The Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits (OKCNP) will host the 2021 Oklahoma Nonprofit Excellence (ONE) Awards on April 24, 2021, in Tulsa, with limited attendance. The event will be livestreamed on OKCNP’s website as well. Leading up to the event, OKCNP is celebrating the 21 Oklahoma nonprofit finalists in seven categories. Sisu Youth Services (Sisu) is a finalist in the Youth category.

“Sisu is honored to be recognized among some of the finest nonprofits in our state,” said Jamie Caves, executive director, Sisu. “I am extremely appreciative of the long days and nights that our staff, volunteers and board of directors put in this year; and incredibly proud of the change we’ve affected and growth we’ve achieved. OKCNP sets the standard for organizations driving change in our community; their reputation and high expectations lend credibility to our small nonprofit and empower us to continue pressing onward.”

Founded in 2015, Sisu serves 300 homeless and at-risk-youth, ages 15-14, every year across the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. Its mission is “to ensure that youth experiencing homelessness have a safe place to sleep, the security to dream, and the support to make a positive impact on the world.”

Sisu’s programs include a drop-in resource center that offers access to warm meals, a clothing closet, food pantry, laundry, hygiene services and connection to resources. Sisu partners with other organizations to provide mental health services, HIV testing, pregnancy prevention, physical health, life skills training and connections to educational and employment opportunities. The organization also has an 18-bed emergency youth shelter for find themselves experiencing homelessness.

The team at Sisu focuses on document recovery, educational support and helping remove other barriers that prevent youth from obtaining sustainable housing. Staff works with youth to build the skills necessary to get and retain housing.

“Sisu is a place for people who don’t have anywhere else to go, but in reality, when I think about the people who were at Sisu when I was, I see people who have been through more trauma than I could ever imagine,” said Sally, a former client, Sisu.

Sally has benefited from Sisu’s services and has not only obtained sustainable housing, she is now perusing a degree in social work.

Sisu prides itself on being an affirming space for youth who identify as LGBTQ and recognizes the importance of affirmation in suicide prevention.

“I see people who have jobs, but cannot afford an apartment,” said Sally. “I have seen teen moms who were abandoned by their boyfriends. I have seen kids who have been kicked out for identifying as gay. The thing that tied us all together, wasn’t our homelessness, it wasn’t Sisu. It was that we were all human beings who had our own struggles that led us to that point. That is what Sisu is, and who the people at Sisu are. It is a reminder that we are all human beings who deserve to have their needs met, no matter our experiences or mistakes.”

To learn more about Sisu Youth Services visit their website: https://www.sisuyouth.org/.

The ONE Awards is dedicated to honoring the outstanding work of Oklahoma nonprofits statewide. The ONE Awards also serves as the primary fundraising event for OKCNP. Proceeds from the ONE Awards enable OKCNP to serve communities throughout Oklahoma.

To learn more about the OKCNP ONE Awards or to watch the event, visit: https://www.okcnp.org/page/one-awards.