Oklahoma lawmakers visited the Center of Family Love for a tour to see firsthand how their legislation impacts one of the state’s most vulnerable populations.

 On a rainy February morning, CFL’s adult residents living with intellectual and physical disabilities bundled up and carried umbrellas to greet their lawmakers and guide them to the conference room where they began their tour.

The members of Oklahoma’s Senate and House of Representatives spent most of the morning touring the CFL campus, located in Okarche since 1981.

Billed as a chance for Oklahoma lawmakers to meet some of their “most loving constituents,” the legislators not only toured the bustling campus, but also took time to visit with the residents.  

House Majority Leader Mike Sanders and CFL CEO Debbie Espinosa welcomed the legislators, CFL board members and supporters to the tour.

They were joined by Sen. Julia Kirt, Rep. Kelly Albright, Rep. Denise Crosswhite Hader, Rep. Cynthia Roe, Rep. Marilyn Stark, Rep. Danny Sterling, Rep. Tammy Townley, Sen. Lonnie Paxton’s executive assistant Roxanne Blystone and Sanders’ executive assistant Natasha Holliday, along with several family members of the lawmakers.

After the tour, the lawmakers were all treated to fried chicken at Eischen’s and were presented with potted herbs grown especially for them by the residents employed at Kristy Lyn’s Flowers and Gifts located on the CFL campus.

“We are so honored and proud that our Oklahoma state senators and state representatives would take time from their busy schedules to visit with our residents and see their beautiful homes and job sites,” Espinosa said.

“These incredible individuals with disabilities felt so special knowing that the lawmakers were here just to see them.”

 Sanders describes himself as “passionate about pro-life issues and the sanctity of every human life” and has helped organize the legislative tour at CFL for the past four years.

CFL provides the roses handed to lawmakers during the annual Rose Day event held at the State Capitol to encourage Oklahoma lawmakers to support pro-life issues.

“This organization is incredibly important, and because these beautiful people cannot care for themselves, it is our responsibility to take care of them,” Sanders said. “The Center of Family Love provides the best care in the state for adults living with disabilities.”

The facility is unique as it never charges its residents or their families for the lifetime care it provides in the event the individual cannot afford to live there.

CFL’s daily operational cost is $24,000, and the organization is responsible for raising $5,000 of that daily expense through donations, Espinosa said.

The center relies on Medicaid and other government funding to make up the difference.  

“Thanks to all of the incredible lawmakers who see the importance of a ministry like the Center of Family Love, we are able to continue providing quality lifetime care for adults living with disabilities now and for generations to come,” Espinosa said.