Busking for progress

Tulsa charities creatively respond to anemic funding

How would you feel if you had to perform for your dinner? 

“Busking” is hard work. These improvisational street performances are pretty common in many American cities, though less so in Tulsa. Urban legend has it that people like Jay-Z, Dr. Dre, Bob Hope and Jimmy Buffett rocketed to fame and fortune by busking. 

Buskers have no promotion, no supporting crew, no financial guarantee. They rely on the donations of passing strangers to survive, and nothing is certain. Sadly, two of Oklahoma’s most important services—education and women’s health—rely heavily on charities that operate in a similar manner. 

Supporting teachers

The Pencil Box (916 W. 23rd St.) is a free, non-profit store where teachers can find supplies for their students and classroom.

“We believe all students deserve quality school and art supplies,” director Nancy Bolzle told me. “The purpose of our program is to offer to disadvantaged students a wide variety of materials that support productive learning and equalize the classroom for all students.” 

Bolzle said Tulsa teachers spend an average of $500 to $1,000 or more each year out-of-pocket to provide their students and classrooms with necessary supplies the state can’t afford to cover. Oklahoma Watch ranks our state 47th in the nation for education funding.

The Pencil Box’s shelves stay stocked with support from national and local businesses, foundations and individual donors. Eligible schools include public and non-profit schools with at least 70 percent of their students enrolled in the National School Lunch Program. Participating teachers pay a $35 annual fee, which helps provide a financial base for the program and creates a vested engagement between teachers and the store. Teachers from public and non-profit schools, eligible and not, can earn a shopping trip each month by volunteering three hours in the store. 

Oct. 15, The Pencil Box will host a gala fundraiser called Cocktails for Crayons. 

Women’s health

This month, Dina Fine Maron wrote in Scientific American that our country’s maternal mortality rate has more than doubled in the past few decades.

Community Service Council (CSC) is working to change that. CSC is the “think and do tank” for social services in Green Country. According to its studies, the mortality rate for mothers as they’re giving birth is higher in Oklahoma, on a per capita basis, than in any other state in America. CSC recently released “Mothers,” an intriguing documentary (narrated by me and created by Voice contributor Matt Phipps) about the health of moms in Oklahoma. 

National comparison shows that Oklahoma devotes among the fewest public dollars to women’s reproductive health and young children. Planned Parenthood of the Heartland (PPH), the longstanding and dogged organization that provides tangible assistance in many forms to women and families, is funded almost exclusively by private donors. 

Hence, more busking. Thurs., June 18 at Dust Bowl Lanes & Lounge, PPH will host its first-ever charity night, Blue Whale Bowl, in partnership with the Blue Whale Comedy Festival.

In addition to the fun, PPH executive Kate Neary-Pounds said the event would help “bring awareness to the importance of accessible, quality reproductive and sexual health care for men, women and teens in Tulsa.” 

Emceed by comedian and Tulsa native Josh Fadem with DJs Johnny Pemberton and Spencer LG, Blue Whale Bowl runs from 8 p.m. to midnight. See the Voice’s festival guide for details.

For more from Ray, read about his run-in with local rail cops and his update on building Tulsa's cycling culture.