Marcia & Phil Mitchell were inducted into the Tulsa Hall of Fame in 2024.
Phil and Marcia Mitchell are native Tulsan’s. Family friends since childhood, they both graduated from Edison High School and became close after their college years. They fell in love and married in 1967. Marcia taught Speech and Drama at Edison and Phil was with State Federal Savings & Loan. In 1970, they welcomed their daughter, Missy, into the world. Twenty-four hours after she was born, Phil and Marcia received the devastating news that their baby girl had been born with a rare condition which meant she would have less than normal vision or be totally blind.
As an educator Marcia knew the importance of early intervention services but found few resources in her hometown. She and another young mother facing similar challenges asked God for a 20th century miracle. With their husbands’ support, a dream in their hearts and a prayer on their lips, these two young moms took a giant leap of faith and established a center for children with special needs. The Little Light House (LLH) opened in Tulsa in 1972.
It was a humble beginning. The Center for Individuals with Physical Challenges provided a small frame house – rent free. Little Light House had one teacher, five volunteers, five students and barely $3,000. Marcia became Executive Director. Phil served on the Board. Over the next 41 years, they rolled up their sleeves, clung to their faith and built a team that continues to make a difference for families across Green Country and beyond.
Today LLH serves more than 250 children in a 60,000 square foot facility at 36th and Yale. Every inch was tailor designed to meet the unique needs of children with physical and mental challenges. Each and every child receives state of the art, highly personalized, educational and therapeutic services, all tuition-free.
What began as a dream and a prayer has grown into a model training center, attracting international interns from more than 14 nations, providing free training to students from more than 25 colleges and universities and offering online courses, free, to individuals all over the globe.
There are now LLH affiliates in Mississippi and Kentucky and one is proposed to open in Oklahoma City in 2025.
Marcia and Phil are both retired now but remain active members on the LLH Board of Directors and serve as mentors to the staff. Their daughter, Missy, lives in Tulsa, teaches private voice and piano, and is mom to two beautiful girls adopted from China.