Youth Leadership Oklahoma: The Blog: One Day More

It was another early morning (just 7 am—we were all thankful it wasn’t 5:30 again though) for us and we immediately jumped on the bus to head to Enid. As soon as we arrived, we went straight to Leonardo’s Discovery Center. They recently finished half of their 6 million dollar renovations to the Center—we had the chance to pet a chinchilla, participate in a life-sized operation game, and play in Adventure Land, the world’s largest man made play place! It was nice to stretch our legs and imaginations at this interesting attraction!

After Leonardo’s, we drove to St. Mary’s hospital and heard from the hospital’s CEO Stan Tatum and a sales representative who showed us with 3D printed bones of the leg what a knee replacement looks like! There was a lot of drilling, many turned heads, and multiple questions after we were shown what really happens in the surgery. Stan Tatum, CEO of St. Mary's, talked to us about the health care industry, how politics are affecting the hospital and its doctors, and what he hopes the future will look like.

We left the hospital and headed straight to the Central National Bank of Enid Center. Many of you might know it as the Enid Event Center, but the name was officially changed on Tuesday! We were given a tour of the facility before being fed a delicious pasta lunch. The city of Enid was a great place to visit and we were so thankful for their hospitality.

It was then time to hop back on the bus and head back to where the journey began—Oklahoma City.

Our first stop was to the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum in remembrance of the victims of the Oklahoma City Bombing on April 19, 1995. The museum had just completed many new renovations including a new interactive forensics lab in which the students were able to not only study the forensics behind the case, but also apply skills and techniques to solve the crime. Walking throughout the museum was an experience unmatched by any other for some of our students. Even through tragedy, the resilience of the Oklahoma Community stood powerful and mighty.

Following the museum, we soon made our way to the Oklahoma Blood Institute for blood typing and information regarding the importance of blood donation throughout the state of Oklahoma. Each student had the opportunity to determine their blood type and even receive a free t-shirt from the blood institute!

After blood typing we made our way to Cattlemen's for our final dinner together as a class. We dined on steak, potatoes, and some incredible pieces of pie. During the final portion of our dinner, Lee Anne's husband Renzi shared with our students the opportunity they had to make a difference in Oklahoma right here and right now. He spoke of building his career and company in Oklahoma and those opportunities have afforded him great success. He asked the students what traits define a leader and what issues are facing the state of Oklahoma. It was incredible to hear of how their experiences within Youth Leadership Oklahoma opened their eyes to the fantastic areas of our state.

We finished up dinner and made our way to the hotel for our great tradition of a 1980s themed dance to end a fantastic week together. The costumes were incredible and the students truly enjoyed the fun night full of great fun and photo booth pictures. We had a few special guests arrive mid-dance as Lee Anne and Katie danced into the ballroom in full 80s gear while sporting a mullet wig. Photos are definitely attached for your entertainment.