The Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation on Tuesday celebrated the completion of a yearlong campaign modeled after the statewide tour that helped birth the foundation shortly after World War II.
More than 300 Oklahomans attended a wrap-up event at the Oklahoma History Center for OMRF’s “77 for 77” campaign, in which President Andrew Weyrich, Ph.D., visited all 77 Oklahoma counties during OMRF’s 77th anniversary year.
“The result of all those miles is thousands more Oklahomans becoming familiar with the medical research that has belonged to them all along,” said Former First Lady Cathy Keating, a statewide chair of the campaign along with former First Lady Kim Henry and former Oklahoma Govs. Brad Henry and Frank Keating.
Kim Henry, a former teacher, is executive director of the Sarkeys Foundation, which donated science kits to seventh-grade classrooms around the state as part of the campaign. “Most importantly through this effort, we made connections with Oklahoma students who may grow up to be Oklahoma’s next generation of scientific leaders,” she said.
On Aug. 28, 1946, the Oklahoma Secretary of State approved OMRF’s charter. Shortly thereafter, the Oklahoma City biomedical foundation launched its initial campaign. Organizers divided the state into 25 districts to raise awareness and funds. Oklahomans responded with 7,500 donations totaling more than $2 million, enough to begin building and staffing OMRF’s headquarters.
Over the past year, OMRF celebrated the anniversary of its founding by holding 25 public events, one in each of the original districts. Unlike the OMRF’s founding tour, though, these events were focused not on fundraising but, rather, on expressing gratitude to all who have supported the foundation.
“My greatest joy from recreating that campaign was meeting the people who’ve been touched by OMRF in countless ways,” Weyrich said. “We launched this tour with the idea of thanking all the Oklahomans, past and present, who have been instrumental to our growth. But along the way, we discovered people all over the state who wanted to thank us.”
The statewide tour included meetings at iconic spots from Pete’s Place near McAlester to the Marland Mansion in Ponca City to Woolaroc near Bartlesville. Mascots for Oklahoma State University and the University of Oklahoma showed up for 77 for 77 events in Stillwater and Norman, respectively.
During the closing event, Weyrich announced that the foundation successfully met a $77,000 challenge grant from Ann-Clore Duncan and OMRF Director Walt Duncan IV of Oklahoma City, whose gift required that OMRF receive a donation from all 77 counties.
At the event, U.S. Rep. Stephanie Bice (OK-05) noted that OMRF has received more than $500 million in National Institutes of Health grants over the past 20 years.
“OMRF scientists bring in more funding per capita than any other organization in the state,” Bice said. “These federal investments have yielded significant returns for Oklahomans and for all Americans.”
For information about OMRF’s 77 for 77 campaign, visit omrf.org/77.
