Vance volunteers support Hope Outreach abstinence event for local teens Published Sept. 21, 2011 VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- For the first time, members of Vance organizations volunteered together in support of the Hope Outreach Parenting Resource Center's annual abstinence tea for local seventh-grade girls held this year at the Cherokee Strip Center Sept. 14. "We wanted the Enid community to know we are supportive of the message of abstinence and the importance of self esteem," said Maggie Laws, the community readiness consultant with the 71st Force Support Squadron at Vance. This is the fourth year for the abstinence tea. More than 400 teenage girls from the local area attended. Hope Outreach started the abstinence tea in response to Garfield County's distinction as the leading county per capita in Oklahoma for teenage pregnancies. Oklahoma is second in the nation. "The participation from Garfield County schools is phenomenal," said Terri Presa, Vance's Sexual Assault Response coordinator. "They actually conduct the event as a field trip where teens are transported to the program by bus and greeted by smiling volunteers." Nationally renowned motivational speaker, Carol Sallee, spoke at the rally discussing abstinence, teen pregnancy and self esteem. "This event was extraordinary," said Laws. "It is amazing to see how powerful the Enid Community reacts to the needs of its youth." Organizations and volunteers from Vance included: Airman & Family Readiness Center: Laws, Ruthie Wisdom McMeans Family Advocacy: Shawn Kelley SARC: Presa and Savannah Lohn Students' Spouses' Club: Lauren Higley and Kylee Fick Officers' Spouses' Club: Christina Taylor Enlisted Spouses' Group: Lindsey Beyer