Our History

Show, Inc. has a rich history in Sapulpa stretching back to 1964 when parents of several children who were attending the Tulsa Sunnyside School formed a group to help serve the needs of the area’s children.

A meeting was held and the Sapulpa Council for the Mentally Retarded was born with the goal of setting up a school for these children so that Sapulpa children would not have to be transported to Tulsa for care and training.

Fundraising efforts began and in the summer of 1964 classes were held on Saturdays at the First Presbyterian Church in Sapulpa. This was also the year that saw “Angels Unaware”, the Sapulpa Council for the Mentally Retarded float in the Christmas parade.  The entry reportedly brightened all who saw it and recognized its beauty.

Over the next few years the Council worked relentlessly to get out their message of need for assistance in our local community for children with special needs. In the summer of 1966 a summer day care program began, Sapulpa School for Handicapped Children. Ten children were enrolled with classes being held at the Episcopal Church. The program was so successful it carried over into the fall with half day classes.

During this time the Sapulpa Association for Retarded Children (SARC) replaced the Sapulpa Council for the Mentally Retarded in July 1965. The name change was necessary to conform to the National Association for Retarded Children.

The Ways and Means Committee of SARC soon decided to hold a Charity Ball to help raise funds for SARC. With Mr. Jerry Naifeh, Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, as master of ceremonies the first Charity Ball was held at the Petroleum Club in Tulsa in 1966.  The Charity Ball has since become an annual event in support of Show, Inc.

On April 25, 1970 ground was broken at a tract of land in the 1000 block of East Grayson Street, donated by Bartlett-Collins Glass Company, for the first site of the Sapulpa School for Handicapped Children. The grand opening of the school was held on February 2, 1971. It then became a part of the Sapulpa Public School system due to state laws mandating the education of handicapped children.

The need at this time was to expand the program to assist older citizens with a work activity center or a sheltered workshop to meet the needs of the students as they matured. In August 1976, Sapulpa began transporting six developmentally disabled adults to Sertoma Handicapped Opportunity Workshop in Tulsa. Sapulpa became a satellite of the Tulsa Workshop sharing staff, work and contracts.

On September 17, 1976 S.H.O.W. became incorporated in the State of Oklahoma as a non-profit corporation.   On May 10, 1977 Sertoma Workshop opened the new Sapulpa facility at 12 North Oak Street on a site leased from Gibson Lumber Company and accommodated eight workers. 

1980 was a busy year for S.H.O.W., Inc., hiring an Executive Director, receiving a van from Sun Oil Company, and making  many needed repairs to the building. 1980 also saw a cooperative program with the Sapulpa School system to provide vocational training for students from the Sapulpa School for the Handicapped. It was also during 1980 that S.H.O.W., Inc. became a United Way Agency.

In 1985 S.H.O.W., Inc. moved into its current home at 425 W Wells Blvd. After operating for 15 years as a sheltered workshop, S.H.O.W. offered opportunities for community integrated employment.  To reflect S.H.O.W. becoming community integrated and to remove the stigma attached to the word “handicapped” the name was legally changed to Show, Inc. on March 17, 1992.

In 1991 Show Recycling Center was opened being staffed fully by the workers.  The center has grown over the years and has seen a major building expansion, the addition of curbside recycling pickups for Sapulpa residents and businesses and the addition of a shredding program.

Show, Inc. has seen many changes and has experienced tremendous growth over the years since its humble beginnings decades ago.  Show, Inc. now serves more than 70 adults with developmental disabilities. These workers staff Show Recycling Center, do onsite shredding for the City of Sapulpa and the City of Sand Springs, go out on curbside recycling pickups in Sapulpa and Tulsa, and help provide the landscaping services for Sapulpa Main Street.

For almost 50 years, Show, Inc. truly has been The Pathway to a New Beginning.