Tulsa Shock and Williams Honor Women of Inspiration
July 27, 2011 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Tulsa Shock News Release
TULSA, Okla. (July 27, 2011) - This season, Williams and the Tulsa Shock will honor five amazing women who are making a difference in our community with the 2011 Williams Women of Inspiration Award. Williams and the Tulsa Shock believe it is important to recognize the positive influence, service and dedication women have in the lives of youth and our community.
The Tulsa Shock organization sought nominations from 35 local non-profits, season ticket holders, and made nomination forms available to fans during home games. The five female honorees, along with other women in the community, were nominated by their peers, family members or colleagues for their hours of dedicated community service and the inspirational way they live their lives.
"Williams is proud to partner with the Tulsa Shock, a team of women who inspire others through their professional and community dedication," said Alison Anthony, director of Diversity & Community Relations and president of the Williams Foundation. "A Shock game is the perfect venue to celebrate some of Tulsa's most inspirational women."
The women who will be honored at the Tulsa Shock 7:00 pm game on July 28th at the BOK Center are listed below.
The 2011 honorees are:
* Sheila Harbert - Chief Girl Scouts Beyond Bars Officer, Girl Scouts of Eastern Oklahoma
* Yvonne Hovell - Owner and General Manager, Dodge Chrysler Jeep of Tulsa
* Felecia Jackson - Executive Director, The Margaret Hudson Program
* Ebony Johnson - Co-Principal, McLain High School
* Toni Keltner - Community Volunteer and Founder, Shower of Hope Oklahoma
"The Tulsa Shock is proud to partner with Williams to recognize deserving inspirational women in our community. Our players are everyday role models for thousands of young female athletes and we share Williams' commitment to embrace diversity and empower women," Tulsa Shock President Steve Swetoha said.
Each Woman of Inspiration will be honored with an engraved gift, a $50 Wild Fork Restaurant gift and a $100 Ihloff Salon & Day Spa gift certificate.
Coach Teresa Edwards will address the honorees, nominees, and those who submitted nominations at a pre-game reception hosted by Williams and the Tulsa Shock on Thursday
To attend the Williams Women of Inspiration game on July 28th, please contact the Tulsa Shock office at (918) 949-9700 or www.tulsashock.net.
Below are the accomplishments of the nominees:
Sheila Harbert is the Program Director of Girl Scouts Beyond Bars (GSBB) at Girl Scouts of Eastern Oklahoma. Ms. Harbert helps reconnect children to their mothers due to the separation caused by incarceration. Prior to serving as Director of Girl Scouts Beyond Bars, Ms. Harbert spent five years as program manager and spent 10 years working with incarcerated females and their families as a Oklahoma Department of Corrections volunteer. Under Ms. Harbert's direction, Girl Scouts of Eastern Oklahoma' GSBB program grew to become one of the most comprehensive GSBB programs by adding a mother/son and reentry program to its successful format of serving incarcerated families. Ms. Harbert oversees a range of programs and services such as nurturing parenting, vocational training and cognitive behavior classes. Ms. Harbert was nominated by Jarimar Dizano, Ariyonne and Anisha Adams.
Yvonne Hovell is the owner and General Manager of Dodge Chrysler Jeep of Tulsa. Ms. Hovell is the only African American female dealer in the country. She is a community philanthropist who supports Habitat for Humanity's "Women Builds" project; a project of Habitat homes built solely by women which provides local residents the opportunity to own their own homes. Ms. Hovell recently received the honor of being named one of "Journal Record's 50 Making a Difference". She has served on the Tulsa Parks and Recreation, YWCA of Tulsa and the Mental Health Association of Tulsa boards. She was nominated by Carmela Hill.
Felicia Jackson serves as the Executive Director of The Margaret Hudson Program, a school that provides services for 200-250 pregnant and parenting teens each year. Ms. Jackson founded the Girlzlife Academy, a nonprofit organization that provides education and support for young girls and teens in the areas of self-esteem, self-confidence and goal setting. Ms. Jackson was nominated by Karen Davis.
Ebony Johnson is McLain High School co-principal and has touched many lives with her kindness and dedication to education. Ms. Johnson and her dedicated academic team have worked tirelessly to improve the ACT and SAT scores of their students and they have made successful improvements in increasing the collegiate acceptance rate for their high school seniors. She was nominated by Cathy Cox, the school nurse.
Toni Keltner is a stay at home mom with two young sons and community volunteer who began helping tornado victims after the devastating tornado in Piedmont, OK. Keltner started the Shower of Hope Oklahoma Facebook page asking friends to spread the word and "Like It". With over 468 followers Keltner was able to gather donations from companies that sent cribs, furniture, clothing and care packages for disaster victims with tremendous love and generosity. She was nominated by her sister Kasey Lardizabal.
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