ODOC partners with Pawhuska church community to provide fans to indigent inmates
HOMINY, Okla. – We’re all familiar with the verse, “Ask and you shall receive.” The staff at Dick Conner Correctional Center in Hominy, Okla., had a need and took that request to the community.
“They are Christians and Oklahomans,” Warden Randy Harding said. “When you reach out your hand, you are going to get what you ask for.” DCCC desperately needed fans for indigent inmates. Without hesitation, nearly a dozen churches and charities in the area responded.
“Every church I called was ‘Yes and amen.’ We just collaborated with all the churches in Pawhuska and Celebrate Recovery,” Pawhuska minister Amanda Bickford said. The groups were able to raise the necessary $2,600 to buy 150 small fans for the men in need of summer relief. This week, they were delivered and distributed.
Cooler temperatures in the cells are important for mental health and safety. “With health needs, and behavioral right, what does heat do to you,” Bickford asked. “Just to be able to see their smiles and the hope behind it all, that’s why I do what I do.”
The fan campaign could not have come at a more urgent time, as July and August are typically the hottest months of the year. ODOC would like to express its heartfelt gratitude to the following churches and ministries for contributing to the fan drive.
- Vicki and Dale Grusing
- Pawhuska First Baptist
- Pawhuska Celebrate Recovery
- Pawhuska Bible Church
- Pawhuska Presbyterian Church
- Pawhuska Osage Indian Baptist
- Pawhuska Calvary Baptist
- Pawhuska Life Church
- Pawhuska Episcopal Church
