The Enid News and Eagle, Enid, OK

Community Service

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  • Martie Oyler has been Enid’s Rotary Club’s community service director for three years. (Staff Photos by BILLY HEFTON)

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April 24, 2010

Oyler comes from long line of community ‘servants’

By Robert Barron, Staff Writer Enid News and Eagle

ENID — Enid’s Rotary Club is active in the community in a number of ways, and Martie Oyler, the organization’s community service director, is leading the way.

Oyler, manager of Oklahoma Natural Gas Co., has been a member of Rotary more than 10 years and its community service director the past three. During that time she developed an interest in community projects and began writing grants to Rotary International.

“The Rotary mission is service above self, and we have projects in Enid with immediate needs,” she said.

One of the first projects was Rotary’s adoption of Emerson Junior High School to renovate the weight room with new equipment, mirrors, flooring and an interactive health video game.

Rotarians participated in Making a Difference Day, a national effort focusing on community improvement, and helped renovate other parts of the school. The group also has provided books for the Emerson library and was a partner in the annual fundraiser Festival of Flavor. That event raised $15,000 for technology at Emerson. The weight room renovation was another $5,000.

Through Oyler’s leadership, the local Rotary Club and Rotary District worked with a club in India for an international partnership grant and funded a $25,000 grant for Smart Boards at Emerson.

Last year, the club became involved at Lincoln Academy, the Enid district’s alternative school. Rotarians saw a need for nourishing snacks and helped provide them for the two classes during the day. They also helped, with assistance of B&J Appliance, purchase a refrigerator in the breakfast room at the school.

“It was a very positive thing,” Oyler said.

That was a one-year program for Rotary, but Oyler mentioned the project to Ron Lukenbaugh at Mid-America Wholesale, which took it on permanently.

In 2009, Enid Rotary Club, with District 5750, purchased blue benches placed in front of Enid High School.

This year the group purchased SMART Board responders for EHS. Responders are individual devices, similar to a television remote control, that allows students to respond to the subject and the teacher to evaluate the teaching style and see who understands the subject and who does not. It is also used to prepare for standardized tests.

Another youth project by Enid Rotary involves purchasing hygiene kits for youths removed from homes by Department of Human Services who have not yet gone to a foster home. There are about 100 of those students, and the club raised $2,500 this year. The funds also can be used to purchase backpacks or school supplies.

Community service director is a position on the Rotary board usually one year in duration. Oyler has held it for three years.

“I love it, I enjoy doing it, and the club supports it,” she said. “The Enid club is 92 years old.”

Oyler said she comes from a long line of “servants,” and community service comes naturally.

“I tell my kids at the end of the day to think of some way they helped make someone else’s life better. We’re very fortunate, and ONG supports their employees community involvement,” she said.

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Community Service
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