Founder and Director, 3Raptor Consulting
Advocating for smaller businesses and nonprofits, Sara Orellana-Paape, founder and director of 3Raptor Consulting LLC, launched the firm in May 2018 to provide affordable guidance and resources to improve employer-employee relations and create policy and procedures unique to clients’ needs.
The firm, REI’s Hispanic Business of the Month in 2021, offers customized training in professionalism and presentation, as well as resume and cover letter instruction to identify and augment the characteristics of career-minded professionals to help them succeed.
Orellana-Paape, a first-generation Mexican American, earned her Bachelor of Arts in English literature from Rutgers University, and holds two Master of Science degrees: one in social and community services from Capella University and another in public health, concentrated on epidemiology from Kaplan University.
“I have used the public health model in every nonprofit that I have run since then because it makes so much sense and it works,” she said.
Orellana-Paape father was a computer programmer in the banking industry for more than 40 years. When his career was affected by the recession of 1993, he and the family moved back to his hometown Mexico City. While there, Orellana-Paape witnessed unspeakable acts of violence. “When we left in 1995, a progressive presidential candidate had just been assassinated and the country was in turmoil,” she said. “I became a completely different person. I learned the value of human life, the greatness of the United States and why people struggle and strive to come here.”
When the family returned, Orellana-Paape decided to further her education but sought a school with a rich American heritage.
“I wanted to go to a school that was grounded in our country and found Rutgers University,” she said. “Knowing that part of the Revolutionary War was fought on the campus just made it that much more appealing.”
Orellana-Paape is the first in her family to graduate college. “My parents cried and cried,” she recalled. “Mom proofread every paper; Dad cheered me on.”
After losing her grandfather to dementia in 2015, Orellana-Paape turned to the Alzheimer’s Association to help navigate her grief. The resources and guidance available prompted her to become more involved with the organization. She has served as a bilingual Community Educator since 2018 and Walk Coordinator for in Lawton and Ardmore.
“We need to understand that that person is still alive in there,” she said in 2021. “We need to treat them like people — like family members — and include them in conversations and allow them to be a part of life, because somewhere deep inside, they’re still aware of that.”
Orellana-Paape advocates for healthy living. Recently, she was called upon to assist a local fitness center with some paperwork. When she met owner, Grady Brewer, the opportunity to partner with the boxing champ gave Orellana-Paape a sense of atonement.
Earlier in her career, she had been responsible for creating behavioral modification plans for juvenile offenders who were on probation or parole.
“We lost some kids to the system because we couldn’t compete with the culture,” admits Orellana-Paape. “I see their faces regularly. What crushed me was when a 14-year-old was shackled and taken away for life for a crime he committed, but the crime he committed had also been done to him. So much trauma had changed him that he didn’t understand that he had done wrong. Nobody had gotten him any help, and now he’s locked away for life.”
When she discovered the underlying purpose of the gym and the support of its owner, Orellana-Paape became increasingly enthusiastic about the program.
“Grady invests in the kids who come into the gym,” she said. “He’s comped memberships for those who were unable to afford it, and he makes himself available to train. He’s giving them a positive place to work through their emotions. Maybe he’s just too humble to admit it, but he is literally saving lives every day.”
Orellana-Paape writes op-ed pieces for a local newspaper, blogs about professional development and her experiences. She has recently self-published her digital book, “21-Day Challenge: Developing a Positive Mindset.” Her next book, “Grow, Start and Maintain a Nonprofit Make Every Day Count,” published by Total Publishing is due out next month and she is working on a cookbook for those with food sensitivities.
In addition to her commitment to the Alzheimer’s Association, Orellana-Paape is state chair for the Oklahoma Healthy Brain Coalition, a graduate of Class XXX and board member for Leadership Lawton-Fort Sill, serves on the Mayor’s Commission on the Status of Women and Children, where she is in charge of the Steering and Citizen of the Month committees. She is a member of Lawton Business Women and is a graduate of Leadership Ardmore and Leadership Duncan.
Always promoting others, Orellana-Paape is reserved when discussing her own accolades. “I don’t need to be in the limelight,” she concluded. “My reward is to see others succeed. That’s my reward.”