OKC Zoo’s giraffe matriarch, Ellie, welcomes a male calf, her sixth offspring to be born at the Zoo.

The Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden is thrilled to announce the arrival of an endangered giraffe calf, born to 20-year-old, Ellie. Ellie’s sixth offspring to be born at the Zoo, a male, was born on Thursday, June 3, 2021, at 12:01 p.m. at the Zoo’s giraffe habitat barn. The calf, who is yet to be named, is the first to be fathered by four-year-old, Demetri. The Zoo’s youngest giraffe is healthy and strong, and weighs approximately 157 lbs. and stands six-foot one. He will continue to spend time bonding with his mother and herd mates behind the scenes. Ellie’s daughter, Julu, 5, is also pregnant and expected to deliver her first calf soon. It’s been neck and neck between this mother-daughter giraffe duo to see who would give birth first, and Ellie delivered! To view the giraffe birth, click here.
“Witnessing Ellie and Julu experience pregnancy together has been the greatest joy and we’re thrilled to watch our herd grow with the addition of this little calf,” said OKC Zoo’s Curator of Hoofstock and Primates, Tracey Dolphin-Drees. “This birth is critical for the conservation of this endangered species and a true testament to the importance of the Zoo’s involvement in collaborative breeding efforts.”
Ellie arrived at the Zoo in 2008 from the Birmingham Zoo, in Birmingham, Alabama. The calf’s father, Demetri, arrived from the Fossil Rim in Glen Rose, Texas, in 2018, as part of a breeding recommendation by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Giraffe Species Survival PlanTM (SSP). SSPs are cooperative, long-term management programs designed to maintain genetically viable and geographically stable populations of specific species. The Zoo is also home to two-year-old female, Mashamba.
The gestation period for giraffes is approximately 15 months. The average weight for a newborn giraffe is about 150 pounds. Newborns stand within an hour of birth at a height of around six-feet tall. According to giraffe caretakers, Ellie’s water broke around 10:40 a.m. and she was in active labor until the calf’s birth at 12:01 p.m. By 1:13 p.m. the calf was standing and attempting to nurse.
Native to East and South Africa, giraffes are currently listed as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. There are approximately 111,000 giraffes remaining in the wild, an almost 40% decline since the 1980s. This population decline is caused by illegal poaching and habitat destruction. The Zoo has contributed to giraffe conservation for decades by supporting the Northern Rangelands Trust and the Giraffe Conservation Fund, as well as becoming a member of AZA’s Giraffe Saving Animals from Extinction (SAFE) partner organization in 2018.
Weather depending, Ellie and her calf will have access to the giraffe habitat yard over the weekend. The Zoo’s giraffe feeding experience will be tentative for the time being. Follow the Zoo’s social channels for updates about our growing giraffe family.
Love these gentle giants as much as we do? Save the Date for the Zoo’s World Giraffe Day celebration on Monday, June 21, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. presented locally by Bob Moore Subaru. Guests will enjoy information stations, biofacts, activities, photo opportunities and more.
The Oklahoma City Zoo is currently in its summer hours and open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with the last entry no later than 4 p.m. Purchase advance tickets at www.okczoo.org/tickets and avoid the entry lines. Located at the crossroads of I-44 and I-35, the OKC Zoo is a proud member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the American Alliance of Museums, Oklahoma City’s Adventure District and an Adventure Road partner. Regular admission is $12 for adults and $9 for children ages 3-11 and seniors ages 65 and over. Children two and under are admitted free. Stay connected with the Zoo on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok, and by visiting our blog stories. Zoo fans can support the OKC Zoo by becoming a ZOOfriends member. Starting at $45, memberships can be purchased at ZOOfriends.org and provide access to the OKC Zoo for an entire year plus, additional benefits and discounts. To learn more about Zoo happenings, call (405) 424-3344 or visit okczoo.org.

Majority of nursing homes, nearly half of assisted living communities operating at a loss

The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL), representing more than 14,000 nursing homes, assisted living communities, and other long term care facilities across the country, announced the release of a recent survey of providers across the U.S. Results from the survey showcase the urgent need to address the economic crisis facing the profession.
Key findings include:
* Only a quarter of nursing homes and assisted living communities are confident they can last a year or more.
* More than half of nursing homes and nearly half of assisted living communities say their organization is operating at a loss.
* Nearly half of nursing homes and assisted living communities have had to make cuts in 2021 due to increased expenses or lost revenue.
* The top three costs facilities have incurred due to COVID-19, regardless of whether they have had cases or not, are additional pay for staff, hiring additional staff, and personal protective equipment (PPE).
* In 2021, 84 percent of nursing homes said they are losing revenue due to fewer post-acute patients coming from the hospital.
* Ninety-two percent of nursing homes and 62 percent of assisted living facilities said the Provider Relief Fund has been helpful during COVID.
* More than half of nursing homes and more than one-third of assisted living communities say that Medicaid fee-for-service is problematic in covering the actual cost to provide care to residents. Of those, more than one-quarter of both providers qualify it is a serious problem.
“Even though COVID cases in long term care are at historic lows, providers are struggling to recover from the economic crisis the pandemic has induced. Too many facilities are operating under shoestring budgets simply because policymakers have failed to dedicate the proper resources, and this can have devastating consequences,” said Mark Parkinson, president and CEO of AHCA/NCAL.
An analysis by AHCA/NCAL earlier this year estimated that the nursing home industry is expected to lose $94 billion over the course of the pandemic, and more than 1,800 facilities could close their doors. Closures are hard on vulnerable residents who are forced to move, their family members who must often travel farther to see their loved ones, and dedicated caregivers who are out of a job.
“Lawmakers and public officials across the country must prioritize the residents and caregivers in our nursing homes and assisted living communities,” continued Parkinson. “This starts by sending immediate resources through what remains of the Provider Relief Fund, and it continues by finally addressing the chronic underfunding of Medicaid, which only covers 70 to 80 percent of nursing home care. We have laid out key proposals in our Care For Our Seniors Act to transform America’s nursing homes, but without the help from Congress and state legislators, these necessary reforms will not be possible.”
“We look forward to working with federal and state governments to ensure the stability of our care economy, so that every provider has the ability to deliver the highest quality of care. From being able to have an adequate supply of PPE to compensating caregivers for their heroic work, long term care facilities need financial assistance from lawmakers to keep serving our vulnerable residents,” concluded Parkinson.

Photography and Text by Terry “Travels with Terry” Zinn [email protected]

The 4th of July lets me think of the many Washington D.C. memorials, but D.C. has so much more to offer, and that’s the problem.
Over the years I have discovered that some cities are just too large, diverse, and ever changing, to be experienced fully in just one visit. I find this true about our Nation’s Capitol, Washington D.C. That’s why I find it to be an “installment” city: one that needs to be visited over and over again, over a number of years (or decades in my experience.)
Creating a reasonable itinerary for D.C., and knowing your physical capabilities is the key. In my youth I walked and walked and walked to near exhaustion, to see some of the monuments, memorials and museums. For this brief two day trip I took it easy, knowing that in most likelihood that all would be there for another visit on down the line.
I used inexpensive taxis to go most places. I could not believe how accessible they were.
My home base was in the Beacon Hotel and Corporate Quarters, up the hill from the White House by several blocks. It was a comfortable hotel, with a doorman for taxis, offering spacious rooms, kitchenette and full size bath. While I would not try to visit their unfriendly dining establishment again, I would consider the hotel for my next installment. They do offer a rooftop bar on some nights. Go early before the music starts.
Months in advance I contacted both my Congressional representatives to see about getting a White House tour. After a prolonged attempt it did happen, and I was put on a list with a group of strangers, to this day I have not met. I showed up a little earlier than my appointed time, and went through 2 check lists before going through security. I was told on the website, no cameras, although cell phones with cameras were allowed (go figure that logic), no pencils, no pens, no back packs, no water, no nothing, or it would be taken away. Strange again, but the price you pay. The self guided tour, following a pre determined path, was reminiscent of a tour decades ago. In reflection it is fun to see the rooms and hallways on TV and know their juxtaposition to each other and such, because you were there. I’m ashamed to say, I did not get a feeling of awe, but seeing the portraits of JFK and Jacqueline was heart warming. A tour of the Capitol Building is much easier to get and very informative.
I can also recommend visiting the National Gallery, The Spy Museum and its adjacent restaurant, Zola. All three are worth a lengthy visit. Dining at Zola is definitely on my list for my next installment visit to D.C.
Other fun food and beverages were enjoyed at the iconic Old Ebbitt Grill, the Round Robin Bar at the Willard Intercontinental, and the roof top bar and dining atop the W Hotel, where extra ordinary sights can be had of the White House, Washington’s Monument, Jefferson Memorial and the Lee Mansion in Arlington The W can be a bit snooty, as they reserve several roof top bar tables for VIP’s, which are seldom used early in the evening. So as you wait for the elevator behind the velvet rope, just profess to the doorman you want to stand at the bar. It’s worth the effort.
I longed to see the National Cathedral and took a taxi there and back. Getting back was the challenge. I saw the edifice and took a Gargoyle tour, which I can not recommend.
One is shown slides of the exterior, and then taken out front on the grounds to try and see again, what you saw in slide format. My souvenir book of Gargoyles sold in the basement gift shop was worth its money; the tour was not. A quick trip to the architecturally pleasing National Museum of the American Indian was accomplished, along with a light lunch, and my two days were completed.
One of the best compliments of any travel adventure or meal is answering “Yes” to the question, “Would you have it again?” And “Yes,” Washington D.C. is already on my list for future city installments. As always these days double check web sites and times of admission etc, for the times you need.
When you go or before check out:
The Spy Museum https://www.spymuseum.org/visit
Beacon Hotel: http://www.capitalhotelswdc.com
The National Cathedral: www.nationalcathedral.org
Washington D.C. info: http://washington.org

Mr. Terry Zinn – Travel Editor
Past President: International Food Wine and Travel Writers Association
3110 N.W. 15 Street – Oklahoma City, OK 73107
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Creighton Gilbert (1924-2011), a scholar and connoisseur of Italian Renaissance art donated his extensive collection to the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art in 2011. Opening Thursday, June 24, A Life in Looking: The Creighton Gilbert Collection explores the thematic elements that make up this exceptional collection.
This exhibition is also important for the university, as two art history professors from the OU School of Visual Arts, Allison Palmer and Erin Duncan-O’Neill, served as curators. “This exhibition showcases some of the most exquisite pieces from an important gift to the museum, artworks that were carefully collected over Dr. Gilbert’s long and storied art historical career,” said O’Neill. “It was an exciting project, leading us to new discoveries from X-radiographs in conservation reports and treasures unboxed from storage.”
The show is organized into five themes: religion, architecture, allegory, portraiture and humor. Gilbert took particular delight in discovering works by major artists, such as Rembrandt van Rijn, Giovanni Battista Piranesi and Albrecht Durer, to name a few, hidden away in print shops. In 2005, then museum director Eric Lee, a former student of Gilbert’s, encouraged his mentor to leave his private collection to the museum. The bequest, totaling 272 objects, spans the 14th to 20th centuries with an emphasis on Old Master prints and drawings from the Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo periods. “While Dr. Gilbert
was a specialist in the Italian Renaissance, his collection encompasses a wide range of European artworks from the 1400s-1900s, and he seemed to delight in researching issues of attribution and dating,” said Palmer
An academic prodigy, Gilbert entered college at age 14, became a professor at 21 and eventually completed a doctorate from New York University’s Institute of Fine Arts in 1955. He was also one of the foremost authorities on Michelangelo. He authored numerous books and articles on Caravaggio, realism in Renaissance art and the Northern Baroque, as well as two seminal works: Michelangelo: On and Off the Sistine Ceiling (1994) and Caravaggio and His Two Cardinals (1995).
“Gilbert curated many exhibitions at museums and universities, developing a breadth of interests on clear display in his collection,” said O’Neill. “From illuminated parchment to sketches made on a cabaret table, we see discoveries made by a passionate and well-trained eye in a range of subjects and time periods.”
A Life in Looking: The Creighton Gilbert Collection is on display June 24 through Dec. 31.
The Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art is located in the OU Arts District on the corner of Elm Avenue and Boyd Street, at 555 Elm Ave., on the OU Norman campus. Admission to the museum is complimentary to all visitors. Information and accessibility accommodations are available by calling (405) 325-4938 or visiting www.ou.edu/fjjma.

The Oklahoma History Center (OHC) is seeking performers and vendors for its upcoming Folklife Festival to be held October 16, 2021, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. This community-wide event will celebrate and recognize what the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress has called “the everyday and intimate creativity that all of us share and pass on to the next generation.” The “creativity” mentioned will come in the form of dancing, singing, crafts, food and much more. The Folklife Festival will be open to the public and held predominantly outdoors at the OHC, located at 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive in Oklahoma City.
Already scheduled to participate are: Oklahoma Farm Bureau; Angels Modeling and Dance Studio; Eterna Primavera Folklore Guatemalteco; Southwest Dairy; “Traditional Music of the Open Prairie” with Wayne Cantwell; 3J Farms; 145th Army Band; and Thick Descriptions. Also, the Oklahoma Pork Council will be giving away a new roaster/smoker.
If you are interested in participating in the OHC’s Folklife Festival as a performance act or vendor, please complete the application form found at www.okhistory.org/historycenter/folklifesignup.
The Oklahoma History Center is a division of the Oklahoma Historical Society and is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, National Archives and is an accredited member of the American Alliance of Museums. The mission of the Oklahoma Historical Society is to collect, preserve and share the history and culture of the state of Oklahoma and its people. Founded in 1893 by members of the Territorial Press Association, the OHS maintains museums, historic sites and affiliates across the state. Through its research archives, exhibits, educational programs and publications the OHS chronicles the rich history of Oklahoma. For more information about the OHS, please visit www.okhistory.org.

Kristi Cormack was at a Galentine’s event in February 2020 with a group of friends when she said it hit her; she was too exhausted to stay. The 30-year-old went home and slept for three days. She had no history of health issues and didn’t know she’d soon be diagnosed with a rare form of cancer.
“I couldn’t go to work on Monday and the only excuse I had was that I was tired,” Cormack said. “It was a kind of tired I’d never experienced before.”
She called her primary care physician and, at first, they thought it was a virus. Kristi had a gut feeling it was more serious and requested blood work. The test revealed her instinct was right. After a CT scan and biopsy, Kristi’s medical team at Mercy had a better picture of what was wrong.
“I’ll never forget that call at 4:45 p.m. March 26, 2020,” Cormack said. “They called to tell me that it was cancer. Nothing can ever prepare you for that phone call.”
She immediately grabbed a notepad and started writing down any words she could comprehend. It was an aggressive form of spindle cell sarcoma. A six-pound tumor was growing from her pancreas.
“You hear all these words and you don’t have a clue about the weight of them,” Cormack said. “You don’t know what walking through treatment and chemotherapy means.”
Because less than 40 people in the United States have been diagnosed with this type of sarcoma, the oncology team at Mercy collaborated with their peers across the country. They sent Cormack’s scans to MD Anderson Cancer Center and Harvard Medical School for review.
“Kristi is a special case,” said Dr. Christian Ellis, surgical oncologist at Mercy Hospital Oklahoma City. “She had a bad situation. The location of her tumor and the fact that she is so young are very rare.”
It was a lot to process, but the timing created an additional challenge. All of this was happening when the world was first learning of COVID-19 and everything began to shut down.
“I went in for my biopsy the day the Oklahoma City Thunder had the first COVID case, and the NBA shut down,” Cormack said. “I remember waking up that evening and thinking, ‘What world did I wake up in?’”
Her initial consultation about removing the tumor happened in early April via video conference. That’s when she met Dr. Christian Ellis. He was the first person to explain the gravity of the surgery and that it could mean life or death.
“I remember sitting with my mom at home, seeing the CT scans on the video and Dr. Ellis walking me through the scans, talking me through surgery, the impact on each organ – the colon, small intestine, my spleen, stomach and pancreas – and what that would mean for me post-operation,” she said.
She was overwhelmed and told him she couldn’t make her decision without meeting in person. He told her to come down to the office right away.
At an in-person meeting, Dr. Ellis encouraged her to seek a second opinion. He was confident he could do the surgery, but Cormack said he wanted her to feel confident in him and the plan of action.
“He said if it’s crossed your mind at all, I want you to get a second opinion,” Cormack said. “He told me you deserve to explore all of your options and feel confident before you step into something this big.”
Cormack said she was relieved the second opinion confirmed Dr. Ellis’ course of action and helped her remove all the ‘what ifs.’
Family and friends camped out in the parking lot of the hospital while she endured what could have been an eight-hour surgery. A nurse called them hourly with updates and after just four hours, the surgery was complete. Dr. Ellis removed her spleen, two-thirds of her pancreas and all of the tumor. He told her anxious family he was pleased with how well it went.
“I woke up in the ICU and just screamed, ‘I’m alive, I made it, I’m alive,’” Cormack said.
After she recovered from surgery, Cormack began six rounds of an aggressive form of chemotherapy that required a five-day inpatient stay at Mercy every 21 days. She was relieved she could have one visitor during her treatments.
On Oct. 29, Kristi finished her last round of chemo. The fourth floor nurses cheered and sang to her as she left the unit when she was ready for discharge. Her mom drove her around to the back of the hospital to the Coletta Building, where Mercy’s outpatient oncology services are housed. She pulled up to the building to shouts of “ring that bell.”
She rang the bell outside of the Coletta Building, surrounded by family and friends, to signify the end of her cancer treatment. They celebrated the end of a long, hard journey.
“Kristi had all the ups and downs of a young person who was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer, but our multidisciplinary team at Mercy walked her through the entire process,” Dr. Ellis said. “She did very well, and she is cancer free today.”

The Cowboy Museum is celebrating the diversity of the American West with two upcoming exhibitions spotlighting Mexican and northward migration. “Viva Mexico!”, on exhibit July 9 – October 17 and Find Your North, on exhibit August 20 – October 17, use images, artifacts, maps and stories to share the influence the people “south of the border” had on cowboy and Western culture.
“The American West was and continues to be built on diversity of thought and experience,” said Natalie Shirley, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum President and CEO. “It was an embodiment of a shared hope and future, even for those for whom the west was actually north.”
This year marks the bicentennial of Mexican Independence from Spain in 1821, an event that played a significant role in the history of Central America to Western Canada. After Mexico gained independence, the nation retained its cultural mexcla of Spanish, criollo, African, mestizo and native Mexican traditions, eventually bringing them to the North and creating the American Cowboy. Both exhibitions will be open during National Hispanic Heritage Month celebrated annually September 15 – October 15.
“Viva Mexico!” highlights how hombres a caballo (horsemen) affected key historical events like Mexican Independence, the Texas Revolution, Mexican War and the Mexican Revolution through artifacts, art objects, and photographs. The exhibition showcases how Mexican culture, faith, food, popular culture, and trade contributed to and continues to shape the Americas we know today.
Find Your North shows how a change in perspective can highlight different histories. The exhibition will focus on Hispanic experiences and influence on the borderlands. Diverse archival materials and collections preserved in the Museum’s Dickinson Research Center will be highlighted.
For more information on “Viva Mexico!” and Find Your North, visit nationalcowboymuseum.org/all-exhibitions.

By Nick Thomas

When British author Roald Dahl’s beloved 1988 novel “Matilda” was transformed into a fantasy comedy movie a decade later, the film became hugely popular. It remains an enjoyable family movie to watch with children and grandchildren today, 25 years after its release in July of 1996.
Filled with memorable characters including a callous and dishonest family as well as a tyrannical school principal, Matilda was portrayed by adorable child actor Mara Wilson who battles and eventually overcomes adversity. It was one of four films in the 90s that made Wilson famous. Matilda, she says, was a role she was thrilled to play.
“It was my first favorite book,” she told me in a 2017 interview. “The film became a touchstone for girls who grew up feeling a little awkward and out of place and could relate to the Matilda character. When I was little and people would recognize me at the airport, park, or mall, I used to think ‘Why do they care?’ But I’ve come to realize how important some films can be to people.”
Despite the popularity of the spirited little actress in the additional 90s hits “Mrs. Doubtfire,” the remake of “Miracle on 34th Street,” and “A Simple Wish,” Wilson had slipped from the public spotlight by the decade’s end – an exile that was largely self-imposed.
“I grew out of that cute stage and didn’t develop into the classic Hollywood beauty as I got older,” she explained. “I didn’t like being reduced to adjectives – you’re thin or short or tall or blonde – and was no longer comfortable going to auditions. I still do some fun TV or web projects for friends and I love voice-over work because no one is judging how I look or how many times a week I workout!”
One actor she fondly remembers during her early career was Robin Williams during the filming of “Mrs. Doubtfire” who she says was “kind and gentle, but rather shy which is not uncommon for actors.” Not surprisingly, he was usually hilarious on the set and responded in typical Williams’ style when she told him of her fondness for musicals such as “The Sound of Music” and “South Pacific.”
“So he started singing ‘Nothing Like a Dame,’ which was funny because there he was, a man dressed like a woman singing there was nothing like being a woman!”
While her films from the 90s were largely comedic or sentimental, Wilson remains proud that her Matilda character has helped kids overcome abuse.
“They were living in abusive families or with parents who didn’t care about them, and the movie showed them there was a way out and that they could find people who cared. So it’s a comforting movie about feeling powerless, then finding power. People write to me all the time about the impact it had on their lives and I love that.”
Wilson’s autobiography, “Where Am I Now? – True Stories Of Girlhood And Accidental Fame,” was published in 2016.
Nick Thomas teaches at Auburn University at Montgomery, Ala., and has written features, columns, and interviews for over 850 magazines and newspapers.

by James Coburn, Staff Writer

Yvonne Roeeiger is full of smiles knowing she made the right decision 18 months ago when choosing to live at The Wolfe Living Center at Summit Ridge She’s made several friends at the living center and said it’s a friendly place to be, she said.
“All the nurses and the staff are sweet and nice, and the people that are around are really good people and they treat them all the same,” Roeeiger said. “I have a fiancé here. He lives here.”
Almost every day Roeeiger can be seen going into the lush and green atrium that greets residents and visitors near the entrance of the center.
“It has turtles in it,” Roeeiger continued.
The Wolfe Living Center at Summit Ridge was inspired by Christian principals of the Seventh-day Adventist Church on its campus in Harrah, said Felicia Jones, RN staffing coordinator.
Families can be confident that Wolfe Living Center has every service available that is expected from a skilled nursing and rehab center. The quaint setting is tucked in a wooded landscape surrounding the community with an independent living center. Many of the residents know each other from the past and remain attendees of the church.
Roeeiger was the first resident that Jones met when coming to work at the center.
“We bonded right away,” Jones said.
The Wolfe Living Center is very intimate and the best kept secret in long-term and rehab care, she said.
“It’s the atmosphere. It’s very pleasant and you can feel the Holy Spirit here because it’s very Christian oriented and I loved it from the moment I walked in,” Jones said.
She has had a number of roles as a nurse and before the pandemic brought her out of retirement to workout Wolfe Living Center. Jones is a former director of nurses at Belfair Memory Care, located in Shawnee. She began her nursing career 22 years ago at then-Oklahoma Christian home in Edmond.
“Everywhere I work I took a bit of skills with me and it grows,” she said.
Infection control nurse Adella Owen, RN, had never considered working in a nursing home, but when Wolfe Living Center opened, she was attracted to the family-like setting. Employees go over-and-beyond to make residents know they are being taken care of. It warms Owen’s heart that the residents recognize everyone on staff. Residents see how the nursing staff bonds in a joyful team effort to offer exceptional nursing care, she said.
“There’s nothing perfect, but this place is doing the best they can do to let these people know this is their home because they miss their home,” Owen said.
The women’s group of the church help by making cards for the residents and treat the staff like they are part of the church.
Administrator Valarie Smith-Hubbartt tries to make all in-services special, said Jones, adding that everyone there loves Hubbartt.
“We have devotions in our meetings every morning,” Jones said. “We discuss business, and she reads a devotional — we pray. That is so neat to have that.”
A major factor for the success of Wolfe Living Center is it’s in a rural setting with a mom-and-pop character for the home, Hubbartt explained.
The leadership and members of the church have bought into the community as reflected in Wolfe Living Center. The Seventh-day Adventist Church’s expectation is having a nursing home sharing their values, Hubbartt said.
“Not necessarily their same beliefs, but their same values,” she explained. “So, we try to bring residents in that have those same values, too, who want to be in a small, Christian, rural community.”
The facility was originally designed with the intent of having enough independent living to fill the building.
Twenty-five years ago, Wolfe Creek Living Center became Medicaid and Medicare certified and expanded into rehab care as part of its long-term skilled nursing practices.
“There’s more of a purpose here that just having a job. We are here to serve our residents,” Hubbartt said. “And we want them to have the most dignified life they can have at this time because this is their final home except the ones that are going to go home for rehab. For long-term care this is going to be their final home until they go to heaven.”
Hubbartt said the staff feels a sense of a bigger purpose by working in a Christian facility while having a personal connection with the Lord.
For more information visit: https://www.wolfelivingcenter.com/ or call (405) 454-1400.

‘Do Good Twice’ by supporting local groups in Oklahoma while sharing the mission to Remember, Honor, Teach

Throughout the month of July, national nonprofit Wreaths Across America (WAA) will be featuring its annual Giving in July campaign — a month dedicated to the groups and individuals giving back in their communities while helping to share the mission to Remember, Honor and Teach.
Locally, groups like Roll To Wreaths Riders 4 Vets, Riverside Flight Civil Air Patrol, Broken Arrow Creek Chapter NSDAR, and Catholic War Veterans USA OK Memorial Post 168 among those hundreds of sponsorship groups raising funds through the sale of wreaths sponsorships to support its efforts.
Since its founding in 2007, WAA has partnered with hundreds of like-minded charities, community programs, and civic groups throughout the country to remember and honor our nation’s veterans and active duty military all year long. Giving in July celebrates these groups and highlights the opportunity to ‘do good twice’ through the sponsorship of veterans’ wreaths through the organization’s Group Sponsorship Program. Through the program, donations received in fact ‘do good twice’ because WAA gives back $5 of each $15 wreath sponsorship made to support the local group’s own mission, which include programs helping veterans, military families, youth and more, in communities across the country.
Through this national program, WAA has given back nearly $15 million in local contributions over the last 13 years!
“I have long said, it would be disingenuous for us as an organization whose mission is to Remember the fallen, Honor those that serve and their families, and Teach the next generation the value of freedom, if we do not support other like-minded programs doing just that in their communities,” said WAA Executive Director Karen Worcester. “Our Group Sponsorship Program is a year-round effort, but through Giving in July we hope to remind people that veterans and our current military serve and protect us 365 days a year and it is never too early to make a difference in your own community.”
This year, more than 2,500 cemeteries will participate in National Wreaths Across America Day, including locations in (Macomb Oklahoma Area Cemeteries-Roll to Wreaths Riders 4 Vets, Memorial Park Cemetery, Floral Haven Cemetery , and Sunny Lane Cemetery) – Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021 – and thousands of local Sponsorship Groups are working in their communities to raises funds and awareness to honor the local servicemembers with the placement of veterans’ wreaths made of fresh Maine balsam.
Wreaths Across America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded to continue and expand the annual wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery begun by Maine businessman Morrill Worcester in 1992. The organization’s mission – Remember, Honor, Teach – is carried out in part each year by coordinating wreath-laying ceremonies in December at Arlington, as well as at thousands of veterans’ cemeteries and other locations in all 50 states and beyond.
For more information or to sponsor a wreath please visit www.wreathsacrossamerica.org.