So I'm a little biased, but that's okay! Your favorite golf tournament returns to Heritage Hills in Claremore on Friday, April 27. That's right, it's time for the 16th annual Leadership Rogers County tournament!
LRC has been in town for more than 25 years. It's a 9-month class consisting of Rogers County residents and business folks. The class meets the second Wednesday of each month, October - April (with a couple of bonus sessions thrown in the mix) and tours all over Rogers County. Each day has a different theme, and the field trips correlate with that. Examples are Health, Education, and Government. It's a great bonding experience, cemented by the first session that includes the RSU Hillcat Challenge ropes course, and it's an ideal networking tool, as well. If you'd like to apply for next year's class, click HERE.
Our one fundraiser is the golf tournament. Each year's class chooses a local organization as the "class project" for which to raise money. Past recipients include She Brews (new kitchen), Claremore Police Department (car engine), Rogers County Mounted Patrol, and Rogers County Youth Services (new furniture for residents). This year's class has chosen Rogers County Training Center. The goal is to purchase a Big Ass Fan (that's the name, I promise) for the industrial warehouse. It gets hot in the summer!
If you would like to participate in the tournament, we are currently looking for sponsors, goodie bag donations, beer and water donations, and players.
Hole sponsors are $100, and the sponsor will have a hole sign featuring company logo. Par sponsorships are $250 (Par sponsors will receive logo recognition in all ads related to the event (2) and one tee box sign with logo and/or company name), Birdie is $500 (Birdie Sponsors will receive logo recognition on all ads related to the event (2), company name listed on the T-shirts, and one tee box sign with logo and/or company name), and Eagle is $1,000 (Eagle Sponsors receive prominent logo recognition on all newspaper ads related to the event (2), prominent logo advertising on the T-shirts, one tee box sign with logo and/or company name and a four-member team).
A four-person team is $250, and lunch and drinks are included. Goodie bag items could be koozies, cups, keychains, pens, anything like that. 120 of each item is needed.
This year's lunch provided by Walke Meat Company, Front Porch Bakery, Subway, and Charlie's Chicken.
Lunch will be served on April 27 at 11a, and there will be a shotgun start at noon. For more information, please contact [email protected].

​Leadership Rogers County had the opportunity this month to visit several interesting locations.  The first stop was an historic library that has been converted into the Claremore Museum of History.  During the visit, the class learned that this is the only place in Oklahoma to have Lynn Riggs items from the movie Oklahoma!.  “This year, we are celebrating 75 years of Oklahoma! with something special,” said Andy Couch, MoH director.  August 31st will be the release of something  very rare at the museum.  Keep your eyes and ears out for the announcements to come.
 
Highlights of the day included a trip to RSU-TV and Radio, where the class learned about the unique opportunities RSU students have to prepare them for the workforce. Tanya Andrews of Visit Claremore visited the LRC group and said, “Our goal and mission is to bring people to Claremore as a destination.” 
 
Before wrapping up the morning in Claremore, the class headed over to the Will Rogers Memorial Museum, where they were greeted by Assistant Director Jake Krumwiede, and Will Rogers impersonator Andy Hogan, who entertained the group with colorful tales of Will Rogers.
 
The final destination for the day was the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Catoosa.  The class took a behind-the-scenes tour of the property before adjourning for lunch in the Sky Room. Clay Loney of Fox 23 News led a lively conversation about factual news vs. news that draws attention.  He left the group with this quote,  “When you have a message, communicate it clearly.”
 
Leadership Rogers County is a wonderful program that helps encourage active participation in the local community, charities, and government.  Find out how you can get involved today by visiting LeadershipRogersCounty.org.

The 2018 Class of Leadership Rogers County (LRC) spent a day engaging with leadership from both the City of Claremore and Rogers County, taking a deep dive into the processes of local government. The day began with a tour of the Rogers County Courthouse, and a series of panel discussions with county leadership.

The first panel discussion centered on the county judicial process, and featured remarks from Judge Sheila Condren, District Attorney Matt Ballard, County Court Clerk Kim Henry and Undersheriff Jon Sappington. The class learned that Rogers County is unique in the fact that the courthouse is home to two court dogs. During her remarks, Judge Condren praised the court dog program, stating it was greatly benefiting Rogers County’s youngest residents during their courtroom experiences.

County Treasurer Jason Carini, County Clerk Jeannie Heidlage, and Commissioner Ron Burrows also spoke to the group, highlighting the daily operations at the courthouse and how each office works together. The panel also stressed the importance of collaboration within the courthouse to implement efficiencies and interoffice communication.

The class also toured the Amos G. Ward Detention Center. The facility was constructed in 2000, and has been struggling with overcrowding issues for many years. The center is built to house 250 inmates, but the average inmate population at the facility is over 300. In order to help combat this issue, Rogers County has implemented alternative court programs to divert people from being incarcerated. However, this is not solely a county issue; overcrowding and increased prison populations are plaguing jails across the state.

In the afternoon, the LRC team visited the City of Claremore Planning and Development office to learn more about the daily operations of city government. Claremore City Manager Jim Thomas, along with department heads from each of the city divisions, spoke to the class. Each highlighted their unique job position and explained how each city department works together to operate city functions. Thomas also shared the findings of the Claremore Dreams 2025 initiative and discussed the development of the city’s strategic vision.

To end the day, the group visited the Rogers County 911 Call Center and witnessed firsthand what happens when residents call 9-1-1. The facility dispatches calls to emergency personnel across Rogers County and plays a major role in ensuring the safety of regional citizens.
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If you would like more information about Leadership Rogers County, please visit our website at leadershiprogerscounty.org or visit our Facebook page at facebook.com/pg/leadershiprogerscounty