PEOS IN THE COMMUNITY:   SPIRIT HR: BUILDING THE ARTISTIC SPIRIT OF OKLAHOMA CITY

Spirit Human Resources CEO Dale Hageman knows firsthand how a vibrant community can uplift and inspire its residents.

Giving back to the Oklahoma City community he’s called home for 40 years has long been a passion for Hageman —he’s served on countless boards and committees that serve central Oklahoma— and he’s made volunteering a core tenet of Spirit HR since founding the PEO with Marilyn Conyer nine years ago.

The Spirit HR team volunteers together in the community once per quarter, with its efforts targeted towards helping underprivileged youth. A committee of Spirit HR employee volunteers select the organizations the company helps, and then help vet and coordinate participation. One of those beneficiaries is Allied Arts, an organization that provides grants to more than 40 cultural agencies in central Oklahoma, including the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, Science Museum Oklahoma, the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, and the Oklahoma City Ballet.

Its mission: allow more children to experience the arts by helping local museums and organizations offer low ticket prices and free events. It’s generated more than $91 million for cultural nonprofits across the Sooner State since 1991.

Spirit HR has helped that cause, both in money and in time. Spirit’s employees can take a payroll deduction and donate money out of their paycheck each month to benefit the organization, complementing its ongoing employee fundraising efforts for the nonprofit.

Members of the Allied Arts team visit Spirit HR’s offices annually to show the impact the money raised from the PEO is making on local communities, and to gather the team for on-site arts activities. The longstanding partnership has created innumerable heartwarming stories that are especially meaningful for Hageman, an arts enthusiast who served on Allied Arts’ board for five years.

“It means a lot to help, because a lot of them are underfunded arts agencies that help kids,” Hageman said. “It adds to the culture and the beauty of our area and brings more affordable entertainment. We’re nurturing creativity and fostering a sense of connection that transcends generations.”

In April, the PEO volunteered at the Oklahoma City Festival of the Arts, an annual event where artists from around the country descend on OKC’s Bicentennial Park and neighboring streets to showcase top-notch art. Hageman has been involved with the festival and Arts Council Oklahoma City for more than two decades, dating back to his days as president and CEO of Accord Human Resources.

Spirit HR staff was on site for the city’s “beloved rite of spring,” serving food and drinks at its meal tents, volunteering as it has for each of the past nine years. The team also raised money for the council internally and across a network of colleagues to support music education and needed art supplies in lower income areas.

“It’s about more than just contributions,” Hageman said. “It’s about enriching lives, building a stronger community, and celebrating the artistic spirit that defines our city.”

It’s a rapidly growing city that Spirit HR Chief Revenue Officer Adam Graham describes as “friendly, kind, and welcoming.” It’s also a city within a state that is majority rural and has had its issues battling poverty throughout its borders.

Though Graham just started with the firm in February, he said he already understands Spirit HR’s long-term commitment to the Oklahoma City community, including improving life for its lower income residents. It’s become a cause near and dear to the PEO’s employees, many of whom were born and raised in the state.

“Anyone who comes to Oklahoma City says the same exact thing: ‘It’s a much bigger, nicer, and more modern city than I expected,’” Graham said. “And the second thing is that it has the nicest people in the world. We’re a community that loves to help each other.”

Hageman says spending time with underprivileged children was a priority in his decade on the board of the Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools, so much so that he encouraged Accord HR employees to volunteer each work week as reading and math tutors at a local elementary school. The goal: to have employees become mentors and make a difference in the next generation of Oklahomans.

That desire to help local youth has continued onto Spirit HR, notably through its partnership with Citizens Caring for Children, a nonprofit that provides clothing, hygiene products, books, and other vital resources to area foster children.

The PEO has volunteered with the organization for the past three years, helping collect school supplies, clothes and shoes during the summer months. Spirit employees help sort merchandise in the nonprofit’s warehouse and set up displays so children in need are ready to receive the items ahead of the school season and around the holidays.

The three-pronged approach of helping the Allied Arts, Festival of the Arts, and Citizens Caring for Children has helped set the next generation up for success, and the giving spirit of Spirit HR isn’t going away any time soon.

“It’s all about helping the kids for me and it’s what goes to my heart,” Hageman said. “I look forward to continuing our efforts to make Oklahoma City a beacon of culture and compassion.”