Have you made your reservation to the 2010 Champions of Health awards ceremony and dinner? Don't wait! Reservations are available for $50 each and may be purchased through Wednesday, Oct. 6 by calling (866) 876-4376.

The seventh annual Champions of Health awards ceremony and dinner will take place on Monday, Oct. 18 at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. The event will feature Emmitt Smith, former Dallas Cowboys running back and recent Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee as keynote speaker. The reception and silent auction will begin at 6 p.m., and the dinner and awards ceremony will take place at 7 p.m. 

The Champions of Health awards program is presented by the following partner organizations: Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Hospital Association, the Oklahoma Osteopathic Association, the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, the Oklahoma State Department of Health and the Oklahoma State Medical Association.

NFL memorabilia autographed by Emmitt Smith will be available for purchase via silent and live auction on the evening of the event. Proceeds from the auctions will benefit the Oklahoma Caring Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to providing Oklahoma's underserved children with access to preventive health services. 

After his keynote address, Smith will participate in a live auction of one of his signature #22 Dallas Cowboys jerseys. 

Here’s your chance to meet Emmitt Smith! The winner of the live auction will come on stage and have their picture taken with Smith, who will then autograph and personalize the jersey on-the-spot!

Champions of Health Keynote Speaker:
Emmitt Smith

Emmitt Smith is the National Football League’s all-time leading rusher with 18,355 career rushing yards, and is the NFL’s all-time rushing touchdown leader with 164 career rushing touchdowns. He is also a three-time Super Bowl champion and a 2010 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee.

A first-round pick in the 1990 NFL Draft, Smith was the cornerstone of the Dallas Cowboys’ offense for 12 seasons. The eight-time Pro Bowler was the first player in NFL history to rush for more than 1,000 yards in 11 consecutive seasons and on October 27, 2002 he surpassed Walter Payton as the NFL’s all-time leading rusher. Smith finished his 14-year career with 18,355 rushing yards and led the NFL in rushing four times; he was the league’s most valuable player (MVP) in 1993, MVP of Super Bowl XXVIII and helped guide the Cowboys to three Super Bowl titles. His 175 total touchdowns rank second in NFL history.

Currently, Smith serves as Majority Partner and Co-Chairman of ESmith Legacy, Inc., a Dallas-based commercial real estate company founded to focus and deliver real estate services and solutions for both general and minority market development. After learning the importance of helping others at a young age from his mother, his charitable work he has been involved in is vast. He founded Pat and Emmitt Smith Charities to provide underserved children with arts, education, health and wellness programming.

2010 Champions of Health winners announced

Farm to You is the 2010 Champion of Children's Health and recipient of the Dr. Rodney Huey Memorial Champion of Oklahoma Health award, the highest honor of the Champions of Health awards.

The Champions of Health awards program recognizes outstanding organizations and individuals dedicated to improving the health of Oklahomans. Four other Champions also will be honored at the event: 

• Champion of the Uninsured — Rylyn Meacham Center, Bethany

• Champion of Senior Health —RSVP of Central Oklahoma, Oklahoma City

• Community Health Champion — Oklahoma Area Health Education Centers at the Center for Rural Health Sciences, OSU Center for Health Sciences, Tulsa

• Corporate Health Champion — OU Physicians, Oklahoma City

Find detailed descriptions of the winners and finalists online at championsofhealth.org.

What is the Oklahoma Caring Foundation?

Sponsorships of the Champions of Health awards ceremony benefit the Oklahoma Caring Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to providing Oklahoma's underserved children with access to preventive health services. Through its flagship program, the Oklahoma Caring Van Program, the Foundation provides basic childhood immunizations, free of charge, to children from birth to age 18.

Working with child care providers, schools and community organizations throughout the state, the Caring Van Program provides this immunizations to children without access to traditional health care providers. The Caring Vans eliminate barriers to care including transportation, cost and time. 

Due to the efforts of dedicated staff and committed funders, the Oklahoma Caring Van Program has delivered more than 152,000 vaccines to 70,000 underserved children statewide since 1999.  Improving health outcomes is the focus of van services, and the Caring Vans are a true public health endeavor: meeting families where they live and work.

For information about sponsorships, contact Ivy Lark at (918) 551-3397.

Gold Sponsors
George Kaiser Family Foundation | Cancer Treatment Centers of America | HCSC

Silver Sponsors
Chesapeake Energy | Oklahoma Foundation for Medical Quality | Oklahoma Hospital Association |
Oklahoma Osteopathic Association | Oklahoma State Chamber of Commerce

Bronze Sponsors
OU College of Public Health | Bank of Oklahoma

For information on Champions of Health or to submit a story idea, e-mail Sarah_Gatlin@hcsc.net.
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Visit the Champions of Health Web site at championsofhealth.org.