warreng88
12-30-2010, 07:45 AM
Nothing huge, but at least there is a little infill on that northside.
New life for Limbs: Nonprofit moving to Bricktown
By April Wilkerson
Journal Record
Posted: 08:37 PM Wednesday, December 29, 2010
OKLAHOMA CITY – An Oklahoma nonprofit organization with a global reach is moving its headquarters to Bricktown.
Limbs for Life Foundation is renovating space at 218 E. Main, leasing part of a building owned by Crafton Tull architecture. Leaders of Limbs for Life, which provides financial support to people needing prosthetic limbs, say the move will give them more room and visibility for their efforts.
“We have a great need for public awareness, and I think this location will help with that,” said Pam Timmons, director of development for Limbs for Life. “Anytime people visit Oklahoma, they come to Bricktown, so we think it will give us more visibility to other states.”
The move also will double the space the organization now has, providing an area to store donated prosthetic limbs. The organization now rents storage space at a warehouse in Guthrie. The Bricktown space provides between 3,000 and 4,000 square feet.
“We’ll be able to keep everything in one place,” said Ryan McGhee, public relations director for Limbs for Life. “We won’t have to drive to Guthrie anymore to get limbs to send to people, and we’ll be saving money on storing things there.”
Limbs for Life also is getting a financial break on its new office. Timmons said Crafton Tull is allowing the organization to go rent free until it meets its costs of building out the space. Limbs for Life plans to move into its new office by the middle of January.
Limbs for Life began 15 years ago, and its efforts have grown worldwide. In the United States, the organization provides financial help for at least 200 people a year. Some people don’t have insurance, and for those who do, the policy often won’t cover the entire cost of a prosthetic or fund a replacement when one wears out.
“For a struggling family, even if they do have insurance and it pays for 80 percent of it, there’s still 20 percent at an average of $20,000,” Timmons said. “That’s a lot of money.”
In the United States, about half of Limbs for Life’s work is in Oklahoma and Texas; the rest is split among other states. The organization works with clinics, paying them for the prosthetic while the medical professionals donate part of their labor.
“We’re a financial bridge between a patient and the prosthetic care they need,” McGhee said. “Usually we’re able to pay for a prosthetic for about 10 percent of what people would pay if they went through insurance.”
The work is especially gratifying to the organization when it involves children. Timmons said the organization is now helping a young girl from Watonga named Faith. She was born with parts of all four limbs missing.
“Can you imagine keeping prosthetics on all four limbs of a growing child?” Timmons said.
In the United States, Limbs for Life operates on a budget of about $800,000 – all private donations, Timmons said. Giving has been down the last couple of years, she said, but things are looking up for 2011.
For the organization’s overseas work, it receives about $4 million worth of used prosthetics every year. Because prosthetic limbs cannot be reused in the United States, Limbs for Life has found an overseas use, working with clinics in countries like Turkey and the Dominican Republic. Earlier this year, Limbs for Life Executive Director Craig Gavras traveled to Haiti to help fit 67 people with prosthetics after they lost limbs in the country’s devastating earthquake.
Jeannette Smith, executive director of the Bricktown Association, said Limbs for Life is a welcome addition to the district, and one that provides diversity. Smith said the area didn’t see many new office tenants in 2010, so the investment is greeted with open arms.
“We like to see that variety come into the neighborhood,” she said. “It’s a good thing for everyone. I think they’ll be an added value for other businesses as they bring people to the area.”
New life for Limbs: Nonprofit moving to Bricktown
By April Wilkerson
Journal Record
Posted: 08:37 PM Wednesday, December 29, 2010
OKLAHOMA CITY – An Oklahoma nonprofit organization with a global reach is moving its headquarters to Bricktown.
Limbs for Life Foundation is renovating space at 218 E. Main, leasing part of a building owned by Crafton Tull architecture. Leaders of Limbs for Life, which provides financial support to people needing prosthetic limbs, say the move will give them more room and visibility for their efforts.
“We have a great need for public awareness, and I think this location will help with that,” said Pam Timmons, director of development for Limbs for Life. “Anytime people visit Oklahoma, they come to Bricktown, so we think it will give us more visibility to other states.”
The move also will double the space the organization now has, providing an area to store donated prosthetic limbs. The organization now rents storage space at a warehouse in Guthrie. The Bricktown space provides between 3,000 and 4,000 square feet.
“We’ll be able to keep everything in one place,” said Ryan McGhee, public relations director for Limbs for Life. “We won’t have to drive to Guthrie anymore to get limbs to send to people, and we’ll be saving money on storing things there.”
Limbs for Life also is getting a financial break on its new office. Timmons said Crafton Tull is allowing the organization to go rent free until it meets its costs of building out the space. Limbs for Life plans to move into its new office by the middle of January.
Limbs for Life began 15 years ago, and its efforts have grown worldwide. In the United States, the organization provides financial help for at least 200 people a year. Some people don’t have insurance, and for those who do, the policy often won’t cover the entire cost of a prosthetic or fund a replacement when one wears out.
“For a struggling family, even if they do have insurance and it pays for 80 percent of it, there’s still 20 percent at an average of $20,000,” Timmons said. “That’s a lot of money.”
In the United States, about half of Limbs for Life’s work is in Oklahoma and Texas; the rest is split among other states. The organization works with clinics, paying them for the prosthetic while the medical professionals donate part of their labor.
“We’re a financial bridge between a patient and the prosthetic care they need,” McGhee said. “Usually we’re able to pay for a prosthetic for about 10 percent of what people would pay if they went through insurance.”
The work is especially gratifying to the organization when it involves children. Timmons said the organization is now helping a young girl from Watonga named Faith. She was born with parts of all four limbs missing.
“Can you imagine keeping prosthetics on all four limbs of a growing child?” Timmons said.
In the United States, Limbs for Life operates on a budget of about $800,000 – all private donations, Timmons said. Giving has been down the last couple of years, she said, but things are looking up for 2011.
For the organization’s overseas work, it receives about $4 million worth of used prosthetics every year. Because prosthetic limbs cannot be reused in the United States, Limbs for Life has found an overseas use, working with clinics in countries like Turkey and the Dominican Republic. Earlier this year, Limbs for Life Executive Director Craig Gavras traveled to Haiti to help fit 67 people with prosthetics after they lost limbs in the country’s devastating earthquake.
Jeannette Smith, executive director of the Bricktown Association, said Limbs for Life is a welcome addition to the district, and one that provides diversity. Smith said the area didn’t see many new office tenants in 2010, so the investment is greeted with open arms.
“We like to see that variety come into the neighborhood,” she said. “It’s a good thing for everyone. I think they’ll be an added value for other businesses as they bring people to the area.”