Lions Meadows of Hope

10/16/2026

🏆 BEST. BOSS. EVER. 🏆

Some people have a boss… and some of us hit the jackpot with Bryan Larison at LMOH!

We are thankful he leads with heart, believes in his people, puts up with our WILD shenanigans (and we have MANY), and remind us why the work we do matters so much. He makes the hard days easier, the wins sweeter, and our mission bigger.

We are incredibly grateful to work for someone who leads with purpose, trusts his team, and makes a difference in the lives of so many children and families.

BUT, we still have plenty of questions, ideas, and probably a few things that need your approval. 😂

Grateful for the boss, the leader, and the heart behind it all. LMOH is better because of you, Bryan Larison!

10/06/2026

Dreams take root here. 🌳✨

Today we walked the grounds with some landscape architect firms to talk through the next steps for the Hidden Treasure Natural Play Space on our foster care campus and we couldn't stop smiling.

Standing on the land that was gifted to us so long ago, paying tribute to the I-O-A and our founders and picturing winding paths, natural climbing spots, and quiet places to explore made this dream feel closer than ever!

We're grateful for every partner, committee member, and friend who has believed in this vision from the start. There's much more to come, and we can't wait to share it with you.

Stay tuned as this treasure takes shape! 💛💙

10/05/2026

50,000 people live in Stillwater.
We need 17 households to say YES! 💛

Right now, 2 out of 3 children experiencing foster care in our eight-county area are placed outside their home county. That means new schools, new churches, and distance from everything familiar.

In Payne County alone, 17 more foster homes would mean more children could stay close to home.

You don't need special qualifications. As our Assistant Director of Foster Care, Lene Ortego, shared. "They're just normal people that realized, 'I can pass a background check, I have a room at my house, I can do this.'"

And if you've ever thought, "I'd get too attached"? You're exactly who we're looking for.

What's your YES?
👉 Fill out the "Become a Foster Parent" form at lionsmoh.org
📞 405-367-6119
✉️ [email protected]

A BIG Thank you to the Stillwater News Press and Jessica Marshall for sharing this story.



https://bit.ly/LMOHseeksfosterhomes

JESSICA MARSHALL [email protected] The Oklahoma Department of

09/30/2026

So thankful for Laynie’s voice that speaks for every foster parent, non-profit agency and child experiencing foster care. 💙

These numbers and this gap tell a powerful story, a story that it’s time we pay attention to.

As a foundation, we believe advancing social justice should be a shared commitment between our staff and the nonprofits we serve. This morning, one of our program officers Laynie Gottsch testified at Senator Dossett’s interim study at the state capitol, advocating for the first increase in foster parent reimbursement rates since 2018. Laynie is an experienced foster parent, and has personally witnessed the financial struggles that foster parents experience when they take a placement without adequate reimbursement.

Four in 10 Oklahoma foster parents quit within 12 months due to burnout, loss of support and financial strain. The annual reimbursement rate for children ages 0-5 is $6,372, while the annual cost to raise a child in Oklahoma is $19,500. That leaves a $13,000 gap, often filled by churches, nonprofits, friends & family, and foster parents’ personal finances.

The cost of inadequate foster capacity doesn’t disappear, it moves somewhere else: to the state, to children, and to foster families.

If you or someone you know is a foster parent, be there for them, advocate for them, and support them. If you are interested in a full list of foster care agencies, visit okfosters.org/agencies

09/25/2026

💙 | What would YOU tell someone who is thinking about fostering?

Sometimes hearing from someone who has already said YES is exactly what another family needs to take that first step.

Foster families, share your encouragement below! What do you wish you had known before you started?

And if you’ve been thinking about fostering, maybe today is the day to learn more. 💛

SAY YES TO FOSTER CARE.
Learn more at www.lionsmoh.org

09/23/2026

Have you thought about fostering a teen, but fear or uncertainty has held you back? 💙

These handwritten notes from a teen experiencing foster care to their foster parents are a beautiful reminder of why saying YES matters.

Right now, more children need foster homes than there are homes available, and teens especially need families willing to open their hearts and homes.

You may only be part of their story for a season, but the impact you make can last a lifetime.

✨Could your family say YES to foster care? ➡https://bit.ly/4AzPLYW

09/22/2026

THIS is what saying YES to foster care looks like. 💙

Sometimes saying YES looks like opening your home. Sometimes it looks like giving financially, providing a meal, volunteering your time or gathering together to make sure a child knows they are seen, valued and cared for.

We are so grateful for this wonderful donation of 80 personal care bags from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Stillwater. Each bag was thoughtfully filled, decorated and made extra special with encouraging handwritten messages like:

“You are loved. Kind. Special. Epic. Awesome. You are one of a kind.”

Can you imagine being a child navigating so much change and uncertainty and receiving a bag made just for you with those words written on it? THAT matters.

These personal care bags will allow our team to have something ready to place directly into the hands of children when they need it and remind them that there is a whole community standing in the gap for them.

You don’t have to become a foster parent to make a difference in the life of a child or family experiencing foster care. We all have something we can use to say YES. 💙💛

What could your YES look like?

09/18/2026

This brick has a story. And it’s one we will never forget. 💙

Long before we were LMOH and even before we were the Oklahoma Lions Boys Ranch, our founder, H.F. Donnelley, established the IOA Ranch on Cimarron in 1938. IOA stood for a simple but powerful conviction: Every Individual deserves an Opportunity to Achieve.

Many of you may know Alton Carter’s story and some of you may not. He came to the Boys Ranch as a child in the early 1980s after experiencing years of abuse and neglect. During his time there, the boys were made to carry bricks as punishment, an experience Alton later wrote about in his book, The Boy Who Carried Bricks.

Gordon Sloggett, our board president at the time, helped put an end to the punishment. He took those bricks home and built a patio, turning something that represented pain into something beautiful. Years later, Gordon gave one of those bricks to Alton.

When LMOH opened our foster care community and committed to creating safe, loving homes where brothers and sisters could stay together, Alton gave that brick to our CEO, Bryan, with words we will never forget: “I can trust you with bricks again.” That brick still sits in Bryan’s office today.

This week, this story came full circle. Gordon, now 90 and preparing to move into a retirement community, invited Alton back to gather some of those original bricks from his patio.

Gordon never sought recognition. He simply saw something that wasn’t right, stood up for boys who needed someone in their corner, and did what he could.
And years later, he got to see a glimpse of what that one decision meant.

Our name has changed. The way we serve children has changed. But the heart of our work has not.

This week, Gordon got a glimpse and we are so grateful he did.

That is our hope for each person who continues to invest in the mission of LMOH. You may not always get to see where your generosity leads. You may never know every child's life you touched, every family you strengthened, or every story you helped change. But sometimes, if we’re lucky, we get a glimpse. 💙

https://lionsmoh.org/champion-for-children/

09/10/2026

Thank you, Stillwater Noon Lions, for supporting our foster families with freezer meals! 💙🦁

Small acts of support make a BIG difference & what a tangible way to say YES to a child experiencing foster care!

09/01/2026

🎉 Celebrating 5 Years! 🎉

Today, we are excited to celebrate Lene Ortego, our Assistant Director of Foster Care, on 5 wonderful years with Lions Meadows of Hope!

Lene, your love and dedication to serving children and families does not go unnoticed. Over the past five years, you have poured so much of your heart into supporting our foster families, advocating for children, and being there for your team.

We are incredibly grateful for the compassion, commitment, and kindness you bring to LMOH every day. The work we do is not always easy, but having people like you who truly care about our mission makes such a difference.

Thank you for everything you have given to our children, families, staff, and agency over the last five years. We are so lucky to have you as part of the Lions Meadows of Hope family!

Happy 5 Year Anniversary, Lene! Here’s to many more!