OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy (OICA) recently conducted its annual awards and fundraising ball, despite the limitations caused by COVID-19.

OICA holds the annual Heroes Ball each summer to recognize those Oklahomans who have worked to improve the quality of life for the state’s youngest residents and to raise money for OICA’s ongoing mission of child advocacy.

This year’s Heroes Ball was unique in that it was the first attempt by a nonprofit organization in the nation to conduct a virtual event of this size with meal delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic. The event, according to OICA CEO Joe Dorman, exceeded all expectations; other nonprofits who are struggling to find ways to maintain operations in the new COVID-19 normal are considering the model as a means to continue their annual events.

During the ball, which was webcast live on the Zoom platform from the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, several awards were presented, including five announced before the ball.

Part of the excitement of the ball is the announcement of the Anne Roberts People’s Choice Awards, for which online voting remained open right up until the ball began. OICA annually presents two People’s Choice awards, one to an individual and the other to an organization working on behalf of Oklahoma’s children. The awards bear the name of Anne Roberts, the longest-serving executive director of the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy.

The individual People’s Choice award winner was Ryan Abernathy of the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma for his leading childhood hunger initiatives for the food bank and his continued advocacy for organizations and agencies who serve children.

Diabetes Solutions of Oklahoma was the winner of the organizational People’s Choice award for the organization’s commitment and support to families with children recently diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.