Sixty stories above downtown Oklahoma City, guests in masquerade masks will sip cocktails and play casino-style games next Friday night, but the real stakes of the evening sit far below the skyline: funding free trauma therapy for children who have survived sexual abuse. The Unmasking Hope Gala: Masks, Music & Monte Carlo runs from 6 to 10 p.m. on August 28 on the 50th floor of Vast, the restaurant and event space atop the Devon Energy Center, and every ticket sold supports Bethesda, Inc., Oklahoma's only nonprofit dedicated exclusively to treating and preventing childhood sexual abuse.
The gala itself sounds like a splashy night out, and it is meant to be. As reported by KOKH, the event pairs gourmet dining from Vast's award-winning chefs with live music from the Savoy Trio, themed photo opportunities, custom hand-designed masquerade masks, and cocktails served with a view of the city lights below. There are raffles, contests, interactive games and auctions woven throughout the night, all built around the idea that every dollar raised funds healing programs that help survivors heal, give their voices a platform, and change their futures, according to the station's report.
Underneath the glamour is an organization with a narrow but urgent mission. Bethesda, Inc. operates as Oklahoma's only nonprofit agency dedicated entirely to treating and preventing childhood sexual abuse, offering trauma-informed therapy and prevention education to children and families statewide free of charge.
A Statewide Waitlist for Free Care
The need is bigger than one clinic can easily absorb. In fiscal year 2023, Bethesda provided free trauma therapy to 338 child abuse survivors and 215 non-offending caregivers, but the high volume of referrals has created an ongoing waitlist for new clients, according to data from the United Way of Central Oklahoma.
Though its clinic is based in Norman, Bethesda serves families from 58 of Oklahoma's 77 counties, and some clients drive up to three hours each way just to reach a counseling session, per city data cited in a Norman community Facebook post. That distance underscores a broader shortage of specialized child trauma therapists in rural parts of the state, where families often have nowhere closer to turn.
From Treating Offenders to Centering Survivors
Bethesda's mission looks nothing like it did at its founding. The organization began in 1981 as a mental health research program that treated adult sexual offenders, and its early operations relied on fees paid by those offenders. In 2004, Bethesda made a fundamental strategic pivot, terminating all offender services to focus entirely on child survivors and their non-offending caregivers, a shift documented on the nonprofit's own history page.
That reinvention came with a financial commitment that still defines the organization today: Bethesda never charges clients or bills insurance and SoonerCare, relying instead entirely on donations. As little as $3.25 funds one student's prevention lesson, while $50 covers a group therapy session for nine children, the nonprofit says on its funding page. Because Bethesda refuses to charge clients or bill insurance, galas like Unmasking Hope and other community fundraisers directly subsidize both free therapy sessions and statewide prevention workshops.
Reaching Beyond the Therapy Room
Bethesda's work extends well past one-on-one counseling. Its Stop, Go & Tell prevention program reaches more than 30,000 children and adults annually across Oklahoma school districts, teaching body safety awareness and how to report abuse, according to event listing details on Ticketstripe.
Financial filings show just how dependent that reach is on community generosity. IRS Form 990 records reviewed by ProPublica show Bethesda operates on approximately $724,000 in annual revenue, with private contributions and grants making up nearly 79% of total funding. That reliance is why the nonprofit runs events beyond its flagship gala throughout the year, including a Servin' Up Safety Pickleball Tournament held at Chicken N Pickle in Oklahoma City in June.
Bethesda's leadership team includes Executive Director Dr. Julie Sisler, Clinical Director Melissa Anderson, and Education Director Renee O'Leary, according to staff listings on the nonprofit's website. Their oversight spans both the clinical trauma care delivered in Norman and the prevention outreach reaching classrooms across the state. Next Friday's masquerade atop Vast is, at its core, one more attempt to close the gap between the demand for that care and the resources available to provide it.
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