Collaboration with other agencies moves vision forward
LAWTON — Bernita Taylor has devoted the past 22 years to preventing teenagers and young adults from falling into the pitfalls she experienced.
Taylor was a runaway at 15 and gave birth to her four children by the time she was 20. She and her children lived in low-income housing in Lawton, but they didn’t stay long. As a young single mother, Taylor set her sights on education and eventually earned her associate, bachelor’s and a master’s degrees while also working full-time.
Because of her life example, her four children graduated from college in various fields of study and currently have high-level management jobs.
In 2001, Taylor decided to do something on a larger scale to help others who were about to experience some tough times. That’s when the fiery, self-motivated Lawton native started Might Community Development Resource Center along with the aid of Dr. Linda Williamson who believed in Taylor’s vision. Williamson provided Might with free office space after the nonprofit left Taylor’s home. At the time, the staff was Taylor and a secretary.
In 2003, the nonprofit agency became incorporated and committed itself to developing a collaborative effort with other agencies, churches and nonprofits to serve the community’s needs in terms of housing, transportation, food, clothing and physical and mental health. In today’s environment, the agencies have expanded their focus to include human trafficking and its potential impact on families.
“The goal has been to provide for the entire family at one location, whether it’s for the parents, their little kids or the teens,” said Taylor who is now 61. “We try to provide resources for whatever they need, and if we don’t have it, we find the resources for them.”
That’s where networking with other agencies, churches and nonprofits fits into the overall picture.
“There’s a great collaboration going on in Lawton right now,” Taylor said. “We pool our resources and cut down on duplicate services. That allows us to be more effective and efficient.”
Might CDRC meets once a month with all other groups to discuss strategies that will allow them to help more people with different needs. In addition, Might is working with 16 counties in southwestern Oklahoma to duplicate efforts that began in Lawton more than two decades ago.
“The goal is still the same and that is to use a collaborative effort to assess the needs within a community,” Taylor said. “We want to use the resources that are there and then monitor the situation and assess where the gaps are.”
At Might CDRC, located at 714 SW 45th in Lawton, Taylor and her staff use their experience and expertise to serve the entire family because parents and children have different needs. The staff employs a family game night that allows parents, children and teens to be with peers.
“Sometimes parents feel like they’re the only ones going through certain problems with their kids,” Taylor said. “By having family game night, they see they’re not the only ones having those problems.”
Many parents realize the problems with teens may be more common than they originally thought. These connections are designed to help adults become better parents and the teens and younger children to be more successful in school and the community.
“We’ve seen so many kids graduate and enjoy life successes,” Taylor said. “We have two this year with one going to Cameron University and the other one going to the Marines. We’ve had one student who went to West Point and others who graduated from college, join the military and some who have become dental assistants.”
When teens become involved with Might CDRC they are involved in community service programs, such as summer feeding sites set up for younger students who might not have three meals a day.
“They feed the kids, bring the dishes back and then wash them,” Taylor said. “It teaches them life skills. We do so many things that everyone from zero to the grave can achieve their best life potential.”
One of those projects is a community garden which was developed and maintained by students. They who worked the ground, planted the seeds and later harvested vegetables such as cucumbers, tomatoes, squash, watermelons, cantaloups and strawberries, Taylor said.
An estimated 20 students are in the teen program at Might and 99 children are enrolled in the agency’s child care center. Taylor tries to stay away from government grants as a source of funding since grants tend to “dry up.” Might typically relies on donations and the Oklahoma Department of Human Services which pays for the children who attend the day care center.
Future plans include the construction of a day center for homeless people in Lawton and housing for homeless teens. Those plans, which include funding initiatives, are still in the works, Taylor said.
For more details, visit www.mightcdrc.org, email mightTLC@gmail.com, or call (580) 595-4808.