The following article appeared in the Shawnee News-Star on June 25th, 2010.

Fans delivered to RSVP
Josh Burton
josh.burton@news-star.com

Fans were delivered Thursday, 50 to be exact, for local residents who need them the most.
OG&E donated the fans to locations across the state, including the Retired Senior Volunteer Program office in Shawnee.

Thixe Totty, RSVP director of Pottawatomie County, said the fans are a big help to those who receive them.

"The people that come in are in dire need in most cases," she said.

Most of these people have no fans or air conditioning at their homes, Totty said. All fans are given on a first come-first served basis and the need is great, she said.

"Apparently, a great need...these could be gone by the end of the week," she said. Totty said her staff gets names of those who get fans, but no personal information is taken.

"We deal with all ages," she said. "We give out one per person and we try to fill the need of as many people as we can."

Melanie Edwards, community relations coordinator for OG&E, said the company does this because it's needed.

"Because heat stroke is a very real thing; people over 60, it is very hard on them," she said. "This would be one way to lessen the burden on people's bodies." OG&E delivered 50 fans to Shawnee, 25 to Chandler and 25 to Seminole, Edwards said. The fans were delivered for Central Oklahoma Community Action Agency and RSVP handles delivery and distribution. The company delivered a total of 1,000fans in Oklahoma and Arkansas.

This is the second year RSVP has received the fans to distribute, Totty said."We had people actually start coming in the first of June and had some calls in May," she said. "They just delivered to us, they let us know they were coming. Those who have gotten them in the past had already started calling."

---Josh Burton may be reached by calling 214-3926.