“Tulsa and Oklahoma have no shortage of trauma in its history,” Hays-Grudo said. “We have a great commitment from people who live in Tulsa, from philanthropists to foundations to institutions, who came together to create the center.”

When the grant was first sought in 2013, the government had a hard time believing all the institutions would truly work together. The proposal was resubmitted in 2015 with examples of other collaborative projects including the Tulsa Children’s Project, which is the early education program and research based around Educare centers.

“It was easy to show we are small, nimble and work together,” Hays-Grudo said. “We are building the capacity for research and building an infrastructure. That’s because none of our institutions in Tulsa are large enough. It’s why collaboration is so important. If we combine our resources and fill in the gaps for each other, we have a formidable operation.”

The center is considering several proposals for research and data collection in the state. Some will look at the next generation, such as teen pregnancy. Oklahoma ranks No. 2 in teen births.

“It’s not just pure altruism to get interest in helping children. It’s self-interest,” Hays-Grudo said. “We all need to do something in our communities to live in healthy communities. There is a lot of hurting out there.”

Ginnie Graham 918-581-8376 ginnie.graham@tulsaworld.com Twitter: @GinnieGraham

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