Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy schedules ‘Heroes Ball’ on July 30

Staff Report
OKLAHOMA CITY – On July 30, the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy’s annual Heroes Ball – celebrating Oklahoma’s heroes for children – will be held across two venues and virtually on the Zoom platform.

The Oklahoma City venue for the evening will The Skirvin Hilton Hotel in downtown Oklahoma City. The Tulsa venue will be in the Greenwood area as this year’s Heroes Ball will pay tribute to those lost and forever changed by the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.

The two venues will both have speakers and will simulcast between each other as well as webcast to those who attend remotely across the Zoom platform. 

The 2020 Heroes Ball was conducted at the height of the pandemic and was fully virtual as it was webcast across the Zoom platform. That effort exceeded expectations and earned OICA the national award for “Best Virtual Event” conducted in 2020.

The primary goal of the Heroes Ball is to honor those who have made a difference in the lives of Oklahoma’s children. 

“Because there are so many wonderful advocates out there working on behalf of children, we want to give the people a chance to weigh in on the awards,” said Joe Dorman, OICA’s CEO. “That is why we have the Anne Roberts People’s Choice Awards for an individual and an organization standing up for the state’s children.”

The Anne Roberts People’s Choice Awards are named for Anne Roberts, the longest-serving executive director of OICA. “Anne remains a tireless advocate for children and a valuable resource for our organization as we navigate today’s challenges,” Dorman said. “We are grateful she has allowed her name to be associated with the People’s Choice Child Advocacy Award.”

Last year’s individual winner of the Anne Roberts People’s Choice Award was Ryan Abernathy of the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma. He was honored for leading childhood hunger initiatives for the food bank and his continued advocacy for organizations and agencies who serve children.

Diabetes Solutions of Oklahoma was the winner of the organizational People’s Choice award for the organization’s commitment and support to families with children recently diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. The nonprofit teaches parents how to care for children with diabetes and gives educational opportunities to families through its summer camp programming and other social gatherings.

Tickets and sponsorships for the 2021 Heroes Ball are available – but reportedly selling quickly. 
For more information about the Heroes Ball or to find out how you can help OICA continue its mission of fighting for Oklahoma’s children, go to the website at www.oica.org or call 405-236-KIDS (5437). 

To purchase tickets for the Oklahoma City venue visit:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/oica-heroes-ball-2021-oklahoma-city-tickets-153872600089

To purchase tickets for the Tulsa venue visit:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/oica-heroes-ball-2021-tulsa-tickets-153885925947

OICA supporters have made nominations for individuals or organizations to receive a People’s Choice award. Online voting to choose winners will begin once the nominations are approved by the OICA Board of Directors.

NOTE: Editor Pat McGuigan contributed to this report.