Gatesway Foundation Modernizes Broken Arrow Campus to Enhance Living Conditions for I/DD Community
$247,000 Needed to Secure Mabee Foundation Challenge Grant, Complete $7 Million Capital Campaign
Broken Arrow, OK, 10/28/24 – The Gatesway Foundation, a historic nonprofit institution serving the Intellectual and Developmental Disability (I/DD) Community in Oklahoma for more than 60 years, will renovate its Broken Arrow campus to improve the quality of life for its constituents.
Gatesway has provided critical housing and comprehensive wrap-around services annually for approximately 300 Oklahomans with I/DD, including autism and Down syndrome. In October 2023, the Foundation launched Setting Standards, a transformative $7 million capital campaign and housing improvement project. This initiative will create new homes on the Gatesway campus to provide individualized living solutions for all residents, enhance various programs, and expand existing services.
Approximately one-in-four adults live with a disability, and 13 percent of the U.S. population are members of the disability community. Adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities are often underserved, face poverty, and are at a heightened risk of homelessness. Through this project, Gatesway aims to change that by building safe, high-quality housing across Green Country, providing stability and support for those in need.
"Quality living conditions play a crucial role in enhancing the well-being of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, leading to improved health outcomes, reduced behavioral challenges, greater social integration, and better educational and employment opportunities," said Greg Arend, CEO of the Gatesway Foundation. "This project will enable us to modernize our housing and campus, originally built in the 1960s, ultimately fostering greater independence, well-being, and social inclusion for our residents, whom we proudly call our Friends."
The first phase includes the construction of four new 8-bed, 8-bath cottages to replace aging homes, along with a spacious outdoor pavilion and living area designed for social gatherings and recreational activities, seamlessly blending privacy with a sense of community. The multi-phase plan will fund critical campus improvements to existing campus housing, expanding various community offerings across campus, such as an exercise park and ADA-accessible splash pad.
The Foundation has successfully raised $6.7 million toward its $7 million goal and is now seeking the remaining $247,000 by Nov. 21, 2024 to unlock a substantial challenge grant from The Mabee Foundation to complete the campaign.
“We’re grateful for the generous support of individuals, charitable trusts, foundations, and corporations to date,” added Arend. “This challenge grant represents a vital opportunity to complete the project and make a lasting impact.”
The campaign has already received substantial support from community partners, including Morningcrest Healthcare Foundation, John and Sarah Graves, Inasmuch Foundation, William K. Warren Foundation, Hardesty Family Foundation, Regent Bank, Crossland Construction, Grace and Franklin Bernsen Foundation, Federal Home Loan Bank of Topeka, and the Pearl M. and Julia J. Harmon Foundation. More than $4 million in government grants and funding has been secured, with strict compliance and reporting requirements in place to ensure transparent fund management.
Gatesway Foundation is also seeking community support to complete the current fundraising goal through financial donations and in-kind donations of goods and services that directly impact the housing construction plan. Donations are accepted at www.gatesway.org/donate and a pledge of support may be made by contacting Sarah Frey, Project Manager, at grants@gatesway.org.
More information about the project can be found at www.gatesway.org/settingstandards
About Gatesway Foundation, Inc.: Gatesway is a non-profit Oklahoma agency that encourages independence and provides opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities to enable them to live and work in the community and improve their quality of life.
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