Beacon Award winners highlight spread of philanthropy

Originally posted in The Journal Record.

OKLAHOMA CITY – The 2018 overall Beacon Award winners included entities contributing time and resources to help causes such as child advocacy and fighting hunger and domestic abuse. Others include organizations donating furniture and durable medical equipment to the elderly as well as a group of women who started a nonprofit to raise money to help other nonprofits.

This year’s overall winners include Freestyle Creative, Homes by Taber, OU Medicine, Jessica P. Max-The Max Insurance Agency-Allstate Insurance Co., Sonic America’s Drive-In, Kimray Inc., Impact Oklahoma, Concordia Life Care Community and Feed the Children.

“The majority of this year’s Beacon Award winners were companies we had not recognized previously, and that’s great news,” said Ted Streuli, associate publisher and editor of The Journal Record. “It means the importance of this program, the importance of philanthropy, continues to spread in Oklahoma’s business community. It reminds us that we care about more than capitalism; we care about compassion and the two can coexist.”

The honorees were recognized at the 11th-annual Beacon Awards event Thursday at Embassy Suites Oklahoma City Downtown/Medical Center. The overall winners in each category will receive a donation for the nonprofits they support.

“Again this year we are proud to recognize the businesses dedicated to helping Oklahomans in need daily,” said Lee R. Symcox, CEO of presenting sponsor First Fidelity Bank. “Our state’s generous corporate citizens are just one more example of the Oklahoma Standard, making this a great place to work and live.”

Other sponsors included the Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits and the Chickasaw Nation. Each of the honorees is featured in the Beacon Awards magazine inserted in the July 13 issue of The Journal Record.

Organizations were recognized in large, medium and small divisions for their contributions to the nonprofit community in the categories of philanthropic impact and charitable influence. The large business subcategory represents entities with more than 500 employees. The medium subcategory consists of businesses with 51 to 499 employees, while the small businesses have 50 or fewer employees.

Charitable influence finalists

Organizations in the charitable influence category demonstrate a company culture that encourages and supports volunteerism, charitable giving and community involvement by its members. The Beacon Award overall winners in this category were OU Medicine in the large business subcategory; Homes by Taber from the medium-sized division; and Freestyle Creative in the small business subcategory.

Other large business subcategory finalists:

  • OG&E

Other medium business subcategory finalists:

  • Polston Tax Resolution & Accounting
  • Stingray Pressure Pumping
  • Weokie Federal Credit Union

Other small business subcategory finalists:

  • amshot
  • The Community Beard Championship Foundation
  • Luxa Enterprises
  • Pinnacle Business Systems
  • Quapaw Cattle Co.
  • REES
  • SDG Architects

Philanthropic impact finalists

Those recognized in the philanthropic impact category have made a significant charitable contribution to a nonprofit organization working to meet specific needs in the community. The overall winners in this category were Kimray Inc. from the large business category; Sonic, America’s Drive-In for the medium-sized division; and Jessica P. Max-The Max Insurance Agency-Allstate Insurance Co. from the small business group of finalists.

Other large business subcategory finalists:

  • Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma
  • McAlester Regional Health Center

Other small business subcategory finalists:

  • The Womble Co.

Nonprofits serving nonprofits

Several nonprofits also received special recognition at the event for the work they do helping other nonprofits. The overall winners in this category were Feed the Children for the large nonprofits; Concordia Life Care Community for the medium-size category; and Impact Oklahoma for the small nonprofit group.

Other finalists were:

Large category:

  • Dale Rogers Training Center
  • Tinker Federal Credit Union

Medium category:

  • Junior League of Oklahoma City
  • LifeShare of Oklahoma

Small category:

  • A Chance to Change
  • A Twist of Fate-ATS
  • The American Red Cross
  • Central Baptist Church
  • ESCCO
  • Operation C.A.R.E. Ministries Inc.
  • Our Community Cares Coalition