Prevent Home Fires

Fire Prevention and Safety

Wood and gas fireplaces need professional attention this time of year.

November, 2021: Get ready for cooler temperatures and a cozy home by first getting your chimney and dryer vent cleaned. Debris like birds’ nests and leaves, and creosote could be lingering as potential fire hazards in your chimney. As for your dryer vent, lint doesn’t just accumulate in your lint trap; it can also build up in your dryer vents. As most of us know, this lint is extremely flammable; it is the build-up of this lint that can lead to dryer fires.

So before you light that first log, be sure you won’t be sparking a chimney fire.

Approximately 23,000 chimney fires occur every year, causing nearly a billion dollars in damage, and potentially the loss of lives.

Having your chimney professionally cleaned annually will help you avoid a disaster.

You can prevent a chimney fire with three easy steps: • Have your chimney professionally inspected and cleaned. At the beginning of the heating season, hire a chimney inspector to examine your chimney—specifically, the chimney liner and ventilation. The chimney inspector will check for creosote build-up, cracks, and leaks, and make sure the vent is in good working order. A good chimney sweep thoroughly cleans the chimney, flue, and vents. • Use the right wood. Not all

Left: For over 44 years, Black Hat Cleaning Services owner David Harris, Sr. has been serving N.E. Oklahoma.

woods burn the same. Seasoned hardwood—like ash, oak, maple, hickory, and beech—is best. It has been fully dried out, and the ends should appear cracked, showing the wood is dry. When wood is still green, it creates more smoke as the moisture is dried. This additional condensation can lead to creosote build-up. • Never burn any treated wood materials—e.g., plywood, pressed wood, pressure-treated lumber, engineered wood, like laminate.

These materials have been chemically treated and could emit dangerous gases when you burn them.

Why have your dryer vents professionally cleaned.

As lint and other debris build up in the dryer vents, it constricts airflow to the dryer. With less air, the dryer is forced to work harder to heat the air, producing hotter and hotter air as the dryer vents get progressively more clogged. If the dryer vents are not cleaned, the superheated air can ignite the lint in the vents and lead to a home fire.

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that clogged dryer vents are the cause of more than 15,000 home fires each year. These dryer fires cause more than $200 million in damages to homes and properties – but can be largely prevented with regular dryer vent cleanings.

Having your dryer vents professionally cleaned can make your home safer by reducing the risk of a dryer fire.

Signs your dryer vents may be clogged.

While it is recommended to have your dryer vents cleaned about once per year, how often your dryer is used can impact how often they need to be maintained. However, your dryer may be offering you clues that it is time for a dryer vent cleaning! The following are six signs your dryer vents are beginning to get clogged and need to be cleaned. • Regular loads of clothes are not dry

after a full cycle. • Clothes or the dryer are too hot to touch after use. • The inside of the dryer has a damp, musty odor. • Loads begin taking progressively longer and longer to dry completely. • The laundry room or area around the dryer becomes significantly warmer after use. • More lint is found in the lint trap or can be seen around exterior vents.

By having your dryer vents professionally cleaned, you can help protect your family by significantly reducing the risk of a dryer fire in your home.

Black Hat Cleaning Services Owner David Harris, Sr. helps homeowners with honesty, integrity, and unsurpassed professionalism. When you see him in his iconic black top hat, you know you’re getting the absolute best in chimney, air duct, and dryer vent cleaning.

David Harris, Sr. started his chimney sweep and dryer vent cleaning business in 1977. Over the years, his company has evolved into a trusted name in the business. “It’s amazing in this industry to have this kind of longevity,” he said. “Everywhere I go, I wear my hat. I always wanted everyone to recognize my company with my Black top hat.”

The services provided by Black Hat encompass comprehensive safety and overall health in the home. Chimney sweep services, as well as dryer duct cleaning, are essential for fire prevention, and air duct cleaning is vital for the air quality inside the home, ensuring a healthy breathing environment. These maintenance services also help keep your home smelling nice too.

Fire burning chimneys are recommended to be cleaned depending on wood-burning consumption, with a standard recommendation of professional sweep every 3 to 4 ricks of wood burned. Gas burning fireplaces only need to be cleaned every 15 to 20 years. “If you’re not sure if your chimney needs cleaning, at least have it inspected,” David said. “If you’ve never had it cleaned, clean it!”

Dryer duct cleaning is sometimes overlooked by homeowners but should be a top priority regarding fire safety. Many home fires are caused every year by the lint that gets trapped within the pipes and, once ignited, can quickly burn throughout a home. “Dryer lint is the best thing you can use to start a campfire,” said David. “It is highly flammable. You don’t want that trapped in your dryer vent as a fire hazard.”

David’s sound advice for homeowners is only a small part of the comprehensive service provided by Black Hat. Honesty and integrity are at the forefront of his business practice and what his customers see when they see him in his top hat. “My customers know that they can trust Black Hat Cleaning to be honest, and take care of them, give them peace of mind.”

Over the years, just as David’s hat has gotten taller, the services have evolved to become more efficient, time-saving, and thorough. Chimney cleaning can take up to 45 minutes. David loves his work and the people he serves. “This is my 44th year in business with many more years ahead.”

Right: You can’t miss the Black Hat Cleaning van when it’s in your neighborhood.

BLACK HAT CLEANING SERVICES

Hope Harbor: Changing the World Through Changing the Lives of Families

BY TOM FINK

November, 2021: By definition, a harbor is a place where vessels may go to find shelter from the rough waters.

Nestled in rural northern Claremore, Hope Harbor serves just such a purpose, helping families to find shelter from the sometimes rough waters of life, to heal, and to move forward from trauma or other difficulties.

Among those who help facilitate that recovery are Dirk O’Donnell and Stephanie Steward.

“Hope Harbor is a place that gives families a chance to heal,” said O’Donnell, Hope Harbor executive director. “Our main focus is to help families who apply for their child to come here because life at home with that child or life at school has gotten to the point that the parents aren’t sure what to do with them. One of the biggest things, from my perspective, is people who partner with us – either financially, or through thoughts and prayers – they’re providing a path forward to families that are really at the breaking point. “Something I talk about quite a bit is our partners and donors providing the tools and support for these kids to move forward in life,” he continued. “One example of this would be our nine step program, which both the kids and the families work through while the child lives here on campus. It helps establish for the children a foundation of respect – respect for themselves, respect for others and respect for the environment, the area that’s around them.”

Students who participate in the program live on the Hope Harbor campus, from nine months to a couple of years, depending upon their need and rate of healing. While on campus, they receive an education from certified instructors at the institute, while living on-site in the cottages, giving them a sense of home stability and purpose, as they continue their education.

“Meanwhile, the parents have a similar program that they’re going through at home, and at least once a month, are here on campus to undergo counseling with the kids,” he said. “Oftentimes, they might have a couple of sessions a month, depending on where they are in the program. The kids also have weekly counseling on their own – that’s the support aspect of it. As far as the tools aspect goes that could include the education they receive at our academy, or while living at the cottages and learning responsibility through chores, taking care of themselves, learning proper boundaries and respect for those around them.”

A large part of both the academic and living aspects of Hope Harbor involve instilling confidence and selfworth in the students, as many come from backgrounds involving trauma.

“Hope Harbor provides a kind of test environment for kids to safely learn how to deal with the effects of their past experiences, which are often the root of their struggles, and handle them in a productive rather than a negative way so that they can handle the challenges that face them when

they move forward in life,” he said.

Hope Harbor is capable of handling children from grades 7-12, even being set up to take 18 year olds in and helping them through their mid-20s, depending upon the situation.

Hope Harbor’s academy is fully licensed, with certified instructors teaching according to Oklahoma education standards, meeting the students at their level and allowing them to stay on par with their academic work for their entire time at the institution.

The campuses at which the children live, currently, three in all – have house parents to monitor and care for the upto-6 children per cottage.

“Our house parents live with the kids and essentially do everything their own parents would while there,” said Steward, Hope Harbor marketing director. “We wanted the cottages to be as much like a home environment as possible, rather than like a dorm or institution. They do family-style meals, which the students help in the cooking and cleaning, they hang out in the living room, they play games, enjoy limited TV time, paint, etc. We really do what we can to make it as much like home and a positive environment as we can.”

Utilizing a trust-based relationship intervention, Hope Harbor staff invest themselves in the young people, letting them know that they’re not on their own. “Our clinical director handles the counseling, which is at least 30 minutes to an hour each week, group counseling once a week, and counseling with their families, at least once a month,” Steward said. Over the course of their time with Hope Harbor, the students are allowed passes to return home and implement their newly-learned strategies and discipline with their families.

“It’s interesting that you get to see the children looking forward to spending time at home with their parents again,” O’Donnell said. “What starts out as two sides in opposition with one another, by the end of the program, you see the child working to get back home and to have time to reconnect with their families, and that’s an amazing thing to see.”

Hope Harbor accepts applications from across Oklahoma, so long as the parents are able to make it to in-person counseling sessions.

“We do several fundraising events every year, and we currently have our clay shoot coming up at Snake Creek Shooting Sports in Beggs,” Steward said. “Our website has an events page which stays up to date with

our fundraisers – including the one in Beggs – but we also have a thrift store in Claremore called Thrift Harbor, the sale of items from which helps us, and of course, we also take donations, which are greatly appreciated.” Steward, who actually served for five years as a house parent before she became marketing director, said she always enjoys seeing the transformation of the children, the healing and encouragement they gain during their time at Hope Harbor, and watching them to go on to become Above: Certified and compassionate instructors like confident adults. Lisa Bejarano teach students at Hope Harbor Tax-deductible donations may be sent by mail to: Hope Harbor, P.O. Box 1047, Claremore, OK, 74018. For more information about Hope Harbor, call 918-343-0003 or email info@hopeharborinc.org.

Right: Sales at Thrift Harbor, a thrift store in downtown Claremore, go to benefit Hope Harbor. Thrift Harbor is located at 316 W. Will Rogers Boulevard.

Hope Harbor

P.O. BOX 1047 | CLAREMORE, OK (918) 343-0003 | WWW.HOPEHARBORINC.ORG  @HOPEHARBORCLAREMORE |  @HOPEHARBOR_INC

News from the Indian Women’s Pocahontas Club

The Indian Women’s Pocahontas Club is Oklahoma’s oldest, continuous chartered club. Established in the summer of 1899 at Oowala, in the Cooweescoowee District of the Cherokee Nation in Indian Territory, it began as a ‘past-time club’ for Native women returning home in the summers from seminaries and colleges. Today, the club remains active in cultural preservation and community service. Based in Claremore, the membership’s dedication to Cherokee and local history is inspiring and commendable. More than a century since its inception, the women of the Pocahontas Club still gather to preserve Cherokee values.

BY DEBRA WEST

2022 Scholarship Recipients

The Indian Women’s Pocahontas Club Higher Education Scholarship Recipients for the upcoming 20212022 academic year are: • Madison Gray from Porter will be attending the University of

Central Oklahoma • Erica Taylor from Pryor will be attending The University of

Tulsa • Kylea Anderson from Inola will be attending Northeastern State

University • Halle Tatham from Pryor will be attending Northeastern

Oklahoma A&M College • Carson Draeger from Chelsea will be attending the University of Central Oklahoma • Kylea Terrell from Checotah will be attending Connors State

College • Chas McClain from Stilwell will be attending Carl Albert

State College • Hannah Henson from Tulsa will be attending Coe College,

Cedar Rapids, IA • Remington Ward from Locust

Grove will be attending

Oklahoma State University • Lauren Bulcroft from

Claremore will be attending

Missouri University of Science & Technology • Jesse Rader from Claremore - RSU - Foreman Faulkner

Scholarship Endowment • Cloe Dennis from Claremore - RSU - Foreman Faulkner

Scholarship Endowment • Jasper Rader from Claremore - RSU - Foreman Faulkner

Scholarship Endowment • Rayna Rock from Muskogee - RSU - Foreman Faulkner

Scholarship Endowment • Rachel McKisick from Catoosa -

OSU - Dawson-Nelson Akanadi

Endowed Scholarship • Tiffany Stover from Nowata is the first recipient of the

Imogene King Crutchfield

Scholarship and will be attending Northeast

Technology Center in Pryor.

The Indian Women’s Pocahontas Club sponsor ten Cherokee students, male or female, entering college or vocational school, with a $600.00 per academic year scholarship, along with one recipient of the Oklahoma State University Foundation, Dawson-Nelson Akanadi Endowed Scholarship Fund,

Madison Gray Higher Education Scholarship

Erica Taylor Higher Education Scholarship

Chas McClain Higher Education Scholarship Jake Rader Foreman Faulkner Scholarship Endowment

Jasper Rader Foreman Faulkner Scholarship Endowment

Remington Ward Higher Education Scholarship Lauren Bulcroft Higher Education Scholarship Cloe Dennis Foreman Faulkner Scholarship Endowment

Rachel McKisick Dawson-Nelson Akanadi Endowed Scholarship

four recipients of the Rogers State University Foundation, Foreman Faulkner Scholarship Endowment and one recipient of the newly formed Imogene King Crutchfield Scholarship. Join us in congratulating these outstanding students and wishing them success in their academic endeavors.

The Indian Women’s Pocahontas Club will also be hosting our annual “Hats off to Will Rogers” birthday celebration, and wreath laying ceremony at the Will Rogers Memorial Museum in Claremore, OK on Nov. 6, 2021. Mark your calendars. For more information contact Ollie at 918760-7499. Introducing the Board of Directors for 2021, President Cray Bauxmont-Flynn, Vice President Steve McClellan, Secretary/ Treasurer Clarice Doyle, and members Steven Burrus and Kay McSpadden. The Board of Directors is focusing on the Club’s mission. They will be working on strategy, helping us set goals and objectives, overseeing programs and activities, and steering our organization toward a sustainable future.

Our club strives to keep our traditions alive and moving into the future. We are the caretakers of our culture, our heritage and our community.

Thank you to Cherokee Nation Businesses, to Cherokee Nation Community & Cultural Outreach Program, to the Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits, to the Oklahoma Arts Council and to the many individuals who support, encourage and help us achieve our goals and bring cultural awareness to our community.

For more information contact Ollie Starr at 918-760-7499 or olliecstarr@ gmail.com, Indian Women’s Pocahontas Club, P.O. Box 3252, Claremore, OK 74018 or visit our website www.indianwpc.org.

2021 Newly Elected Board of Directors

Indian Women’s Pocahontas Club

P.O. BOX 3252 | CLAREMORE, OK (918) 402-3057 | WWW.INDIANWPC.ORG EMAIL: JENNYPENNY1977@GMAIL.COM

Change your life now Become a Massage Therapist

Did You Know… Licensed Massage Therapists earn on average $40,000.00 yearly. Massage Therapists are in demand with jobs growing in this health field over 20% year after year. Massage Therapy is a career you can take anywhere you go. You can own your own business as a Massage Therapist.

Claremore, OK

Classes forming now!

• Accepting applications now • Only a few spots left • 525 hour course

Licensed by O.B.P.V.S.

(918)852-0205

Intuneeducation2020@gmail.com @intunemassageschool

December 3-4, 2021