Muskogee nonprofit recognized for effective work

Feb. 22—Gospel Rescue Mission achieved True Charity certification on Oct. 27, 2022.

Rich Schaus, Gospel Rescue Mission's executive director, said GRM was already near meeting the standards before being awarded the certification.

"We had a True Charity conference in October," he said. "We started working toward earning certification from there. It only took a couple of weeks, because we were already kind of on board with what they were asking for."

Some of the criteria had been in place for as long as the mission has been open.

"First of all, we take no government funding," he said. "It has to be voluntarily donated. Whether it's foundations or individuals, they have to voluntarily have to give their contributions — it can't be government tax money.

"We also look at long-term benefits so where not just counting we have a certain number of meals but what are the results of the choices."

In an email from Gospel Rescue Mission, True Charity explained how GRM achieved this status.

"We're pleased to share that Gospel Rescue Mission meets these standards. Furthermore, they are active members of the True Charity Network, a national coalition of churches and nonprofits that are working together to champion real compassion and real results. Their contributions to this network mean that their best practices are helping inform other programs around the nation."

Schaus said the designation puts Gospel Rescue Mission at a different level in the state.

"We are the only one in Oklahoma to achieve True Charity certification," he said. "It means we have a higher standard than a lot of historic charities have had. We raised our bar from just patching up wounds to actually healing."

For more information on the True Charity, visit truecharity.us.

For more information on Gospel Rescue Mission visit grmmuskogee.org.