What a fun event! Oklahoma State received a grant from Phillips 66 for Team and Leadership Development. Magnovo was honored to be the company they decided to partner with on a continuing basis. We have done several workshops for Phillips 66, as well, so we’re excited to continue nurturing and developing our relationships with both organizations.

A Spring Day in Stillwater to Benefit Local Kids

We met with 25 grad students from various departments within the University on a brisk Saturday morning in March. They come together on a regular basis. They develop their leadership and team building skills as part of the SHIELD Scholars program. The Rescue Buddies™ workshop gave them a chance to utilize these skills in a creative and different way. Being college students, the energy level was overflowing and the competitiveness was pleasantly extreme.

Oklahoma State University – SHIELD Scholars Work Hard, Play Hard

Our workshop activities include long-time favorites like Hand Holding, Say What I Say, and Air Counting. Teams also played Flip Cup, Wordles, Group Writing, Paw Dice Game, and the Prediction Card Game. Participants played hard and did their best to excel and also fulfill the leadership and collaborative standards they’ve set for themselves. Students worked hard to ensure that everyone earned enough pieces to complete assembly of their Rescue Buddies™ as quickly as possible.

Helping Kids Through the Payne County Sheriff’s Department

After the earning games and activities, the group got to work on the Rescue Buddies™ construction. This donation of stuffed animals was going to the Payne County Sheriff’s Department. Officers give away Rescue Buddies™ to children through the Domestic Violence Department. Sometimes, the officers who work with troubled families have to take a child from their homes. Rescue Buddies™ bring some comfort to the children during this challenging time. This is one of Magnovo’s favorite workshops. It makes a real difference it makes in the life of every child experiencing a trauma who receives a Rescue Buddy™. While it can’t fix their problems, having something soft and warm to hold onto can help ease a child’s anxiety and stress during a very difficult situation.

At the end of the event, Rockford Brown of the Sheriff’s Department arrived to accept the donation of a few dozen Rescue Buddies™. He gave an emotional, touching story about how officers used the stuffed animals in the past. There was barely a dry eye in the place. As we wrapped up with a short debriefing session, the students remarked on how much they got out of the event, both practically and emotionally. Oklahoma State University – SHIELD Scholars were hopeful that the children receiving the Rescue Buddies™ were truly comforted in their time of need. They also said they looked forward to working on another project like this one soon.