THE OKLAHOMA BAR JOURNAL 94 | APRIL 2024 Bar Foundation News ADAM HAD NO FUTURE. If you ask him, he’ll tell you. We can’t discuss Adam’s real name because his participation in the juvenile system of justice is protected. The Woodward News had a chance to read a letter from Adam, who shared details about his experience when he was sent to the Woodward Detention Center, which is managed by Western Plains Youth & Family Services (WPYFS). He writes pages about his exposure to the first mental health treatment and counseling he ever had at the center and how that not only changed his future but saved his life. “I was 17, running around with gangs, drinking alcohol and smoking every day and doing all the crimes you can think of. Then boom! I’m in Woodward Detention Center,” the youth’s letter stated. “This place has helped with everything. I’m about to graduate. Mr. Mario [mental health professional Mario Perez] taught me so much about mental health, and he taught me how to let stuff go. Overall, this place helped my mental and physical health. Without being in here, I might be dead.” “In Woodward, there could be as many as 10 juveniles being housed at the center by court order for a wide range of legal offenses,” said WPYFS Executive Director Kevin Evans. “Were it not for the Oklahoma Bar Foundation, there would be zero access to mental health counseling and support for those youths.” An interesting fact: There are about 13,713 attorneys who live or practice in the state of Oklahoma. However, there are 18,795 attorneys (both in and out of state) who are members and contributors of a lesser-known but active sister organization to the OBA, known as the Oklahoma Bar Foundation. “The OBF was founded in 1946 by several members of the OBA. Through the years, it has become an organization committed to helping meet the legal needs of Oklahomans,” said Oklahoma Bar Foundation Executive Director Renée DeMoss. Lawyers wanted a way to give back to and bolster their communities. This human-focused foundation is the third oldest state bar foundation in the United States. “In 2024, it will award $1.4 million in grants to 45 nonprofits serving children, families and immigrants in the state. Since 1946, the OBF has given out more than $21 million in grants to youth and family-focused charities, under-financed courtrooms in the state and scholarships for those who want to serve the legal profession at all levels,” she said. “I know what [the OBF has] done for us,” Mr. Evans said emphatically. “They have provided vital funding for mental health services for children in juvenile detention [in Woodward]. They have been awesome to us.” Locally, the foundation donates $15,000 per year to Western Plains Youth & Family Services, specifically to be spent on mental health counseling for juveniles who are in the detention center through court orders. “Along with providing critical support to organizations that represent and protect the rights and futures of the most vulnerable in the state, the organization is working hard to plug holes in an overloaded Oklahoma legal system, which now has more needs than resources,” said Oklahoma Bar Foundation board member and Woodward attorney Jim Dowell. Indeed, the biggest beneficiaries of the foundation’s giving have been Oklahoma’s next generation, according to the foundation’s most recent financial report. Last year, 58,685 Oklahomans were helped by the Oklahoma Bar Foundation through $743,624.50 in donations, the report noted. That Oklahoma Bar Foundation Supports Justice, Education and Hope By Rachael Van Horn
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