The Children's Chiropractic Center is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2002. Looking forward to the future, the history of the Center reveals courage that brought it to the present.

Since 1962, Oklahoma City has been home to the Children's Chiropractic Center, providing service to severely sick and handicapped children. The Center was founded as a private, nonprofit 501 (c)(3) organization by a volunteer group of six doctors of chiropractic.

The treatment has always been individualized to meet the needs of each child. In its 40 years of operation, hundreds of patients a year have received relief for a variety of health problems. The Center specializes in the treatment of children whom traditional medicine has been unable to help.

Children diagnosed with such diverse conditions as cerebral palsy, asthma, growth disorders, and learning disabilities right down to autism have all shown an improved quality of life.

Dr. Bobby Doscher is frequently asked to share the successes and techniques of the Center at national and international conferences as well as one-on-one with doctors.

The mission of the center is to provide chiropractic care for children. Its goals are to help children and their families learn to take responsibility for their own health and to show the public the power of chiropractic and a natural way of life.

The dream of the original group of doctors took shape through the years. The name Oklahaven was added to the Children's Chiropractic Health Center Of Oklahoma very soon after its inception to offer a more concise title to recognize the organization. The name has become a true description of the "haven" that restores health.

Doctors Ruth and Orville Witt bequeathed their building to the Children's Chiropractic Center. In 1977, Dr. Bobby Doscher from the Philadelphia area was recruited. In 1979, Dr. William Doscher and Dr. Bobby assumed responsibility for the Center's daily operations. Dr. Bobby became President and Chief Executive Officer and through her efforts, at the time of Dr. Witt's death in 1981, the Center fulfilled the terms of the will and inherited the first building and equipment.

The increased number of patients determined the need for a larger clinic. In 1993, another facility was purchased and remodeled with the help of Dr. William Doscher. The Children Center's current home is more centrally located and allows room for future expansion to serve even more children, to conduct research and to educate people about the benefits of a natural drug free health care and the chiropractic way of life,

Each year Oklahaven sponsors a fundraising event in February called Have-A-Heart. During the week of Valentine's Day, chiropractors show The Center's video depicting the benefits of chiropractic for children to patients in their offices, and for a donation to the Center their name is put on a heart and displayed in their clinics.

This gives chiropractors the opportunity to increase awareness of pediatric chiropractic within their practice while at the same time supporting an internationally recognized nonprofit organization, Oklahaven sees children from all over the world and chiropractic enables their bodies to heal naturally without drugs.

Have-A-Heart enables the Center to continue to restore health to more children. The Center has never received federal, state, or United Way funding. Oklahaven relies on the generosity of people from around the world who see the need and share its vision of drug-free healthy, happy children.

As part of Oklahaven's 40th Anniversary celebration, a video was produced depicting the power of chiropractic in children through the amazing stories parents shared.

The video is a practice-building tool for chiropractors around the word. It also offers encouragement and information to parents searching for alternatives to medical treatment. Sale of this video allows Oklahaven to continue its service to families whose children have run the gamut of traditional medicine as well as bringing awareness of the chiropractic way of life to the community.