by Gene Perry

Across the street from Native Roots Market, a crowd gathered between a pile of shoes on one side, bicycles on the other. Event organizers Ken Teague and Isaiah McCaslin welcomed the racers, thanked the sponsors, and then they were off, scrambling to find their shoes, grab their ride, and head out to checkpoints across Norman…

Photos from the Bike Against Hunger alleycat race in Norman on September 20, 2009.

From The Journal Record:

On a simple bridge in a quiet backyard, a Rwandan and an Oklahoman take a moment to reflect on their journey.

“We have a great relationship,” said Angie Hendricks, president and chief executive of Bentley Hedges Travel Services in Oklahoma City. “But I think it takes a lot of trust with each other, and that trust will allow us to go forward.”

Angie Hendricks and Nadia Keza are two women who live worlds apart but were brought together on the principle that business can create peace. The Oklahoma City-based Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women touts the idea that women are the key to development through emerging economies. The institute’s Peace through Business program is designed to provide long-term business education to women entrepreneurs in Rwanda and Afghanistan.

Read the rest.

From The Tulsa World:

An official with a Tulsa organization that provides services to victims of domestic and sexual violence said Wednesday that a $426,335 federal grant will make a dramatic difference for clients.

Donna Mathews, associate director of Domestic Violence Intervention Services, said the organization has not had funds to provide client assistance.

Mathews said the new federal money will be used over the next three years to help clients deal with costs such as late utility bills or car repairs.

Read the rest.

From NewsOK:

Vynomma Argo spent the last four years of her life in her bedroom after breaking a hip. She had no family, few friends, and she spent her last days trying to figure out the fate of her million-dollar estate.

“One day she just told me, ‘I decided what I’m going to do. I’m going to give it to the Red Cross,’” said Leonard Sullivan, Argo’s friend and her estate administrator.

She said it was because of a memory more than 60 years old. She saw the kindness of Red Cross workers during World War II.

Read the rest.

From The Oklahoma Daily:

Students looking to volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Norman will notice changes in the program as the economy affects the organization’s budget and, consequentially, fewer matches are made.

The nonprofit organization is funded through donations and helps younger children find mentoring and friendship from young adults, typically at the college level.

Diane Murphree, area director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Cleveland County, said their usual fall matching of 200 to 300 “bigs” to “littles” is estimated to drop to 50 to 60 matches this fall.

Read the rest.