The Launch

United Way of Norman’s mission is present in their

“The Launch was created for us to identify something new, a need or a gap, that is needed in our community that is not being met by an existing non-profit and that can impact and change lives in a positive way,” shares Daren Wilson, United Way of Norman’s president and CEO.

United Way of Norman works with 27 various nonprofits that provide 39 programs in the Norman area. Any of the organizations can apply for this grant by mid-January, with a chance to be selected as one of the top four candidates by the selection committee. The finalists then move on to The Launch competition in February.

By partnering with the OU Innovation Hub, all four finalists receive unique training from OU’s team to teach them how to give an effective 10-minute presentation with the tools that they need to be best prepared when presenting in front of the panel of judges at competition.

The celebrity panel of judges will be made up of community and local volunteers. Finalists will present in a

“Shark Tank” style environment. The winner will be chosen that evening and will walk away with a $10,000 grant for their cause.

“The idea is to tell us an idea you have, how it will impact the community in a positive way, and is one that is not currently being done,” shares Wilson. It must also be uniquely innovative and must fall under one of the organization’s pillars: health, education or financial stability.

The event was open to the public during its first year, however last year’s event had restrictions due to Covid. For this year’s event, a decision regarding access to the public will be made closer to the date. Eventually, the goal is to continue to involve the community in big ways and make it a large public event in the future.

“The United Way of Norman acts as the hub or nucleus of the non-profit sector in our community,” explained Wilson. “The mission is to improve lives by mobilizing the care and power of the community. We do that by raising money within the community and investing those dollars into different programs in our community that help the most vulnerable.”

To learn more about The Launch, the United Way of Norman, and how you can help, visit unitedwaynorman.org. – BSM