Oklahoma City's Santa Fe Family Life Center is putting the finishing touches on its annual JFK Community Service Awards gala, set for Sept. 21 at the Hall of Mirrors inside the Civic Center Music Hall. The evening will honor a group of Oklahomans recognized for their leadership, service and commitment to making a difference in their communities.
SFFLC representatives Josef McGuigan and Ellyn Hefner appeared on a local broadcast Tuesday to preview the event, discussing the upcoming gala as the organization finalizes preparations. As KOKH reported, the JFK Community Service Awards Gala is happening Sept. 21 in the Hall of Mirrors at the Civic Center Music Hall, with this year's program set to honor an inspiring group of Oklahomans for their leadership, service and commitment to making a difference.
What the JFK Award Represents
The John F. Kennedy Community Service Award itself recognizes Oklahomans whose lives exemplify service, leadership and philanthropy, according to the Santa Fe Family Life Center. Alongside it, the organization also presents the Mark Ruffin Lifetime Achievement Award, a special honor reserved for individuals whose philanthropy has been especially profound over their lifetime, per the same source.
Every dollar raised at the dinner goes back into the nonprofit's mission. Proceeds from the JFK Community Service Award dinner benefit the charitable programs offered at SFFLC, helping fuel the organization's work providing adaptive and accessible fitness, recreation and wellness programs. That mission has long centered on inclusive athletic opportunities for people with disabilities, veterans and under-resourced youth, a focus the organization has emphasized in past coverage of the awards from the Journal Record.
Raffles, Auctions and a Live Painting
This year's gala will feature a raffle and auction table stocked with an exciting collection of curated artwork, according to the SFFLC website. Adding a hands-on element to the evening, Native artist ZonLy will create a live painting during the program portion of the night, with the finished piece going up for auction before the gala ends.
The JFK Awards have built a track record of pairing big-name recognition with community fundraising. Journal Record's account of the 2025 edition noted that the gala honored retired OU women's basketball coach Sherri Coale, OU Athletic Director Joe Castiglione, and Oklahoma City philanthropists Liz and Tim McLaughlin at a September ceremony in the same Meinders Hall of Mirrors venue. Two years earlier, per KGOU, elite gymnast Maggie Nichols and nonprofit advocate Marnie Taylor were honored alongside business leader John Kennedy, who received the Mark Ruffin Lifetime Achievement Award that year.
A Legacy of Recognizing Oklahoma Leaders
The awards have also drawn political heavyweights over the years. A previous JFK dinner featured former state Attorney General Drew Edmondson serving as master of ceremonies, according to CapitolBeatOK, with a past JFK award winner, former Attorney General Mike Turpen, also honored for lifetime achievement at that event.
KGOU's coverage of the 2023 gala underscored what the fundraiser ultimately supports: proceeds from the gala support the Santa Fe Family Life Center in its mission to provide recreation and athletic programs for children who are disadvantaged, or have physical or intellectual disabilities. As Oklahoma City prepares to fill the Hall of Mirrors again this year, that same mission remains at the center of the celebration, even as the specific honorees for the 2026 ceremony have not yet been confirmed publicly.
