UPWARD TRANSITIONS CELEBRATES CENTENNIAL WITH SPECIAL EVENTS YEAR-ROUND
OKLAHOMA CITY – One of Oklahoma City’s oldest and most treasured nonprofit organizations has arrived at its 100th year of service and is celebrating its centennial with special events every month of 2025. Upward Transitions’ journey from 1925 to today is marked with integrity, generosity, devotion, resilience, and determination to empower and bring hope to its neighbors in need.
The celebration kicks off January 7th with a $1 million endowment campaign. The “Endowing a Second Century of Hope” campaign’s goal is to ensure Upward Transitions’ sustainability into the next century to serve those facing the threat of poverty and homelessness.
Upward Transitions’ CEO, Periann Pulliam announced, “Our centennial endowment campaign is an investment in our future and a tribute to our history. We are immensely grateful to the Love Meyer Family Foundation for their lead gift of $250,000 and to the Kirkpatrick Family Fund for their $125,000 matching gift.”
Upward Transitions provides specialized programs and case management to help meet basic social needs of the most vulnerable in the community. This Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits’ Standard of Excellence Certified organization assists Oklahoma County families and individuals who are struggling with homelessness and at risk of losing their homes and stability as well as stranded travelers in crisis.
Through its Community Outreach Program, Upward Transitions prevents families with minor children and seniors from losing their housing through eviction due to unpaid rent and utilities. In 2023, 17,868 evictions were filed in Oklahoma County. There were judgements against 8,602 households resulting in evictions of approximately 21,500 individuals, and 61 percent of those evictions were households with children. Upward Transitions provides one-time assistance to families and seniors who qualify to prevent them from experiencing the crisis of homelessness due to eviction. Its success rate with homeless prevention has been consistently more successful than national rates.
One such program client, Glenda, praised the agency saying, “I don’t have the words. The help Upward Transitions gave my children and me… I’m truly grateful.”
Upward Transitions also assists people experiencing homelessness with obtaining their identifying documents, such as birth certificates and state IDs. A study completed by the Homeless Hub found 70% of individuals experiencing homelessness did not have access to these crucial documents. Without identification, they cannot obtain employment, housing, or social services.
Another client known as Ruby received assistance in obtaining identifying documents for herself and her daughter and benefitted from additional case management, ongoing communication, and connection with Upward Transitions’ programs.
“You guys don’t know how important you all are to our survival,” Ruby wrote in a note to Upward Transitions. “You come in and you just think you’re only one smile, just one resource, but that changed the whole course of my life. You actually save lives – you’re not just a resource.”
The organization’s services extend to Oklahoma City Housing Authority (OCHA) Deposits for those who qualify for public housing as well as assisting existing clients with transportation to job interviews, medical appointments, and social services. Victims of domestic violence and human trafficking and stranded travelers may receive emergency travel assistance to a safe, secure destination with someone they trust waiting for them; and an annual holiday “Calendar of Sharing” event stocks Upward Transitions’ pantry with winter supplies for clients who do not have warm clothing, basic food, or personal care supplies.
Working closely with its vast network of local agencies, Upward Transitions capitalizes on all possible resources for its clients and strives to refer anyone with needs outside of its own special programs. A United Way of Central Oklahoma Community Partner since its inception, the organization partners with 50+ local nonprofits to make sure no stone is left unturned to assist its neighbors.
Originally founded as the Travelers Aid Society in 1925 by a group of 12 women with a $3,600 allocation from the Community Chest (now United Way of Central Oklahoma), the organization assisted stranded travelers at Santa Fe Station and expanded its services to Union Railroad Station and the downtown bus station in 1951.
In 1973, the organization established an information booth at Will Rogers World Airport with 11 Travelers Aid volunteers. In 1987, Travelers Aid Society began additional services to assist those experiencing homelessness, and in 2008, Travelers Aid Society changed its name to Upward Transitions. Today, the organization operates the Travelers Aid information booth program at OKC Will Rogers International Airport with 38 volunteers, and from its office near downtown Oklahoma City, Upward Transitions works to fulfill its’ mission “to prevent poverty through community collaboration, emergency relief and empowerment, therefore inspiring hope with our neighbors experiencing housing instability.”
In its fiscal year of 2024, with a staff of just 12, Upward Transitions assisted 4,025 people in 2,802 households including 1,084 children, and the organization’s Travelers Aid volunteers at OKC Will Rogers International Airport dedicated nearly 6,400 hours to assisting 152,790 visitors.
“Our staff, board of directors, and volunteers are excited to celebrate 100 years of serving our community. We are so proud of the work of those who came before us, and we are committed to building on their legacy into a second century,” said Pulliam. “We invite past clients, board members, donors, volunteers, and staff along with the entire community to join us in our centennial celebration. We hope to share this momentous occasion with anyone who has been touched by our work.”
The yearlong celebration will include city and state proclamation days, special events for clients and supporters, open office parties, a fundraising campaign during the week of Valentines Day, and a Centennial Gala at the Skirvin Hotel on May 9th. Funds raised will cement the organization’s next 100 years as a stabilizing and hope building resource in Oklahoma City and Oklahoma County.
For information about Upward Transitions and its programs and services, visit www.upwardtransitions.org, or contact Conna Dewart, Development and Public Relations Manager at 405-232-5507 or cdewart@upwardtransitions.org. Follow the activities and events of the centennial on social media at
Facebook: www.facebook.com/UpwardTransitions
Instagram: www.instagram.com/upwrdtrnstns
X/Twitter: x.com/UpwardI34178
Linked In: www.linkedin.com/company/427368
YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UC7Vee3gmk5COGrELttxECHw
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