The Today Show Helps Teen With Spina Bifida Go to University of Oklahoma
This article by Lisa Orrell just had to be shared. The message is great.
HI All,
There was a great, inspiring story on The Today Show this morning. 3 years ago they had a Millennial on, (then) 15 year old, Katelyn Wilbanks, who was born with spina bifida, a horrible disease that has resulted in over 56 surgeries during her life, including a leg amputation, horrible back surgeries, etc. Doctor’s said she wouldn’t live past infancy but through her spirit and determination, she’s beating the odds…in a big way!
Anyway, 3 years ago they did their “Christmas in July” segment where the President of the University of Oklahoma, David Boren, presented her with a full-ride scholarship: tuition, room, board, everything. Her dream was to join the Sooner Nation but her family didn’t have the money, so you can imagine how great this was for them.
And as a result of the university doing this, and millions seeing it on The Today Show, within a week of it airing, they received more than $10 million for their university’s scholarship fund. But it didn’t stop there! Over the past 3 years since that segment aired, many more people made contributions so that others like Wilbanks could go to college at Sooner Nation and it now totals over $130 million! AS a result, their school’s program, Campaign for Scholarships, now has thousands of new scholarships available to Millennials interested in going to school there.
“Through the Campaign for Scholarships, we wanted to make sure that no qualified, hard-working student is ever turned away from our university because of financial need,” Boren said, noting that the fundraising drive will continue for two more years.
How amazing is THAT?? One young girl with a dream of going to the University of Oklahoma, overcoming health odds beyond belief, becomes the driving force for people all over to send them $130 million for scholarships. I love that!
Fast forward to today: They had her on the show again to see how she is doing, now 18 years old, and getting ready to start college in the fall. She just had another back surgery but is doing okay and is very excited about moving into the dorms and starting college life.
She also scored her dream job at school! She is going to be one of the equipment managers for their football team! Katelyn is a total football fan and can’t believe that she’ll be a part of the Sooners squad.
The Today Show also gave her another “Christmas in July” today by having the mega huge country band, Rascal Flatts, present her with back stage passes to their sold out concert in Oklahoma this September.
Good luck to Katelyn! I’m sure she’ll pay this forward and continue to make a difference in our world. Another great Millennial doing wonderful things!
Article by Lisa Orrell, Millennial & Generation Relations Expert and courtesy of Lisa’s Generation Relations Blog
