The Tulsa Regional Chamber of Commerce and Tulsa Public Schools have a successful 30-year partnership and model in recruiting and honoring Tulsans who contribute to the school system. Here is the post from the Tulsa Regional Chamber website. Of particular importance are the ways in which businesses and organizations encourage education/ training and develop the workforce.
APSCO,
Inc. CEO Larry Mocha earns 2014 Partner of the Year award
Posted on: May 14th, 2014
APSCO, Inc. President and CEO Larry
Mocha was named Partners In Education’s 2014 Partner of the Year on Wednesday
as the Tulsa Regional Chamber and Tulsa Public Schools honored TPS’ top
business, church and volunteer supporters at the annual Partners In Education
Recognition Reception.
Mocha co-founded OK2GROW, a
nonprofit organization dedicated to improving high school completion rates,
promoting entrepreneurism among youth and developing Tulsa’s workforce
pipeline. The organization offers scholarships to young entrepreneurs and
oversees the High School Completion Coalition, which meets monthly with
community leaders and school administrators to keep students in school. Mocha
and his company are partnered with Nathan Hale Jr. High School under the
Partners In Education Program.
“A true giver to our community,
Larry Mocha has invested, time, money and sweat to make sure students and their
parents are fully aware of education and job opportunities,” said Kuma Browne,
Tulsa Regional Chamber education program manager.
Mocha said supporting education —
and encouraging support throughout the business community — is a top goal of
his company: “What we want to do as a company is to have more businesses
recognize the need to support our educational institutions, specifically our
public school system. Hopefully, what we’re doing and what we’re doing together
will help make that happen.”
Each year, the Chamber honors people
and organizations who support schools through Partners In Education, a
30-year-old partnership between the Chamber and TPS to connect children and
teachers with corporate and volunteer assistance to improve academic and
personal growth for students.
More than 60 businesses and
individuals were nominated for awards in 13 categories this year. During a joint
award ceremony at Oklahoma State University in Tulsa, Chamber and TPS officials
delivered the awards to businesses, churches, two students and a principal:
Student Champion Award: The winners, Webster High School students Corey and
Cortavia Brown, created the “It Stops with Me” anti-bullying group, which
created an inclusive support group of students and asked specific teachers to
act as safe places for kids to share their bullying experiences. The group also
staged a bullying incident to gauge how students would react and offer tops for
what to do if witnessing bullying.
Principal of Excellence Award: Booker T. Washington Principal James Furch was
honored for a long tenure that has earned the respect of his peers. During his
tenure, Booker T. Washington has been named one of Newsweek’s top 100 high
schools five years in a row.
PSO Public Service Partnership Award: Highland Park Christian Church was honored for
donating time and resources to its partner school, Hoover Elementary, including
purchasing benches for the school’s playground, donating supplies,
beautification projects and hosting a mentor program.
Champions Award: T.D. Williamson, Inc.’s charity to its partner
school, Robertson Elementary, has included providing buses for field trips;
purchasing Warehouse Market gift cards for needy families during Christmas and
Thanksgiving; helping build an outdoor classroom; buying hats and gloves for
all students; matching funds at various fundraisers; and buying school
supplies. This partner also pays the salary of a community schools coordinator,
funds school and family enrichment efforts and does something special for a
teacher each year during Teacher Appreciation week.
Award of Excellence: Verizon Wireless’ charity to its partner school,
McKinley Elementary, has included providing employee volunteers as lunch
buddies and mentors; hosting an annual school drive; providing Angel Tree-style
giving during the holidays; hosting a Thanksgiving food drive that supplied 260
meals to needy families last year; giving books to students and having
employees act as pen pals for students.
Outstanding District Partner: Arvest Bank was honored for charity to its partner
school, Columbus Elementary, that has included funding a computer lab and
school uniforms; having its employees volunteer to translate during
parent/teacher conferences; providing test proctors; and, at Christmas, giving
families wrapping paper, disposable cameras and helping develop their family
Christmas photos. Arvest also displays student artwork at its downtown location
through a monthly student art contest.
Valuable Investment Award: Covanta Tulsa Renewable Energy was honored for
charitable giving to its partner school, Eugene Field Elementary, including
providing snacks, wipes and Kleenex to every teacher and classroom; buying
clothes for students in need; donating funds and supplying volunteers for the
PTA’s annual carnival and hosting a cleanup day for the neighborhood.
Outstanding Faith-based Partner
(large congregation): Southern Hills Baptist Church’s
charity to its partner school, Marshall Elementary, has included adopting
classes to help with projects and launching a “Sharefest” event where
congregates have donated time to projects such as cleaning out a school flower
bed, painting classrooms, building bookshelves and installing an indoor track.
The church also provided 250 Thanksgiving baskets to 250 families at both
Marshall and McClure.
Outstanding Faith-based Partner: Restoration Church’s charity to its partner school,
East Central High School, has included providing proctors for end of
instruction tests, giving teachers gifts during Teacher Appreciation Week,
helping with mother-daughter and father-son breakfasts and hosting an annual
senior picnic and annual volleyball team banquet.
Dedicated Partnership Award: The McLain Foundation, made up of McLain High
School alumni, has encouraged McLain students to participate in community
activism; it holds college and career fairs, offers tutoring and mentoring,
hosts a literacy program and sponsors students to attend the American Airlines
Initiative field trip to the Flight Academy in Dallas. More than 60 students
have had job shadowing and training opportunities during its four-year
partnership with the school.
Outstanding Small Business Partner: HiCORP, Inc. and owner Brad Camp were honored for
charity to partner school Eugene Field Elementary that has included encouraging
employees to volunteer as lunch or reading buddies; providing field trips to
the company’s offices and warehouse; offering Christmas gifts and teacher
gifts; and hosting reading parties for students.
Chittom Challenge Award: “Bandy” Pratip Banyopadhyay, a volunteer at Webster
High School, helps teach Algebra and pre-Calculus classes. Nominators said he
has turned down numerous paid job offers in favor of his volunteer position and
has demonstrated an extreme passion for learning that has made him popular with
students.
