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Leadership Ponca City Class 37 hosted Mr. Ponca City on May 9, 2024, at the Poncan Theatre. The event was far more than a pageant. The tagline for the event, “Benefitting Ponca City Nonprofits” speaks to the hearts of the members of the 37th LPC class. Mr. Ponca City himself, Relo Adams, shares details of how the event came to fruition.
Leadership Ponca City is a program hosted by the Ponca City Area Chamber of Commerce. Each year community members apply and interview for the program and around 20 class members are chosen. Sessions are held each month that focus on aspects of our community like history, government, arts & culture, etc. It was during Civic & Nonprofit Day that members of Class 37 learned about the large number of nonprofits in our area and their vast needs across the board.
Collectively the group knew they wanted to do a project benefitting a nonprofit, but after learning about them all, they felt compelled to try to help them all. As it goes with each class, there are always many conversations regarding what the class project will look like. Adams says his classmate Riley Calhoun was the one to come up with the idea of having a pageant where each participant would represent and raise money for a different local nonprofit. He admits to initially being unsure if the project would work for our community, but adds, “I’m so glad I was wrong. It was such a hit, and I just had to catch Calhoun’s vision.”
His classmates were confident though and the group began to plan. As a member of the Dearing House Child Advocacy Center Board of Directors, Adams approached them about entering a candidate in the pageant, and it was suggested that he enter on their behalf. It took him awhile to come around to this idea, but eventually he was convinced when one of his classmates reminded him it was less about the pageant and more about supporting the nonprofits.
Class members broke into committees to plan the event. They focused on things like Marketing, Contestants, Finance and Logistics. Adams sat on the Marketing Committee. Class member Hayley Harrison has this to say about her role in the planning, “I was in charge of all social media marketing for the event. I created the Mr. Ponca City logo and all graphics that were posted/shared on Facebook. I loved that each member of our LPC class contributed in his/her own unique way to the overall success of the event. It was a team effort, and I am still in awe of what my classmates were able to accomplish in the time we were given. Their collective heart for the community inspires me!”
Each potential contestant had to submit an application and go before the Contestants Committee for an interview. Adams admits to being nervous about being interviewed by his fellow classmates, along with the likes of Ponca Citians like Bob Banta, Jerome Orange and Jeff MacKinnon. Adams was chosen as a contestant, along with nine other notable locals to enter the pageant.
Class member James Devinney emceed the event. Contestants were interviewed and asked various questions by Devinney. Each contestant also did some type of performance. For his performance, Adams chose to sing “Gratitude” by Brandon Lake. He also created a video to go along with his piece. He explains, “I made a music video. It was all things Dearing House, all things child advocacy, all things highlighting kids and community involvement with kids and some of the events I’ve been involved with that provide opportunities to build resilience for kids.”
The class recruited local and out-of-town judges to score participants. A scoring matrix with multiple categories was used to make things as fair as possible. Adams admits to being shocked by his win but says from what he was told, all the contestants were neck and neck. There was also a “People’s Choice” award, which went to Bob Banta.
When asked why he chose to represent Dearing House, Adams shares this, “I’m really passionate about investing in the next generation of kids.” While getting his master’s, Adams dug into research on the various negative effects of childhood trauma. He learned having one safe person and one safe place can help build resiliency in children. He’s been working and serving in the mental health field ever since finishing school.
The class raised over $40,000 for nonprofits in our community making the event and the overall effort a huge success. Harrison adds, “I love that we were able to raise money for each nonprofit involved in the pageant. Our event benefitted all, and I think that is part of what set it apart and made it so unique. It was by far the most successful fundraising event I’ve ever been a part of, and I hope to see the event carried on for many more years!”
Class member Karly Fagg goes on to say, “I have a great appreciation to our community for supporting this project in all aspects, and
I am so very proud of my fellow Leadership classmates for turning this idea into reality bringing awareness to 10 of Ponca City’s nonprofits. Relo Adams has been doing a wonderful job representing Dearing House Child Advocacy Center as Mr. Ponca City; he and his crown are everywhere! I look forward to seeing what the future holds for Mr. Ponca City.”
When asked about the future of the event, Adams says the class is possibly looking at hosting the event every other year, so he gets to be Mr. Ponca City for at least two years. He adds, “The competition is over, but the initiative doesn’t stop. We all have this platform. We’re all still pushing for our agencies we represented. We’re all trying to move Ponca City forward. It’s a fun little thing to compete, but it’s all about raising awareness and being used for something bigger than ourselves.”
To find more information about Leadership Ponca City, contact the Ponca City Chamber of Commerce. Stay tuned for more information about the potential for future Mr. Ponca City events.
Contestants and the Nonprofits They Represented:
Richard Winterrowd
Grace Episcopal Church
Winston Henry
Veterans Landing
Relo Adams
Dearing House
James Benitez III
Living Hope Pregnancy Center
Jerome Orange
Ponca City Noon Ambucs
Jeff MacKinnon
Northern Oklahoma Humane Society
Bob Banta
Opportunity Center
Caleb Sharon
Survivor Resource Network
Richard Broome
Next One Up
Charles Yundt
Okie Special Olympics
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