As many gear up for an annual trip to the Tulsa State Fair, one fourth grader is raising money again this year to ensure a day of fun for some of the most vulnerable—individuals experiencing homelessness.
2 News first introduced you to Lyla Thomas, 10, in 2023 when she created “FairShare,” a program to take unhoused Tulsans along with her to the fair.
Third grader teams up with non-profit
The idea began when the now-fourth grader saw a group living on the streets and asked her mom about it.
“And then I asked, ‘do they experience joy,’ and she said, ‘yes, but maybe not in the way we do,” said Lyla.
She is teaming up with City Lights Foundation of Oklahoma, an outreach organization that launched in 2013 based on the idea of another young person.
Executive Director and Founder Sarah Grounds said her then-eight-year-old son wanted a different kind of birthday celebration.
“He didn’t want a party, he wanted to go out with his friends and feed people, talk with people, spend time with them,” Grounds explained.