FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 1, 2023
Springfield, Missouri and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: On Angels’ Wings is pleased to announce that the organization is expanding its reach beyond the confines of Missouri for the first time since its founding in 2013.
Officially, On Angels’ Wings has launched its first out-of-state chapter in the Oklahoma City region! The organization has established a strong base of volunteer photographers and is collaborating with local hospitals to serve families with medically fragile children in the area, whether hospitalized or receiving out-patient care.
“When I first started this organization, my motivation was to provide a service in Springfield [Missouri] that was not available,” says founder and executive director, Michelle Cramer, adding that within a year of founding the organization it was made abundantly clear that services needed to expand to areas like St. Louis and Kansas City, where Springfield families would go for specialized care. OAW has been serving the entire state of Missouri (specifically along and below the I-70 corridor) for nearly 10 years.
“In the beginning I never expected to see this kind of growth,” Cramer continues, “but we’ve had interest from various regions outside the state for some time. It’s really important to us that we take things slowly, however, and make sure that each expansion of services is handled with care, so that every family we serve received the same level of support and dedication no matter how far they are from our headquarters. It may have taken us 10 years to get here, but things are already moving quickly.”
Cramer is referring to the fact that Oklahoma City is just the beginning for plans to expand services. The organization is currently building a photographer base in Minneapolis, and discussing collaboration with a hospital system there, in hopes of launching that chapter some time in 2023. Several other cities are on the organization’s radar for expansion over the next few years.
Cramer began working as the executive director for the organization on a full time basis in June of 2022, in part so that she could oversee the national growth of OAW. “We’ve wanted to do this for sometime,” she says, ” but it couldn’t happen the right way without someone available to oversee it on a full time basis. It’s always been my ambition to dedicate my career to this organization, and I’m humbled to finally be doing that. Lots of amazing things are happening!”
To obtain services from On Angels’ Wings, families with medically fragile children in the Oklahoma City region can check the Qualifications and Process page to learn more, or can request a photo session. Skilled photographers in the area that wish to volunteer their services start that process by filling out an application.
“These families will always be in need of care,” Cramer says. “We’re honored to provide it as best as we can to as many families as we can.”
On Angels’ Wings is a Missouri non-profit organization that seeks to improve the mental health and wellness of families with medically fragile children (regardless of race, ethnicity, class status or orientation) through therapeutic photography and grief recovery services, free of charge. oawphoto.org