Timeline & History

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2025: OHPM expands its service to the community from 4 days to 5 days a week (M-F) upon hiring Todd Gessele to be Executive Director and promoting Christina Jardee from within OHPM to serve as OHPM’s first Associate Director in August. OHPM has 10 programs, 10 employees (3 part-time interns and 7 part-time employees.)

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A client welcoming protocol was implicated. Employees begin greeting prospective clients in the parking lot and walk them inside. Thank them for coming in, and offer water, snacks and introduce them to the staff upon arrival. Before they leave, we offer to pray with them and state that the reason we serve, is because Jesus is our Savior. We also discuss their interest in strengthening their connections Tulsa's faith community.

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Operation Hope's updated website begins offering 24/7 self-intake for clients. 

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In November 2025, the floor in the fellowship hall that OHPM rents for client intake required replacement. The remodeling would completely cut off access to OHPM’s suite of offices. OHPM leadership was informed on a Friday that the contractor might commence demolition of the floor on Sunday. Consequently, the OHPM executive team convened an emergency phone meeting and agreed to close the offices for two weeks with full pay to the entire OHPM team. 

 

Upon hearing that they’d get two weeks off with pay, the employees and interns requested a 30-minute meeting to discuss the situation and subsequently called back to say that "OPHM will remain open! We are coming to work." They reported that they had gathered essential items from their offices, relocated computers into an upper room in the church, and covered their desks with donated plastic tablecloths to protect them from construction dust. 

 

Thanks to the unstoppable dedication and determination to stay open continuously of our team, Operation Hope's mission remains unchanged: to serve the Tulsa community uninterrupted as its primer Re-entry Connection Specialists.

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Plans are underway to move beyond new client triage. Comprehensive case management and OHPM’s compassionate support are pivotal in facilitating successful reintegration and stabilization. This website now provides a dynamic list of OHPM's strategic partners with links to their services and resources. 

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2024: OHPM provided Inside Prison Services to 1,439 inmates through Bedtime Stories, Play Day, Veteran’s Club meetings, mailed correspondence, Re-Entry Transition Fairs organized by the DOC, and Christmas “Love Gifts” for every woman incarcerated at Eddie Warrior Correctional Center. OHPM purchases a new set of clothes for inmates being released upon DOC chaplain’s request. OHPM provided the following services to clients and their families (some clients received more than one service):

Bus Passes 200

Starter Kits (Backpacks) 317

Birth Certificates 110

State ID’s/Driver’s Licenses 266

Food/Clothing 376

Food Handler’s Permit 84

Veterans’ Services 88

Scholarships for Work 19

Angel Tree Program 128

ChIP Scholarships 15

Bedtime Stories 256

Registered Citizens Re-Entry 174

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2023: When the pandemic prohibited in-prison ministry, OHPM staff pivoted to helping the families of the incarcerated.

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2022: The Car Club: More than a Vehicle Program (CC) was launched to overcome employment barriers for previously incarcerated clients. To start, OHPM deposited $40,000 with a local bank to be used as collateral for low-interest loans for vetted clients who already had jobs to purchase reliable transportation. Often these clients were unable to qualify for a car loan, or could only qualify for interest rates of 20% or more, making a reliable vehicle purchase unattainable. Additionally, OHPM partnered with selected used car dealers willing to address vehicle issues within the first 90 days. 

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OHPM clients undergo a thorough vetting process in order to participate in this program. CC members must provide proof of income for 8 weeks, meet budget requirements, secure a sponsor, and provide letters of recommendation, among other criteria. OHPM’s involvement in the loan process is limited to vetting the CC member and securing collateral for a low-interest loan. The actual loan is between the bank and the CC member. 

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OHPM vets clients wanting to become members, maintains records, generates reports, conducts follow-ups with existing members, and addresses arising needs through the life of each loan. Currently, OHPM is working with donors and staff to expand this micro loan program. It currently include incentives for on-time payments, additional financial education, and life skills mentoring. 

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2020:  Collaboration begins with Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs and Oklahoma Veterans Alliance to develop re-integration programs for incarcerated veterans.

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2019: Offices move to current location: 739 North Denver Ave., inside Emmanuel Baptist Church.

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2018:     Internship opportunities are made available to selected men and women discharged from prison. Interns learn job skills and receive counseling, mentoring and on-the-job training.

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2017: “Paws for Patriots” program begins at Jackie Brannon Correctional Center in McAlester, OK. Inmates train selected rescue dogs to be certified service dogs placed with disabled veterans.

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2016: Cheri Buschmann is hired as Executive Director and continues to lead the organization. Matt Theis serves as interim Executive Director for approximately three months.

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2015: Scholarship Committee is established to provide adults recently discharged from prison with financial assistance for training, classes and supplies in order to secure employment. Needed services for children of incarcerated parents are also offered. Heather Sisson-White serves as the Executive Director till 2016.

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2011:    “Bedtime Stories” provides incarcerated fathers and grandfathers an opportunity to read and record a story, which is sent (along with the book) to their child or grandchild at home. “Bedtime Stories” is now offered in five prisons.

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2010: Incarcerated Veterans Programs provide leadership and assistance for prisons’ Veterans Clubs and re-entry services. Mary Leslie serves as Executive Director 2007-2014 and develops “Standards of Excellence” for OHPM’s Policies and Procedures.

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2007: OHPM moves its office inside St Luke’s United Methodist Redemption Church at 1839 N. Boston Ave. on the north side of downtown Tulsa.

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2005: OHPM Children’s Services connects children to their mothers and grandmothers at Eddie Warrior during organized “Play Days.”

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1998-2004: Volunteers mentor and help prepare inmates for a successful and permanent transition from prison to freedom.

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1997: OHPM becomes a 501 (c)(3). Weekly Bible classes start inside Eddie Warrior Women’s Correctional Center in Taft, Oklahoma.

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1996-2007: OHPM incorporates as a non-profit designed to provide practical aid and resources to incarcerated and post-incarcerated individuals. A Board of Directors is established. The Rev. Mary Lou Martin becomes OHPM’s first Executive Director, taking the organization beyond Asbury and connecting it inter-denominationally. Office space is rented in downtown Tulsa to provide easy access for clients.

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1994-1995: Operation Hope Prison Ministry (OHPM) begins as a Sunday School project at Asbury United Methodist Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Volunteers provided transportation from prison, housing, food and clothing for newly released individuals.