorite memory is themusic,” Tannehill said. “I love to hearthose Latin songs and this year thegroup ‘Los Viejitos’ played and sang asong that my sweet little grandmother

would sing to me as a youngchild. It brought about a lotof memories because whenmy dignified grandmotherwould sing this song shewould get very excited andhappy, showing a side ofherself that we didn’t seevery often.

“All the Latin musicmakes me want to get upand sing and dance. It’s justthat kind of music that canexcite you and make youfeel wonderful! I love myLatin heritage and the lan-guage that my sweet grand-mother passed on to me. Ifeel so fortunate to havebeen brought up in suchrich, beautiful and happy

customs of the Latin world here in ourgreat country and state.”

Tannehill said it was also a specialtreat that one of her favorite formerbosses, Neal Freeman, supplied thepainting used for the Latino HeritageCelebration’s posters and promotionalmaterials.

“Neal and his family remain goodfriends,” she said, “and I love the factthat I now have this original painting inmy home!”

The 2004 Latino Heritage Cele-bration was sponsored by OKDHS, theOklahoma Arts Council, OklahomaCity Public Schools, the OklahomaInstitute for Child Advocacy, the River-side Latino Community DevelopmentAgency and the Salvation Army PuertaDe Oro.

Latino Heritage continued from page 12

October & November

Cimarron CountyNancy Kline, 22 years

•Comanche CountyJan A. Wicker, 20 years

•FSSD-Adult ProtectiveServicesWilliam P. Fogleman, III

•Garfield CountyRita K. Nossaman, 15 years

•NORCE/Garfield CountyWanda L. Taber, 21 years

•Office of Planning, Policy and ResearchMarilyn Knott, 35 years

•OSSD-Contracts & Purchasing Marla Sue Lowery, 34 years

•Pittsburg CountyCarolyn Hathcote, 13years

•SORC/Garvin CountyFlorance Loretta Boney, 30 years

•


more than any other, was affected byour country’s military deployment,”Hendrick said. “It gives comfort toour soldiers when they learn of thegreat support they receive backhome as other employees ofOKDHS pick up their work burdens.Patriots come in all different shapes,sizes and colors when they pick upthe load.”

Sholar said Americans are serv-ing their country in unprecedentedtimes.

“Our great armed forces havecarried us through … and they havenever failed our nation,” Sholar said.

He said he found Oklahoma’scitizen soldiers resilient and “toughas Oklahoma post oak” during diffi-cult times.

“This signature is more than asymbolic act and will result in spe-cific and sustained results,” Sholarsaid. “Thank you so much for stand-ing out there and leading the way.”

Hendrick said signing the state-ment of support was not a hard deci-sion.

“We want to support them (the

U.S. military) in every way possi-ble,” Hendrick said. “I’m a civilian,but I want to say to each of you,thank you. We are forever grateful.”

Hendrick praised employees for“really stepping up” to help, despitethe fact that OKDHS has three per-cent fewer employees than fiveyears ago, yet has heavier caseloads.

Shafer later received an “Aboveand Beyond” certificate for his serv-ice to the ESGR.

The OKDHS statement of sup-port pledges the following:

“Employment will not bedenied because of service in theGuard or Reserve;

Employee job and career oppor-tunities will not be limited orreduced because of service in theGuard or Reserve;

Employees will be grantedleaves of absence for military train-ing in the Guard or Reserve, consis-tent with existing laws, without sac-rifice of vacation; and

This agreement and its resultantpolicies will be known throughoutour organization.”

OKDHS State Charitable CampaignPledge Goal Exceeded By $5,612

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!Our collective efforts have helped OKDHS exceed its 2004 Okla-

homa State Charitable Campaign goal. To date, we have pledges and con-tributions totaling $58,456, which is $5,612 above what we did in 2003.Last year, we collectively pledged $52,844. Thank you for your pledges,contributions and special efforts in this year’s successful campaign.

Through your efforts, the State Charitable Campaign will be able toprovide extended public service to many of those in need in our communi-ties. Thanks again for all your support during this 15th Anniversary StateCharitable Campaign, and I’m proud of you surpassing this year’sOKDHS goal of $58,200.

Kind regards,Howard H. HendrickDirector of Human Services

Support continued from page 9

Congratulations And Best WishesTo Our Retirees

Oklahoma Department ofHuman ServicesP.O. Box 25352Oklahoma City, OK 73125

Inside OKDHS is published for employees and retirees of the OklahomaDepartment of Human Services as a jointeffort of the Office of Communications, thePublications Section and the Print Shop.

Howard H. Hendrick, DirectorDepartment of Human Services

George Earl Johnson Jr.Director of Communications

Alice CarrilloPublications Section and

Print Shop Supervisor

Editorial Team:Kevan Goff-Parker, Editor

Dustin Pyeatt, Associate Editor

Douglas Doe, Associate Editor

Stephanie Bond, Publications Editor

Carla Garrett, Office Manager

Casey Harvey, Asst. Office Manager

Jim Gumm, Photographer

OKDHS S04192 Issued 12/2004Publication of Inside OKDHS is authorized by the Okla-homa Commission for Human Services in accordancewith state and federal regulations and printed by theOklahoma Department of Human Services at a cost of$4,033.00 for 4,033 copies. Copies have been deposit-ed with the Oklahoma Department of Libraries Publica-tions Clearinghouse. Contents are not copyrighted andmay be freely quoted unless otherwise noted.

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