Welcome Home. In the box office adventure, The Bucket List, Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson take on a list of things to do before they die. In Tulsa, Oklahoma, one of those things they might put on their list is to visit Clarehouse. Clarehouse is a non-profit home providing caregiver support for hospice patients. This month, it will launch its largest effort yet to improve the care of the dying in the Tulsa area.

The announcement of the new "Welcome Home" campaign will be made at a kick-Off luncheon Feb. 28, hosted by Campaign Chair Robin Ballenger at Tulsa Country Club.

The campaign will fund the construction of a 10 bedroom purpose-built home at 76th and Mingo Ave. Once the new home is built, guests can live out their final days comfortably in a natural environment with easy access to the outdoors.

They will enjoy a spa room for pain relief and relaxation. Their loved ones will be comforted in large bedrooms with plenty of space to spend the night. Additional features will include intimate areas for family gatherings, quiet places for reading and thinking, a garden with wooded paths that lead to a labyrinth and a chapel. The campaign will also establish a Buildings and Programs Endowment and fund operations for the first three years.

Guests come to Clarehouse in their final weeks of life, when the physical and emotional demands on caregivers become overwhelming, or, as is often the case, when there simply is no caregiver available to meet the 24 hours a day needs of a dying person.

Clarehouse has recently been recognized nationally with the "Innovation in Hospice Care Award" presented by the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association. Clarehouse guests enjoy the "next-best-thing" to home as staff becomes an extension of the family. While living at Clarehouse, each guest receives care from his or her hospice of choice. Clarehouse has been in operation since the fall of 2003 and is pleased to have served more than 650 guests and their families. With a 100 percent charitable mission, Clarehouse charges no fees for services.

Clarehouse champions the highest quality end of life care by providing support, partnership, leadership and resources.

For a speaker to talk about the Campaign to your group, call Wendy Thomas at 477-7079. For more information about the "Welcome Home" campaign or about Clarehouse, go to www.clarehouse.org.

New Project to Promote Local Foods in Green Country. "Cultivating Good Food for Good Health in Green Country" is a new long-term project that will help ensure Oklahomans have convenient access to healthy and affordable Oklahoma-produced foods. The USDA's Community Food Projects program has awarded a three-year $299,996 grant to the project, which is a partnership of eleven Oklahoma nonprofit organizations and agencies.

"This grant award provides the Oklahoma Sustainability Network a tremendous opportunity to help Oklahoma in several ways," said Chad Settle, OSN Board Member. "The grant allows us to help communities in Oklahoma with food production, educational opportunities about Oklahoma-produced foods and increased access to fresh and healthy foods, all while stimulating Oklahoma's economy. This would not be possible without all of our grant partners, and OSN is grateful to each of them for helping us implement the program."

Low-income residents will obtain nutritious foods more easily under the program and new community gardens, where urban residents can grow their own fresh produce, will be established in low-income neighborhoods in the Tulsa area. Meanwhile, existing community gardens will benefit from improved infrastructure.

Business opportunities for Oklahoma farmers and producers also will be enhanced. Better business practices results in increased direct sales of Oklahoma foods to Oklahoma customers. The project team will also identify information about successful state Beginning Farmer Programs and share it with state administrators, policy makers and other stakeholders with the eventual goal of creating a Beginning Farmer Program in Oklahoma to assist those just starting their own farming operations.

Oklahoma food will be promoted with an enhanced "Buy Fresh, Buy Local" campaign. This campaign encourages consumers to purchase locally-produced foods with a promotional campaign and a local food guide. The "Buy Fresh, Buy Local" campaign will be expanded to at least two other Oklahoma communities following the initial promotion in Green Country.

"Much of the food produced in Oklahoma is exported out of the state for consumption by people who live elsewhere. At the same time, many Oklahomans confront hunger and cannot find convenient and nutritious food that is reasonably priced," said Seneca Scott, OSN Past-President. "The new program in Green Country aims to address this situation."

Public Input Sought for Title V Maternal and Child Health Block Grant. Officials with the Oklahoma State Department of Health seek comments from the public regarding a federal grant that provides important health services to mothers and children.

Public input is needed for the development of a State Plan for Services for the Maternal and Child Health Block Grant (Title V of the Social Security Act) for the 2009 fiscal year. The grant provides federal funds for the Maternal and Child Health program, whose primary goal is to improve the health status of pregnant women, mothers, infants and children, including those with special health care needs. Funds from the block grant assure that these groups, particularly those with low income or with limited availability of services, have access to quality maternal and child health care services.

Comments must be received before May 1. Comments should be forwarded to: Suzanna D. Dooley, M.S., A.R.N.P., Title V MCH Director, Maternal and Child Health Service, Oklahoma State Department of Health, 1000 N.E. 10th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73117; email: suzannad@health.ok.gov or phone

(405)271-4480.

Ninth Annual Excelencia Awards Dinner in March. The Greater Tulsa Hispanic Chamber of Commerce hosts the 9th Annual Excelencia Awards Dinner, the main fundraising event of the year, Thurs., March 27, from 6:30-9pm at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 100 E. 2nd St.

Excelencia Awards recognize key business and community leaders who have supported the mission of the Greater Tulsa Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. The awards are:

Avance Award--Small Hispanic Business of the Year

Bendaña Amigo Award--Community Leader of the Year

Adelante Award--Corporate Partner of the Year

For additional information and for sponsorship opportunities, call the Chamber's offices at 664-5326.

Locust Grove Alternative Learning to Host Veteran Memorial. Locust Grove Public Schools and Locust Grove Alternative Learning are pleased to announce that they have been selected to host the Moving Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in April 2008. The Wall, which will be located at Leonard Yarbrough Stadium (Hwy. 82 north of Hwy 412), will open for round-the-clock viewing the evening of Thurs., April 17, and will remain open until noon on Mon., April 21. An opening ceremony is planned for 10am on Fri., April 18, and a ceremony to honor veterans is planned for 10am on Sat., April 19. Vietnam Veterans Association 524 and Vietnam Veterans Association 877 will conduct the Missing Man Ceremony and the Tiger Cage Ceremony on Saturday, and a Flag Retirement Ceremony will be conducted that evening. There will be a closing ceremony at 2pm Sunday, April 20.

According to project director and Alternative Learning principal Marsha Whalen, the Moving Wall has been displayed in 1,104 communities across the United States since 1983.

Further information about The Wall's visit to Locust Grove including contact information for volunteers and events, can be found on the project website lgvietnammovingwall.com.