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Phyllis Bennett: an amazing mother, wife, friend, lover of Oklahoma babies, and a forever supporter of Infant Crisis Services.

For over 25 years, Phyllis Bennett supported the mission of Infant Crisis Services. And by naming our organization as one of the beneficiaries of her trust upon her death, Phyllis will continue to provide for the babies and toddlers of Oklahoma forever.  

Born on February 6, 1926, Phyllis lived a wonderfully full life of service, philanthropy, and loving others. As her daughter Linda Brinkworth tells us, she was first introduced to Infant Crisis Services through the United Methodist church in 1997, and right from the start, she knew ICS was special. The more she learned, the more it became clear to her that ICS was an organization she felt compelled to support. From then on, whenever she could, she would send us contributions big or small. Linda tells us that her mother always used to say,

Phyllis was the kind of woman who loved people deeply, and she especially loved people who were outcast or different. She didn’t want anyone left off the banquet table, which is one of the many reasons why she felt so connected to the mission of ICS. At Infant Crisis Services, we know that all babies deserve to have full bellies and dry diapers. Phyllis was a continuous part of bringing that mission to life.

Upon her husband Owen’s passing in 2015, Linda tells us that Phyllis realized that although she and her husband lived very frugally, she was not destitute. There was more than enough money for her to live comfortably. So, she began giving back to those less fortunate than she. Her first effort was establishing an annuity, of which Infant Crisis Services was a beneficiary of its dividends.

Over her lifetime, Phyllis donated over $65,000 to ICS, an impact which provided diapers to nearly 3,000 babies and toddlers in need. Phyllis positively impacted so many little ones over the years, and her legacy is lasting. Because of her established trust, Phyllis will support the babies and toddlers of Infant Crisis Services in perpetuity. When setting up her trust, Phyllis told her daughter, “When you send the donations, make sure to send them on time because those babies count on it.” For Phyllis, it wasn’t that she knew she’d be remembered ¬– she knew the babies would be cared for.

In April of this year, ICS received a generous donation from Phyllis’ estate after her passing in February. This donation alone will provide diapers to nearly 1,000 little ones in need. As Linda explained to us, “My mother believed you should give, not because of what you get, but because it’s the right thing to do.” She said, “Our family learned personal generosity from my parents, and now, philanthropy is an expectation.” At Infant Crisis Services, Phyllis’ philanthropic legacy will live on forever, and we are eternally grateful.

To learn more about leaving a legacy at Infant Crisis Services, please contact Allison Parker at (405) 778-7608 or allisonparker@infantcrisis.org.

(Above) Phyllis Bennett 

Maggie Appenzeller has been a stand-out Infant Crisis Services volunteer right from the start. As an early childhood specialist and speech pathologist, Maggie’s expertise and passions include working directly with little ones and their families. When Maggie and her family moved to Oklahoma City last year, she sought out a place to volunteer with children in need. At the time, Infant Crisis was only accepting volunteer-from-home applications, but that didn’t stop Maggie from getting involved. She quickly put her grandkids and fellow church members to work making snack packs for our toddler clients.

Then in February of this year, Maggie began volunteering in-person at Infant Crisis. As a Client Intake Volunteer, Maggie works directly with our clients to gather their food, formula, and diapers while mom or dad shops for clothing and extra household items. Because of Maggie’s background, she’s been able to provide advice and support to families who are struggling with potty training, picky eating, or social development. She makes them feel welcome when they come through our doors.

One of Maggie’s favorite moments so far as a Client Intake Volunteer is serving a mother who couldn’t stop laughing and smiling and playing peek-a-boo with her toddler. When Maggie packed up the toddler’s food, the mother said, “Thank you so much for the loaf of bread, we desperately need it.” Maggie knew that loaf of bread and the essentials we provided would give this family the relief they needed. Now, this mom wouldn’t have to worry about her baby’s next meal. When asked about what the mission of Infant Crisis Services means to her, Maggie said, 

“To me, our mission is helping families be healthy and grow together and that means diapers, wipes, and formula.”

Thank you, Maggie, for all you do. We are so lucky to have you as a volunteer! 

To learn more about volunteering or to apply, visit us online at www.infantcrisis.org/volunteer 

Maggie Appenzeller

For the first time in over two years, I heard the precious sounds of baby coos and cries echoing from the Infant Crisis Services playroom. My heart could not be happier to see and hear babies in our building. For the past two years, we have offered drive-through services exclusively, but now the babies are back!

Starting on May 3rd, babies and toddlers were welcomed back into our building. Since serving clients via drive-through only since the start of the pandemic, we learned a few things. Some clients love this method. It’s easier to stay in the car if they’re coming to see us on their lunch break. Or if they have sick children with them. On the other hand, some clients love the face-to-face interaction they receive when they visit Infant Crisis. Plus, their babies and toddlers can play in our playroom while they shop in our boutique. Knowing all that information, we’ve adjusted things slightly. We have continued serving babies and toddlers from 9am to 4pm every weekday. On Mondays and Fridays, we are serving clients on a drive-through basis, and on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays we are serving clients inside our building. 

Bringing babies back in the building means having face-to-face conversations with our clients and learning more about them. More often than not, our clients’ stories tell us how we can help them beyond food, formula, and diapers, and that’s our goal. We want to truly get to know our clients, so we can continue to serve them in the most meaningful ways. 

It’s been a challenging few years, but we owe our successes to you. Our doors have remained open through all circumstances because of supporters like you. Thank you for loving our babies!

Always for the babies,

Miki Farris, 

Executive Director & Co-founder

This year, we welcomed 89 teens into our building and 17 teens virtually for our Summer Teen Program. These teens have spent their summer packing diapers, assembling food packs, and supporting the babies and toddlers of Infant Crisis Services. Thank you, Summer Teens! We appreciate you!

(Top left to right) Peri Mossman, Aidan Davis, Brendan Hansen, Ryan Richardson, Posey Thomas, Hannah Kate Johnson  (Bottom left to right) Sofia Acuna, Cami Spalvieri, Amanda Buckler, Farrah Northcutt, Tenley Bugg

Let’s fiesta! 

The drinks are cold, and the salsa is hot; we hope you will join us for the 9th annual Bingo for Babies benefitting Infant Crisis Services! Please join the Young Professionals Board of Infant Crisis Services on Friday, October 14, 2022, at the Oklahoma City Golf and Country Club for a fun event featuring dinner, drinks, entertainment, a silent auction, and of course – BINGO! Tickets and sponsorships are available now at www.infantcrisis.org/bingo.

We are excited to announce that Infant Crisis Services will host its annual Feed Babies fundraising luncheon on Tuesday, September 20th from 11:30-1 pm, co-chaired by Annette White-Klososky and Robin Roberson. We will welcome guests at our main facility where we will unveil our 2022 agency video and share how we’ve continued to serve babies and toddlers over the past year. For more information about sponsorship opportunities or to reserve a table, please contact Kelsi at kelsijones@infantcrisis.org. We hope to see you there!

It’s almost time for our most popular item drive – BEDLAM FOR BABIES! OU and OSU fans can go head-to-head in your workplace collecting the basic necessities for babies and toddlers at risk of going hungry. The team with the most collected items will earn the ultimate prize of bragging rights. Register by October 15th if you or your business/corporation would like to participate in this year’s Bedlam drive. We will send you all the collateral you need, and we can even drop off ICS branded boxes for you! Register online at www.infantcrisis.org/hostadrive.

Our BabyMobiles continue to serve babies and toddlers on the road, thanks to the generosity of OnCue! For the past three years, Oncue has provided funds to cover all fuel costs so we can continue to reach families who need us. What an impact!

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