News
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Oklahoma brings Goode to Tulsa
02/18/2009
The Big Brothers Big Sisters of Oklahoma Amachi program will host a special evening with the Reverend Dr. W. Wilson Goode on Thursday, February 26, 5-7 pm at downtown Tulsa’s Boston Avenue United Methodist Church. Participants will be able to visit information booths from BBBSOK-Amachi and other participating organizations. Light refreshments will be served, and there will be a special address from Dr. Goode. This event is also free to the public.
Goode is the founder of Amachi, a national initiative with the mission of promoting mentorship for children with incarcerated parents. Since a 2006 partnership with BBBSOK began, Amachi has been growing and seeks to continue to provide mentors for children of promise.
After serving as an officer in the U.S. Army, Goode led ground-breaking work in faith-based housing for low and moderate income persons. He was the first African American member, and later became Chairman, of the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. He again broke racial barriers with his appointment as Managing Director for the City of Philadelphia and subsequently as the City’s first African American Mayor for two terms. He then spent 7 years as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Education under the Clinton Administration.
In 2000, he left his position at the U.S. Capital to organize what would become his ministry and life’s work, Amachi. Amachi is a Nigerian word meaning “Who knows but what God has brought us through this child?”
Oklahoma currently ranks number one in the nation for female incarcerations and number three for male incarcerations. Goode wanted to provide a different path for children with incarcerated parents by establishing the consistent presence of loving, caring mentors. In partnership with BBBSOK, it is funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services with the goal of matching at least 600 children over three years, and is designed to reach all areas served by BBBSOK.
Because of Dr. Goode’s innovative and ground-breaking work, in 2006 he received two prestigious awards: the Civic Ventures $100,000 Purpose Prize, and the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Citizen of the Year. He is an ordained Baptist Minister with 54 years of service at the First Baptist Church of Paschall located in southwest Philadelphia.
The vision of BBBSOK is to provide a mentor for every child who needs and wants one. The mission is to help children reach their potential through professionally-supported one-to-one mentoring relationships. To find out more about Big Brothers Big Sisters of Oklahoma Amachi program, visit the agency online at www.bbbsok.org or call State Amachi Director Hayley Garrison at 918-744-4400.