In addition to passing legislation and writing the budget, the Senate has other official duties. One of the most enjoyable of those responsibilities is when we have the opportunity to honor individuals or organizations whose achievements are a positive reflection on our entire state.
This past week, we gave unanimous approval to Senate Resolution 69, congratulating the Baptist Village Retirement Communities of Oklahoma for 50 years of operating retirement villages and commending their ministry of caring for senior adults.
Of course Owasso is home to one of those retirement communities, and I’ve often had the privilege of coming to visit with residents and share in celebrations such as Independence Day each year. It brings home how important it is to honor, respect and protect these men and women who have given so much to their families, their communities, their state and this nation.
The resolution we all co-authored and approved tells the story of how these retirement communities first started. It all began in the early 1950s, when the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma started researching the need for providing housing and health care to older adults. By 1955, they had budgeted funds and prepared to launch this new ministry. Many cities wanted that first retirement community, but Hugo was selected. A local couple, Will and Nora Baskett donated the land, tore up their feather bed to make pillows, gave 150 hens and all their S&H for the first utility carts and even made a personal loan. Because of their efforts, by 1957 construction was under way on the Hugo Golden Age Home, now called the Baptist Village of Hugo. The first residents were welcomed in 1958.
Next came Baptist Village of Oklahoma City, T. B. Lackey Manor Nursing center in 1965. In the 1970’s, the Baptist Village of Owasso was founded. In next decade, additional retirement villages were constructed in Ada, Cleveland, Madill and Okmulgee.
In 2003, the name was changed to Baptist Village Retirement Communities (BVRC), and a new Baptist Village of Broken Arrow was formed. BRVC also launched a new program called Loving, Inspiring, Nurturing, Caring (LINC), designed to link local Southern Baptist churches and retirement communities or nursing centers for the purpose of ministry.
By last year, BVRC employed over 750 Oklahomans and was ministering to more than 2,000 people every day with the mission to “Honor God by providing quality living and compassionate health care in a Christian environment.”
I am extremely proud of BVRC, and especially of the ministry and care provided to our citizens by the Baptist Village of Owasso. Their efforts not only benefit their residents—they also enhance our community and our state.
It is an honor to serve you in the in the State Senate. I can be reached by writing to Senator Randy Brogdon, Room 416, State Capitol, 2300 N. Lincoln Blvd, Oklahoma City, OK 73105, or by calling (405) 521-5566, or email at brogdon@oksenate.gov.
Respectfully,
Randy Brogdon
Senate District #34
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