Back when there was only one computer in the building, an instructor at the Opportunities Industrialization Center of Oklahoma County realized that her students needed to become computer proficient to prepare for an evolving job market.
DesJean Jones said she pitched the idea of offering a computer literacy class, particularly because widespread internet accessibility meant computers would become vital tools in many workplaces.
Her idea resulted in one of the nonprofit’s more popular classes amid a wide range of educational opportunities for adult learners.
Jones is now executive director of OIC, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. She said there’s a reason the organization has been around for six decades.
“We have always been ‘people first,’ and that’s how we have navigated the winds of change in funding and in community needs,” Jones said.
“We have always made it a point to keep our finger on the pulse of what our community needs, and I think we still do today.”
Executive Director DesJean Jones talks to a class on Feb. 17 at the Opportunities Industrialization Center of Oklahoma County, also known as OIC of Oklahoma County, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary.
While the nonprofit’s official anniversary date is in December, Jones said the celebration recently began with “Rooted in Faith: Prayer, Consecration & Community Honors,” a community event held at New Hope Baptist Church-Midwest City. She said other anniversary events and activities will be held throughout the year.
The Rev. Jamal Bryant, senior pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest, Georgia, and nationally recognized minister, author and social justice leader, served as the event’s keynote speaker. Jones said the event focused on values including resilience, faith, community empowerment and hope; which have guided OIC of Oklahoma County’s mission since the late Dr. Charles Atkins started the nonprofit as a local affiliate of OIC of America.
OIC of America was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1964 by prominent civil rights leader the Rev. Leon H. Sullivan and 400 ministers in the area. The ministers were concerned that local residents did not have the skills and education needed to successfully compete for jobs.
Dr. Charles Atkins speaks to a group of students at Opportunities Industrialization Center (OIC) of Oklahoma City, currently known as Opportunities Industrialization Center of Oklahoma County.
Jones said OIC-Oklahoma County was not only the national organization’s third affiliate, but out of the more than 25 affiliates currently across the nation, it is one of only three that have been serving their communities for 60 years.
She said OIC is a school for adult students to help them get to the next phase of their lives.
The center helps adult learners who need to fill education or academic ‘gaps,'” she said. This could include classes to help them prepare for a General Educational Development (GED) test, which is a high school equivalency exam for people who didn’t finish high school. The nonprofit also offers adult basic education, workforce readiness, reentry services and technology training, all designed to help students succeed in the job market and in life.
“Sometimes, we say we are specialists in ‘gap education,'” Jones said. “Some people say ‘If my math was better, I could go do the electricians apprenticeship,’ well, we can help you with your math. It’s not just job placement but it’s also job exploration. The thing you are made to do, it’s in you. We can help you figure out what you’re supposed to be doing. We have a class for that called Exit to Success.”
Tariauna Davis reads a paper to the class at the Opportunities Industrialization Center of Oklahoma County on Feb. 17.
And, statistics show that the center is helping adult learners make their dreams come true. Jones said there are 300,000 Oklahomans 25 or older who are in need of a high school diploma. Many of them come through the doors of OIC, and 69% of those who come through OIC go on to college or career tech.
“Last year, we served more than 1,800 people,” Jones said.
“We believe every person can learn.”
The organization has also garnered more community support in the form of funding like private donations, private foundations, fundraisers and government grants, and Jones said she’s proud that the community partners with the nonprofit.
“When I started nine years ago as executive director, our budget was $250,000 and our budget is currently about $1.2 million,” she said.
Students pose for a class photo in the early years of the nonprofit now known as Opportunities Industrialization Center (OIC) of Oklahoma Couty.
Celebrating faith-filled roots
At the “Rooted in Faith” event, OIC paid tribute to several community leaders who have affected the nonprofit’s mission. The Rev. Lee Cooper Jr., senior pastor of Prospect Baptist Church, and the Rev. Derrick Scobey, senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, each received the Rev. W. B. Parker Community Award, which honors an individual whose life’s work reflects an exceptional and sustained commitment to community empowerment, service and leadership in Oklahoma County. The award is named after the late Rev. W.B. Parker, longtime community leader and pastor of Loving St. James Baptist Church in Spencer.
Tyler Green, with Flourish, and Caylee Dodson, executive director of Restore OKC, each received the Rev. J. Richard Hershberger Community Award, which honors an entity or organization that exemplifies excellence in community collaboration, cross-sector partnership and strategic leadership in Oklahoma County.
For more information about OIC of Oklahoma County, call 405-235-2651 or go to https://oicokc.org/.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OIC, Oklahoma nonprofit offering classes for adult learners, turns 60
