Support Okie Film "Baking Alaska" via Kickstarter

Heard of Kickstarter - the funding platform for creative projects? 

Now YOU can use Kickstarter to support an Okie woman - documentary film maker Kari Barber - who is making a documentary film about two strong-headed Oklahoma sisters from Moore, Oklahoma who travel to Alaska to open a bakery.

Filming is complete and Kari has hired an Oklahoma composer and an Alaskan one. She hopes to  have the film totally finished by January 1st and will be sending it for color and audio correction services in January to have it ready to begin submitting to festivals by February 1st and planning screening events next spring as well.  

Funds raised through Kari's Kickstarter account will pay for the composer, sound and color technicians, and festival fees.  Become a supporter of this fun Oklahoma film about Oklahoma women. 

They need $10,000, have raised $2,400 and have 20 days to go! A $25 donation gets you a digital (downloadable) copy of the film. Give more and get other fun rewards. Check it out at  http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1192822328/baking-alaska-almost-done?ref=card

Help Send Books to Impoverished Children in Meru, Kenya

Last June, I completed my 40th month as chair of the board of directors of the Oklahoma Women's Coalition --- and stepped off the board. We hired a full time Executive Director, Kristin Davis, in February so OWC is in great hands. I decided I was suffering from "founder's syndrome"  and decided to get out of Kristin way! 

Which let me return to my OTHER passion -- mission service in Central Kenya. 

Eight years ago a remarkable member of my church, Florence Mubichi, completed a Masters in Nursing and returned home to Kenya. Before leaving she said, "Come and see how God is working among my people.”  So in 2005, I was part of an 18-member mission team that renovated a children's ward at Maua Methodist Hospital near Florence's home. While there, I asked church leaders, "If I brought a mission team to Meru, what would you most want us to do?" Eager to promote a culture of reading, they asked for a community library.

Through the United Methodist Church's Volunteers in Mission office, I led a mission team to Kenya in 2006 and two more in 2007. The teams and other friends of the Mubichi family built the library; sent over  20,000 children's books and textbooks; purchased furnishings for the library; cataloged 5,000+ books, and provided support staff to the board of the Miriam Kanana Mubichi Foundation (MKMF) which was founded by the Mubichis in 2003 after the tragic death of their middle daughter (see http://mkmf.org/). 

Now I am working to ship 120 boxes to MKMF. The boxes contain children's books donated by Oklahoma students (for impoverished primary schools) and nursing textbooks donated by OU's College of Nursing (for the nursing school at Maua Methodist Hospital). Some boxes contain Florence Mubichi's personal belongings (she died March 22, 2010 from ovarian cancer while working on a PhD and teaching at OU -- see http://ow.ly/epT2P and http://ow.ly/epTf0 html).

A couple boxes hold teaching materials Dale and Sandi Troup will need once they reach Kenya October 23. You can read why they sold everything and moved with their 13 year old son to Kenya to volunteer with MKMF at http://thetroups.net/sandi/2012/04/kenya-longstory/. You can hear about all the things they will be doing in Kenya at http://thetroups.net/sandi/2012/04/mkmf/.

The boxes moved from my garage (see image) to a shipping firm to be weighed, measured and palletized. We anticipate the total shipping expenses to be $4,800. I have raised $1,400 so far. 

I invite you to join in this wonderful mission effort. You can donate $10 or more through the Seeds of Grace Foundation website (http://www.seedsofgracesite.com/).This 501(c)3 nonprofit was formed in the USA to support MKMF's work. Or you can mail a check to Seeds of Grace, PO Box 9534, Naperville, IL 60564. 

Whether this appeals to you or not, thank you very much for considering my request.  You can follow MKMF on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Miriam-Kanana-Mubichi-Foundation/49684509342, read the Troups' blogs at http://www.thetroups.net/, and follow my Twitter account, http://twitter.com/MeruMission, about Meru and MKMF. 

If you have questions, ideas, suggestions about this effort, leave a comment or email me at merumission@gemail.com.  
:-)

Marilyn Murrell & Angela Monson to be Inducted in Hall of Fame

On October 6, Okie women Marilyn Murrell, Angela Monson and Ophelia Gower (posthumously) will be inducted into the Oklahoma African-American Hall of Fame. The event will be held at the Jim Thorpe Museum and Event Center in Oklahoma City. See Ken Raymond's Oklahoman article "Seven to join the Oklahoma African-American Hall of Fame" at http://newsok.com/seven-named-to-oklahoma-african-american-hall-of-fame/article/3696134.

I am in the midst of revamping this site so please bear with me.  In the meantime, be advised that most of my "communication" takes place at Twitter.com/jeanwarner/.  I would love for you to follow me on Twitter! 

Kari Barber: Okie Filmmaker

Do you know about filmmaker Kari Barber and her current project? A native of Moore, Oklahoma and a graduate of Moore High School and OU, Kari (http://www.karilbarber.com) is making a documentary entitled "Baking Alaska" about two sisters who leave their stable lives in Oklahoma to open a bakery in Homer, Alaska. She will be filming in Alaska this summer; the film should be completed in December. Here is the film's website http://www.karilbarber.com/baking-alaska.php ...

a completed Kickstarter video http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1192822328/baking-alaska-a-documentary-film?ref=card/...

a recent interview http://www.ksbitv.com/all-about-you/with-kealey/Baking-Alaska-147615855.html.

and some ways to follow Kari's adventure as she makes this fun, inspiring documentary:

Blog (Tumbler): http://bakingalaska.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BakingAlaska

Twitter: @Baking_Alaska

Valerie Couch is Law Day Speaker

Oklahoma City University Law School Dean Valerie Couch is the speaker for this year's Law Day luncheon, May 1, at the Skirvin Hilton Hotel in Oklahoma City. This lady ROCKS!

Couch received a B.A. degree from the University of California and an M.A. degree in English from the University of Oklahoma. She then earned her J.D. degree from the University of Oklahoma College of law in 1983. She worked as a trial attorney with the Oklahoma City law firm of Hartzog Conger & Cason PC until 1999. At that time, she was appointed a Magistrate Judge for the U.S. District Court, Western District of Oklahoma in 1999. Couch recently gave up her federal judgeship to become Oklahoma City University's 12th law school dean -- and the law school's first female dean. She had taught as an adjunct faculty member at the law school since 2001.

Source (article and photo): The Journal Record