Got to attend TEDxOKC yesterday

I got to attend the TEDxOKC event yesterday. A surprise speaker was Oklahoman and New York Times reporter Anthony Shadid (recently released from captivity in Libya). His remarks were off the cuff and so transparent and personal and moving. Made you proud of American journalists.

Because of my mission interest in Meru, Kenya, I loved presentations by Ryan Groves, co-founder and executive director of Wishing Well: Water for the World and a senior at Oklahoma Christian University and by Letha Sandison, founder of Wrap Up Africa (WUA) - a business model that uses market resources as a sustainable means to aid development issues, fight poverty and mitigate the suffering experienced by Uganda’s cancer patients. I was also moved by the performance by Andrew Ranson and David Bowden.  Bowden is a 23-year-old Oklahoma City poet who inspires individuals to care for the needy throughout the world. He is also Executive Director of the non-profit “Give a Goat." His style is reminiscent of the 50's Beat poets. Check out the amazing lyrics to the poem he performed - One Drop - by clicking here.

But I also LOVED performance poet Lauren Zuniga (check out the lyrics to her Girl: exploded) and founder of The 105 Degrees Cafe Matthew Kenney (and the fab food they served during the day) and Oklahoma City district judge Twyla Gray (awesome talk) and the update on all things Cloud from native Oklahoman - now Google employee - Josh Woodward. Actually everyone was terrific and I loved the artists working in the lobby and the displays and the networking with old and new friends between sessions. I have to say though that the two who got the greatest standing ovations were probably Okahoma's amazing Dr. David Albert and Kyle Dillingham.

Let's all pray for a TEDx2012. And PLEASE people if you STILL know what TED is (as in Ideas Worth Spreading) for goodness sake do yourself a favor and CLICK HERE.