SHEP’s Connection Corner

Don’t Worry, Be Happy

GIVE ME THE SCOOP

Hot or Hawt?

We know it’s been scorching, and it’s only just touched July! How are you faring? Electric bills start to soar, and while you are trying to conserve energy, keep some things in mind.

Use energy-saving light bulbs.

Try not to use the oven much. It heats up your home!

Open your windows in the morning and at night to let cooler air in.

Block the sun from coming in through your windows.

Get air purifying house plants!

We actually caught the boat on a cool day in June. Did you miss it? Vicky, our Operation’s Manager, and LaShundra, our Human Resource, took a picture with the captain. What an experience!

Did you know there’s a story about Jesus on a boat? Read this:

Matthew 8:23-27

When He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being covered with the waves; but Jesus Himself was asleep. And they came to Him and woke Him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing!”

He said to them, “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm. The men were amazed, and said, “What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”

SHEP’s Connection Corner

June Bugs and Road Trips

Have you ever ridden on a train? If your answer is no, then you really missed out! We learned a lot about trains and the routes through and to and from Oklahoma. The train ride was a real treat after our tour of the train museum.

The tornado sirens sure have been blaring. We pray you all are safe and have peace of mind and body. Reach out to us for SSPs so you can shop for those necessities to prepare for storms and summer fun. Tay hydrated out there!

Storms can remind us of forces that are stronger than us. Read Psalms 93:3-4. “The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their roaring. 4 Mightier than the thunders of many waters, mightier than the waves of the sea, the Lord on high is mighty!”

Recipes Please

We’ve heard so many diet ideas going around from juicing to cutting breads and pastas. Whatever you choose to do to balance health and the attack to munch, be sure to do it in balance. Hydration is a key component. Not Gatorade, but good old fashioned high quality H2O. The stuff the dinosaurs were wading in. Yep! Water. We all need it without negotiation. Be safe and take care of yourselves.

We would love to have your summer recipes. Email them to us at humanresources@shep-ok.org.

Here’s a fun summer kabob recipe; In a bowl, mix together 2TBS of olive oil, 1TSP Kosher salt, 1 TBS vinegar, 1/2 TSP of black pepper, 1 TSP of garlic powder, 1/2 TSP of dried oregano, and use it to coat the veggies: button mushrooms, large red peppers, red onions, and unpeeled zucchinis. Then stick them on the skewer sticks in a pattern and grill them. Yummmm!

SHEP’s Connection Corner

GIVE ME THE SCOOP

Here are the May Flowers!

Oh, and surely more rain!

The season in among us for tornados. Be sure to be safe and have an action plan for instances of tornado warnings.

Days are here where you walk outside and smell the rain to come! All this rain has brought many flowers to bloom and the insects and animals are doing their dances to bring in summer.

The community is humming and thriving! We have new members that have joined and new SSPs! We are hoping to gain Support Service Providers in the small surrounding cities so we can reach further across Oklahoma. We now have reach in Stillwater! SHEP is a great opportunity for extra income, meeting and mingling, experience, and impacting the community. We too are blooming this spring because of YOU. Do you know anyone that would benefit from our services or would like to be a part of SHEP? We definitely want to hear from you!

Onward with anointed momentum! We went to the Myriad Garden in April and put some senses to work in a jungle setting. It was a cool spring day but you couldn’t tell from the indoor garden we hiked through. Have you ever been on the Crystal Bridge? We marked that off our bucket list as well as touched and smelled plants from different parts of the world. It’s amazing to see what growth occurs in the world’s gardens. Look at what the Bible says about growth.

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. –Galatians 6:9

OKLAHOMA CITY – Since July 1, 1993, more than 2.54 million Oklahomans with disabilities have received life-changing services offered by the Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services.

The agency offers 25 employment, education and independent living programs and determines medical eligibility for Social Security disability benefits.

Present and former DRS clients, students and staff, the public and agency partners are encouraged to celebrate the 30th anniversary as an independent state agency with a Fall Festival on Tuesday, October 17.

The free event is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at DRS’ State Office parking lot in the east Landmark Tower building at 3535 NW 58th Street in Oklahoma City.

The theme is “Come Home to DRS:  Celebrating 30 Years of Service to Extraordinary People.”

DRS staff and event partners Oklahoma Rehabilitation Council and Oklahoma ABLE Tech have combined plans for carnival games and information about DRS’ programs with food trucks and entertainment.

Program highlights include messages from Lt Gov. Matt Pinnell, Secretary and Executive Director of Human Services Dr. Deborah Shropshire, M.D., DRS Executive Director Melinda Fruendt, DHS Hope Ambassador Tammy Williams and performances by OSB Jazz Band, OSD cheerleaders and many more.

“We are proud to serve Oklahomans with disabilities at DRS, which was created in 1993 by the Oklahoma Legislature to unite a wide range of state disability services into a single agency with the support of the disability community,” DRS Executive Director Melinda Fruendt said.

“This is an exciting time for all of us to celebrate Oklahomans who reached their goals because of their own initiative and hard work,” Fruendt said. “We say DRS opens doors, but our clients, students, applicants and patrons deserve the credit for walking through those doors to success.”

The Oklahoma Commission for Rehabilitation Services governs DRS under the leadership of Governor Kevin Stitt and the Oklahoma Legislature.

Governor Kevin Stitt appointed Teresa Flannery from Mustang as a Commission member. Vice Chair Wes Hilliard from Sulphur was appointed by Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives Charles McCall.

DRS’ program divisions are Disability Determination Services, Oklahoma School for the Blind, Oklahoma School for the Deaf, Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired and Vocational Rehabilitation.