Muskogee Bridges Out Of Poverty focuses on empowering those in poverty to investigate the barriers in the community that keep people from getting ahead and educates the entire community on the complexities of poverty. Using the concepts developed by Dr. Ruby Payne, Phil DeVol, and Terri Dreussi Smith in their book Bridges Out of Poverty, the initiative seeks to empower those in poverty to identify and use the abilities they already have to solve their own problems through analyzing their realities.
The Getting AheadIn A Just Getting By World class is an 20-week class held every Tuesday evening, 5:30-8:30 pm starting in August and January. Dinner is provided to all participants and their children, and supervised childcare is provided while parents are in class.
Dental, Vision, and Hearing Clinic Central Baptist Church is home to Muskogee’s free dental, vision, and hearing clinic only available for active participants or graduates of the Getting Ahead class and active members of Celebrate Recovery and Doorways of Hope.
Steering Committee
Dan Morris Chair
Joy Sloan Vice Chair
Members At Large Blake Farris Tom Martindale James Poffel Carnelle Brooks Rich Schaus Diana Osario Renee Fredrick Karen Watkins
Getting Ahead Facilitators Linda Ingram Randi Starcher
Ex-Officio Members Emory Mason Marlon Coleman Nancy Gaden