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Greg  

After retiring from the Navy in 2000, Greg and his family transferred to Oklahoma City for a new job. “We were relatively debt free at the time, but through buying a house, keeping our old house, getting new appliances and some other generally bad living beyond our means, we ended up with a significant amount of credit card debt,” Greg explains.  

“We did a debt consolidation through our credit union, but it didn’t require us to get rid of any credit cards so we fell into the trap of running up the debt again.”

Greg and his family refinanced a second mortgage, at 125% of the value of the house, but still didn’t change their spending habits. “It was around that time that we visited Consumer Credit Counseling Services,” Greg explains. “We were having trouble paying bills and ready to go into foreclosure on our house in Texas.”

After visiting Consumer Credit Counseling Services, Greg and his family cut back on their lifestyle. They fixed up their house in Texas, which renters had destroyed, and put it on the market. Doing well at work, Greg received numerous bonuses which combined with the sale of their house helped pay down and in some cases paid off credit card debt.

Over time, the bad credit history has been removed from their credit records and Greg and his family are in a good financial position. Through the Consumer Credit Counseling Services program Greg and his family learned how to become financially stable and make good spending decisions while still living a comfortable lifestyle. 

Education

Early childhood education is critical to ensuring our community’s children are prepared for school. A quality preschool and kindergarten experience is necessary to making this a reality. United Way of Central Oklahoma believes the key to building a better community starts with our community’s  youth. Therefore we are focused on funding programs that provide unique learning environments preparing our children for school.

Celebrations Preschool is a multi-cultural, bilingual preschool and kindergarten. Many of the families who have children at Celebrations are low-income. The opportunity for non-English speaking students to learn in a safe, comfortable environment is an exceptional opportunity for these children. They are able to learn English while embracing their culture. Learning proper English and basic skills is preparing these students to enter the public school system at the appropriate level.

In addition to Celebrations, United Way of Central Oklahoma funds programs at Positive Tomorrows, an elementary school for homeless students that provides counseling and social services for the students and their families; Special Care, a childcare facility that provides inclusive, year-round direct care, educational, occupational, speech and physical therapy programs  to children with and without special needs; John W. Keys Speech and Hearing Center, a center that provides preschool for children with language and hearing impairment; and Sunbeam Family Services, who makes funds available to Oklahoma City Educare, an early childhood education program for disadvantaged children.

Independent Living

Every day thousands of baby boomers are retiring and our population is aging. But aging doesn’t have to mean a lack of involvement and independence. United Way of Central Oklahoma funds numerous programs focused on providing opportunities for elderly citizens to stay connected and active.

Right here in central Oklahoma, seniors have access to centers where they can participate in dancing, cards, dominoes, quilting, singing, light exercise, social activities, communal meals and so much more. Centers vary from community centers to full-care day centers, where family members can bring their loved ones for the day while they work.

Having these centers available allows our community’s seniors to remain active and independent. They are able to interact with their peers and maintain a lifestyle that is comfortable, and their family members can rest assured that they are in good hands and spending their day with friends.

In addition, United Way of Central Oklahoma funds programs that help our community’s disabled residents lead independent lives. These programs focus on providing work opportunities, as well as social, recreational and life skill activities.

Household Survey Results

United Way of Central Oklahoma is proud to present the results of our most recent Household Survey. The Household Survey is a biennial phone survey of residents of Oklahoma and Cleveland Counties designed to obtain a community perspective regarding our five focus areas in order to identify new or changing community needs and trends. This year, over 300 households were surveyed by the local firm of Cole, Hargrave, Snodgrass and Associates.

View the Household Survey Results