Tulsa Girl Wants To Give Everyone A Chance To See The Tulsa State Fair

The Tulsa State Fair is now underway and one local girl is on a mission to make sure everyone gets a chance to experience the fun. Lyla Thomas is the founder of Fair Share and she joined News On 6 with City Lights director Sarah Grounds to talk about this program.

Lyla's Inspiration for Fair Share

Lila Thomas shared what inspired her to start Fair Share at such a young age.

"I was walking to my car from a parade, and I saw a couple of homeless people, and I was wondering why, I didn't, why they weren't at the parade. And I asked my mom, 'Why aren't they at the parade?' And I was asking a couple of questions, and then I asked, 'Do they still experience joy?' And my mom said yes, but maybe not the kind of way that we do, and I wanted them to kind of experience a bit of joy like we do. And one of the places I really experienced a lot of joy was at the fair," she said.

City Lights Foundation's Role

Sarah Grounds from the City Lights Foundation of Oklahoma expressed excitement about partnering with Lyla.

"We've been working with people experiencing homelessness for the past 11 years here in Tulsa, and we are just so thrilled to work with Lyla. I think any time we see somebody young that's coming up and really sees other people and wants to share joy with them, we want to get behind that," said Grounds.

Sarah emphasized the importance of relationships and dignity in their work, saying, "We walk with people through a lot of dark days and a lot of heaviness. And so being able to partner with Lila and bring people today, where they can just experience pure joy and fun and food and all of the things that the fair brings - we're excited to be a part of that."

Impact on Participants

According to Sarah, the fair is a unique and joyful experience for many of the people they bring.

"We know that there are several people coming with us this year that have never attended a fair. They've never even been and so I think more than even just that piece, we believe in relationships, and this is another opportunity where we get to build relationships with people that may experience different things than we do, but also just really are human, and we're bringing dignity and joy and happiness for this day."

How to Support Fair Share

Lila Thomas encouraged people to visit the Fair Share website at fairshareok.com to learn more and support the initiative. With the help of organizations like the City Lights Foundation, Lyla's mission to ensure everyone can experience the joy of the Tulsa State Fair is making a real difference in her community.