12A « July 11, 2019 « THE JOURNAL RECORD « journalrecord.

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Nonprofit Leadership
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CHARITY INC.

It’s census time

We are just nine months away
from the next major census count in
the United States. Performed every
10 years, our census not only counts
our population in our country, it also
helps determine state populations
that inform congressional representa-
tion and federal funding that comes to
Oklahoma.
And while the 2020 census seems
a long way off, we must be working
double-time to prepare for the count.
The allocations from the federal side
account for about
$1,800 per person
in Oklahoma. An
undercount of
just 1 percent of
our population,
or about 39,000
people, could result
MARNIE in a loss of $70 mil-
lion annually to the
TAYLOR state. Additionally,
Rainbow Fleet’s mobile learning library van. COURTESY PHOTO/RAINBOW FLEET

Rainbow Fleet adds

Oklahoma’s fed-
eral delegation count – currently five
representatives – could be adversely
affected by an undercount (or possibly

mobile learning library

positively affected depending on the
count).
Nonprofits are in a unique posi-
tion to help with the upcoming census
that begins next April 1. There are a
number of hard-to-count populations
in Oklahoma. These include transient
families or individuals that don’t have a
stable place to live, a number of minor-
ity groups, people living in poverty,
multifamily households, the elderly and
others distrustful of a count.
Moreover, our rural areas, which
tend to be harder to count than our
urban areas, have some of the highest
levels of population growth in the state.
It will be incumbent upon nonprofit
organizations to educate people they
serve and their communities about the
importance of a strong count.
OKLAHOMA CITY (JR) – Rainbow
Fleet is expanding its outreach to
children in central Oklahoma. The
nonprofit group added a mobile
learning library to the services it pro-
vides to child care providers.
“We call it a toy van, but it’s really
a mobile education facility,” said Car-
rie Williams, Rainbow Fleet’s execu-
tive director. “The van is stocked with
learning materials, educational toys,
art projects and books.”
The materials the van carries are
used by child care providers to en-
hance the learning opportunities for
the children.
Williams said it’s the Rainbow
Fleet personnel driving the van who
are the key to the project’s success.
The van is staffed by early child-
hood professionals who provide free
programming and support to help
caregivers and early education pro-
grams to implement quality educa-
tional and developmental programs.
Rainbow Fleet Child Care Resource
and Referral began in 1972 as a mobile
lending library with several brightly
colored vans that delivered education-
al and developmental toys and learn-
ing materials to child care centers
across the metro.
“People often ask about our name,
but when you know the history of our
organization, it makes perfect sense,”
said Williams. “In the beginning, we
had a fleet of rainbow-colored vans.
This new vehicle takes us back to where
we started almost five decades ago.”

Santa Fe Family Center receives grant

Unfortunately, our state has not
appropriated any money to help with
the census at this time. Other states
– particularly Michigan – are invest-
ing millions of dollars into ensuring an
accurate census. The overall level of
federal allocations of money to states
will not change, but states that have
lower counts could feel a significant
pinch should they be undercounted.
I encourage everyone to visit the
U.S. Census Bureau website at www.
census.gov. There you will find more
comprehensive information about
the census along with resources and
materials to help you get the word out
to constituents about the importance of
this work.
OKLAHOMA CITY (JR) – The San-
ta Fe Family Life Center received a
$50,000 grant from the Inasmuch
Foundation to improve the facil-
ity’s accessibility for individuals with
disabilities.
SFFLC Executive Director James
Timberlake said the money from the
grant will be used to better serve dis-
abled members of the community, ul-
timately expanding access to adaptive
sports programs, including wheelchair
tennis and wheelchair basketball.
The Santa Fe Family Life Center
provides employment opportunities
to adults with developmental disabili-
ties, support and outreach to their
families, and supports enrichment
opportunities for individuals with
developmental disabilities, including
Miracle League and Special Olympics.
The Santa Fe Family Life Cen-
ter building, which was built before
the equal access laws were enacted
in 1990, was donated to the Santa Fe
Family Life Center in 2007. With the
entrance on the ground level, and all
fitness, exercise and courts on the
lower level, limited access prevents
the facility from hosting the number
of programs for individuals with dis-
abilities desired. The addition of an
entry-level elevator will allow par-
ticipants quick and safe access to the
playing and activity level.
When the elevator is complete,
Timberlake said it will enable the San-
ta Fe Family Life Center to host even
more adaptive sports teams and events.

Marnie Taylor is president and CEO of

the Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits. She Nonprofit
can be reached at 405-463-6886, ext.
201, or mtaylor@oklahomacenterfor
nonprofits.org.
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