Rally Time

We are officially coming down the home stretch. I'm actually typing this during the annual 80's dance that occurs on the last night. But first, I must tell of how we got to here.

This morning was another early one. We awoke and were leaving our hotel in Stillwater by 7am sharp. It ended up being closer to 730, nonetheless, it was still early for us. We then headed toward the booming city of Enid. Our first stop in this town was AdvancePierre Foods. The company, founded in Enid in 1973, is one of the largest food manufacturers in the nation. They supply food for companies ranging from Braum's and Sonic to Applebee's and even schools. We got an inside tour of the factory. Let's just say that I will be second-guessing my food choices for the next week, at least. From there we visited the Integris Bass Baptist Hospital, the largest hospital/health center in the area. After a quick tour and some educational information about the health industry, we got to try our hand at surgery. They brought the patient in, made some incisions, and let us do some exploring and experimenting. Granted the patient was simply a bowl with a covering over it, imitating a laparoscopic surgery. (I had to look up that word so yeah. Its hard.) We then went down the street to Enid's new convention center, the Enid Event Center. This new multimillion dollar facility is incredible. Not only does it have a giant stage and huge event hall, but there is also an arena attached to it where anything from musical performances to basketball games take place. We were welcomed with lunch as some local LOK grads and politicians spoke to us about economic development. I'm not even kidding, Enid has it going on. Wow. I never thought I would say that, but they are killing it. I was so impressed with being there. You should definitely stop by and check out this booming town.

It was then nap time as we headed back to OKC. One of my favorite quotes is "Sleep is like a time machine. It takes you to the next thing that you are going to do." Naps are just the time machine needed as we traveled across this great state. For proof, check out the picture below.

Our first stop in OKC was the State Chamber. This is similar to a municipal or local chamber of commerce, except they only work with the state level. The State Chamber lobbies on behalf of business in Oklahoma, fighting for their rights and offering assistance. Around 75% of the companies they represent are actually small businesses, by every definition! Fred Morgan, the CEO, gave of a great talk about leadership and making the most of every opportunity you have. It was an awesome talk, especially for those of us who are still trying to figure out what to do with our lives (myself included). We then took a quick tour of Bricktown. We hopped on the ferries to take us around the Riverwalk area. I highly highly recommend taking a tour if you have the chance. Its unbelievable how much change has taken place in this are of OKC over the last few years. Its simply beautiful. From there we took a quick trip down the street to Sandridge to learn about the Oil & Gas industry in our state. Talk about $$$$. This portion of our trip also came with a special presentation by the one and only Renzi Stone. Renzi, who just so happens to be LeeAnne's husband, talked about his company, Saxum. Saxum is a company he founded that does creative consulting and PR/marketing for companies around Oklahoma. The company has continually grown and has been extremely successful within the past few years.

During this time, we got to learn a little bit more about the Stone family. Renzi and LeeAnne have 2 children, Jackson and Walker. But they also had another child, Isaiah. Isaiah was born only a few days after one of the YLOK trips that LeeAnne led. She literally went on the trip 39 weeks pregnant. Talk about a trooper. However, they noticed something was wrong with Isaiah shortly after he was born. Isaiah was diagnosed with epilepsy. After 11 months, Isaiah passed away due to complications from epilepsy. Renzi's talk did not focus on the sadness about what happened, but rather how to face real adversity and overcome it. It was an inspirational talk about making the most of everyday you have and not leaving anything behind. They are an amazing family who have been such a blessing to this great state. They have also been great advocates for CURE, an epilepsy research foundation, raising almost $200,000 since Isaiah's death. If you get the chance, check out their blog: http://renziandleeannestone.blogspot.com 

To close the day, we went back to the hotel where we began our week. It was now time for the 80s dance party. The outfits did not disappoint. Its been an amazing week and I am sad that tomorrow is the final day, but so grateful to have come on the trip.

Until next time,

Andy Stewart

Student, Optimist, aspiring Catalyst