Claremore Daily Progress

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October 1, 2012

New Safe-Home

SafeNet dedicates Donald W. Reynolds Family Safety Center

Tom Fink Staff Reporter

CLAREMORE — Friends, associates and supporters of Safenet Services, Inc. in Claremore turned out en masse Thursday morning for the grand opening of the Donald W. Reynolds Family Safety Center in Claremore.

“This (center) represents a group of people wanting to meet the needs of a certain segment of our population — one which doesn’t have a voice,” said James P. Tanner, board chairman. “If it wasn’t for people such as the Reynolds Foundation, Donna Grabow, Frank and Ludmila Robson, (Sen.) Sean (Burrage) and so many others who put their time and effort into this project, we would not be here today.”

Better equipped to handled the increasing cases of persons seeking shelter from domestic violence, the new 15,836 square foot building will provide an expansion from a three-bedroom facility to ten bedrooms with 35 beds.  

“I wanted to thank everyone on behalf of the city (of Claremore) for coming out today to join us in the dedication of this beautiful facility,” said Claremore Mayor Mickey Perry. “I’d just like to say as a cop for the past 41 years before I retired, I fully understand the importance of this service and the people who work behind the scenes who make this (facility) possible.

“I think the average citizen who might not need these services don’t realize how important they are or how many people are impacted by what they do at Safenet,” he continued. “As a former policeman, and remembering where we started out in the old days in terms of services available for victims of abuse — where we were and where we are, how far we’ve come — I just want to thank (Safenet director) Donna (Grabow) and her staff for everything they do. This is really tremendous, not only for Claremore, but for this part of the state.”

“I was just thinking back to September 9, 2011 when we were all at this location for the groundbreaking of this new facility. I was thinking to myself what a difference one year, 18 days, and $7 million makes,” joked Sen. Sean Burrage. “In seriousness, this hasn’t just been a project for the past year, it’s been in the works for the past 15 years and let me tell you, this project is a testament to this community, it’s a testament to Safenet Services, it’s a testament to what the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation has done, not just in Claremore but across the region — they’ve had a great impact, and for that, this community will be forever grateful.

“As a state senator, one of the reasons I ran was to look out for the people of Oklahoma and that’s what the center is all about,” he said.

Safenet had been awarded a $4,261,600 grant from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundationm, which made the much needed new facility at 1219 West Dupont in Claremore possible.  

Following additional comments, the safety center was officially opened in a ribbon cutting ceremony, followed by tours of the new facility.

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