Reporter

Matching Grant for Wildfire Victims. Massive wildfires in Creek and Payne counties earlier this year damaged 439 homes and burned more than 58,000 acres, leaving hundreds of Oklahomans displaced.

The Lobeck Taylor Family Foundation has offered a grant that will match, dollar-for-dollar, donations to the American Red Cross to support wildfire relief efforts up to $100,000 through Sept. 22.

Donations can be made online through the Tulsa Community Foundation website at tulsacf.org or at any of Bank of Oklahoma's 86 banking centers across the state.

Cycling Event Benefits MS Society. The National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society -- Oklahoma will hold the 27th Annual Bike MS: The Mother Road Ride presented by Sam's Club September 15-16.

More than 700 cyclists will ride between Tulsa and Oklahoma City, at a distance of approximately 150 miles, to help reach the $450,000 goal. The registration fee is $50, and cyclists are required to raise at least $300. All funds raised will support direct services and programs for the more than 3,400 individuals in Oklahoma living with MS and for national MS research to find a cure for this chronic disease of the central nervous system.

For more information, or to register for the Bike MS: Oklahoma: The Mother Road Ride, visit bikemsok.org or call 918-488-0882.

The Tulsa Convention Center Gets a New Tenant. The Defenders, a Tulsa-based indoor football team, has announced that its 2013 home season will be played at the Tulsa Convention Center Arena, 100 Civic Center, an SMG managed facility. Season tickets are expected to go on sale in October.

"We are thrilled to welcome the Defenders and their fans," said SMG General Manager John Bolton. "The Defenders are a great organization and will bring a lot of excitement downtown and to the Tulsa Convention Center."

The Defenders also announced they will be joining the new Champions Professional Indoor Football League (CPIFL), which includes Wichita Wild, Sioux City Bandits, Mid-Missouri Outlaws, and a new franchise in Kansas City. Additional teams are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

Art/Music Festival at Chandler Park. Thousands are expected to attend the second annual I AM Yoga, Art + Music Festival scheduled for Sept. 14-15 at Chandler Park, 6500 W. 21 St., Tulsa.

"Yoga is a holistic experience," said festival co-creator and yoga instructor Melissa Joy. "It's not just a body experience. It's not just a workout. It's not just a mind experience, but it's for your spirit as well. It incorporates the whole person. There's not much else that does that."

The I AM Festival is a unique, family-friendly, yoga, art, and music festival, with free outdoor yoga classes -- from beginner to power classes -- offered throughout the weekend and coordinated with ongoing live music from the event's main stage.

Also on the schedule are many interactive opportunities such as belly dancing classes, community art projects, dance classes, a drumming class, and various children's programs. Organizers say that people attending I AM will be "forward thinking individuals who have an open mind and are receptive to organic, local, sustainable products and services."

The event is sponsored by Synergy Holistic Health. Among the vendors will be Henna tattoo artists, massage therapists, jewelry artists, yoga wear sellers, various local businesses, and natural health practitioners.