Great Inspirations Recipients

Oklahoma Cultural Heritage Trust, Susan Feller
The trust would provide funding, training, and access to a centralized collections care laboratory with trained conservators on staff. The trust will be the first of its kind in the nation and has been lauded by IMLS as a model for other states. culturalheritagetrust.org

Documentary Twelve, Jack Sinclair
Documentary Twelve is a powerful story of addiction told through the eyes of the teenagers who have lived through it. It is hoped that individuals telling their stories, rather than adults lecturing, will provide a more effective way to open the eyes of teenagers at risk. 12recovery.com

Project Boomerang, Sheri Stickley
The Oklahoma Department of Commerce wants to encourage people to stay in Oklahoma, and to bring knowledge-based, highly-skilled former Oklahomans back to the Sooner State. This project will help facilitate linkages with employers and potential boomerangers. okboomeranag.com

2nd Annual Oklahoma City Halloween Parade, Bill Bleakley
The “Ghouls Gone Wild Halloween Parade,” sponsored by the Oklahoma Gazette followed the mile-long stretch from Automobile Alley at 8th and Broadway to Bricktown. The parade is a celebration of creativity and artistry in Oklahoma City. ghoulsgonewildokc.com

ROCKETREK, John Herrington: Beginning August 13, 2008, Commander John Herrington will embark on a 4,000-mile bicycle ride to promote and encourage student participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). rocketrek.com

FIRST Robotics, Mickey Clagg: The FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition in Science and Technology) Robotics Competition program attracts and engages students to explore science, technology, engineering, and math in an exciting hands-on learning experience, mentored by working professionals. usfirst.org

Destination ImagiNation, Clara Southerland: Destination ImagiNation is a community-based, school-friendly program that builds participants’ creativity, problem solving, and teamwork in enjoyable and meaningful ways. destinationimagination.org

DFEST Music Conference and Festival, Angie DeVore: Dfest is the Midwest’s largest music festival and most comprehensive music conference in the Midwest featuring many national acts. dfest.net

Environment, Health and Sustainability Journey, Kathy Walker: The City Council of Nichols Hills has voted to establish a new commission, EHS (environment, health, and sustainability) for the purpose of research/advising the City on issues such as private landscaping, outdoor recreation, alternative fuels/transport, recycling, green construction, water, community awareness, and education. nicholshills.net

Quartz Mountain Music Festival, David Palmer: The Quartz Mountain Music Festival and Institutes is a classical and Jazz music festival featuring performances of orchestral, jazz, and chamber music concerts on the highest artistic level, in combination with educational institutes for pre-professional musicians on the verge of establishing their professional career. qmmf.org

Oklahoma International Bluegrass Festival, Steve Cannon: The mission is to organize an annual world class festival; to support the bluegrass industry in Oklahoma, to educate the people of Oklahoma and beyond about bluegrass music, its history and dominance in Oklahoma, and to promote the annual festival throughout the state, creating an on-going state resource that serves Oklahoma’s economic development. oibf.com

Studio Blue, Mazzio’s Innovation Competition, Charles Wood: Teams of 4-6 students will be given 20 pizza boxes and told to create something of “value”. They must present a physical representation as well as a short video of the process it took to create.

Botball, Steve Goodgame: The KISS Institute for Practical Robotics has three main goals: To engage more Oklahoma students in science, technology, engineering, math (STEM), as well as in computer programming; to guide Oklahoma students in exploring career possibilities in STEM areas; to teach Oklahoma students the value of science and math as powerful tools for accomplishing their goals. oibf.com

deadCenter Film Festival, Kim Haywood: The deadCenter Film Festival inspires growth in the local film industry through screenings, discussions, competitions, special events, panels, and focused programming. deadcenterfilm.org

Summit on Music in Oklahoma in the Next Century, Mark Belcik: The purpose of the Summit was to assess the past and current state of music in the State of Oklahoma; to provide a forum for creative and innovative discussion regarding the future of music in the State of Oklahoma; and to develop a collective and unique vision and action plan for the next 100 years of music in the State of Oklahoma.

The Girlie Show, Erin Merryweather, Dawn Harth and Marilyn Artus:The Girlie Show was founded five years ago to promote, celebrate, encourage and showcase female talent. Part of the mission is to also work to build our creative community in Oklahoma City. The Show raises awareness of art not only locally but nationally as well through other craft and art related businesses around the country. thegirlieshow.net

Hidden Histories, Jody Stelzig: Hidden Histories is a one hour Oklahoma produced television show airing on the Global Broadcast Syndicate based in London, England. Based in Oklahoma, the theme is to uncover hidden histories using real facts and recreations of obscure historical facts that were very important but unknown to our European viewers. This project brings in revenue and tourism exposure for the state of Oklahoma. rockinjcompaines.com

OSU Multispectral Laboratories, Dr. Stephen McKeever: The OSU Multispectral Laboratories is a public-private partnership between the University and Triton Scientific LLC, with essential support from the Ponca City Development Authority and Conoco Phillips, designed to accelerate commercialization of new technologies. It won the 2007 IEDC Award for the most innovative partnership in economic development in the United States. okstate-uml.org

The Oklahoma Kayak Trail Project, Oklahoma City Boathouse Foundation, Alexis Lux: Maps and podcasts will engage the community and guide paddlers as they explore the waterways of Oklahoma while learning about the environment and exercise. This visionary project is easily adaptable to other waterways. Sections of the Kayak Trail will be adopted by area companies and organizations. This initiative not only promotes healthy and active lifestyles, but also assists in cleaning up our waterways and natural resources. chesapeakeboathouse.org

Momentum: Art Doesn’t Stand Still, Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition, Julia Kirt: An interactive, multimedia exhibition which gives the audience an opportunity to view, purchase, and experience artwork by Oklahoma visual artists age 30 and younger. Momentum helps develop and reward the new generation of artists and art leaders. The exhibit gives the artist a presence in the community and it helps facilitate a career in the art here in Oklahoma. momentumoklahoma.org

Oklahoma Electronic Game Expo, Computer Arts and Technology Society (a student organization at Oklahoma City Community College): Oklahoma Electronic Game Expo (OEGE) is a day of video-game revelry. Attendees come to experience the newest games, encounter game enthusiast, compete in tournaments, buy games and meet with friends. The goal of OEGE is to highlight Oklahoma as a creative outlet for not only videogames but all forms of digital art. Oklahoma is an ideal location for developing gaming and other digital art productions and OCCC offers degrees in these areas, providing Oklahoma with the creative and talented workforce for these very industries. oege.catblog.occc.edu/wordpress

Composers in the Schools Residency Program, Oklahoma Composers Association, Dr. Marc Jensen: This program pairs composers with student ensembles in the public schools. The program gives student musicians in the public schools the opportunity to take part in the creative process of composition and to witness the process of making a new piece of music. This program is active in Norman High School and they are working with other districts around the state to get this program implement for spring 2011. oklahomacomposers.org

STEM Academies, Robin Schott: The STEM Academies work with the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education (CareerTech) and Oklahoma high schools to immerse students in engineering, biomedical sciences or biotechnology to nurture students who are problem solvers, innovators, inventors, logical thinkers, strong communicators, and who excel in areas of mathematics and science. The goal is to increase the number of students in STEM careers. www.okcareertech.org/stem