By Conrad Dudderar
Staff Writer
EL RENO – A Canadian County nonprofit charity that helps teenage girls has been granted a huge gift from a dedicated group of philanthropic women.
Members of Power of 100 Canadian County on Aug. 17 presented a $17,341 grant award to House of Healing, 7300 Britton Road NE.
House of Healing guides teenage girls to make better life choices, stop destructive behavior and restore their confidence and self-esteem.
The charity’s mentoring program supports girls ages 13-17 who are striving to have a deeper walk with God and is a light of hope for teens who have been emotionally wounded.
“I was extremely overwhelmed and excited to receive that size of a gift,” House of Healing executive director Kathy Boeckman said. “We are using the funding to put in a Generac generator for our bunkhouse.
“We just finished the remodel to have housing for kids to live on campus. We should have everything in place late fall, early spring.”
House of Healing already features a horseback riding arena on its picturesque 25-acre property just west of Yukon. Its hands-on equine program equips teenagers with the skills to make positive life choices through interactions with horses and mentors.
Power of 100 Canadian County co-founder Tammy McKee called the House of Healing “amazing”.
“Their equine therapy and staff are exceptional,” McKee said. “It was so rewarding to be able to give them a check on behalf of the Canadian County women from Power of 100.”
10 CHARITIES NOMINATED
Ten non-profit charities were nominated for the quarterly Power of 100 Canadian County award.
Member Glenda Bitner nominated House of Healing for the large gift. Bitner – the House of Healing’s equine specialist – spoke about the organization at Power of 100 Canadian County’s recent quarterly meeting.
“Our mission is to heal broken hearts of those in our care as we educate, guide and counsel, sharing our life experience, our strength and our hope,” Bitner said in her nomination.
Director Boeckman offered her gratitude to Power of 100 members.
“You can’t thank them enough,” she said. “They’re changing families and impacting lives for generations. We work with the whole family unit to help rebuild that ‘brokenness’ and move these girls forward.
“House of Healing does everything debt-free, so we’re so thankful to receive this gift so we can get that generator in. When we had that bad storm last winter, we were without electricity for almost three weeks.”
POWER OF 192
Power of 100 Canadian County is a group of generous women who pool their resources four times a year to donate at least $10,000 to a selected charitable cause. Membership now stands at 192 and more women are welcome to join the philanthropic foundation.
Members nominate their favorite Canadian County non-profits, and the names of three charities will be drawn from those nominated each quarter.
At the Power of 100’s quarterly meeting, members hear five-minute presentations about those three groups and then vote on which will receive that quarter’s large donation.
By pooling together their $100 donations each quarter, Power of 100 Canadian County members make a larger impact than they would otherwise.
Power of 100 Canadian County meets four times a year, also providing a “fun ladies night out” for members.
Membership is open to all women, but recipients must be nonprofit 501c3 charities in Canadian County.
House of Healing’s director won’t be surprised if some of the young women who benefit from her program eventually become members.
“We’re helping these young ladies become leaders in our community,” Boeckman said. “Hopefully, they’ll be a part of the Power of 100 one day and be impacting other girls.”
To learn more, visit Powerof100cc.org or email info@powerof100cc.org
