No woman left behind: Tulsa Girls Social Club is turning strangers into friends

Ellyce Thomas was looking for a community outside of her normal circle of friends. 

When the applications for the Tulsa Girls Social Club executive team came across her social media feed, she was hesitant at first. She said the club appeared white-facing. Thomas, a Black woman from Tulsa, was named the lead workout coordinator and realized she had been wrong. 

“Not only are we racially diverse, but we’re an age-diverse group as well,” Thomas said. 

She attributes that to Kelli Pryor, a Tulsa-based photographer who serves as the organization’s president. The club aims to foster community for women through events, fundraisers and more. 

“Kelli is really about community, and she’s really about making sure everyone feels like they can come to the events and that they want to come to the events,” Thomas said.  

TGSC stemmed from a lack of social connection for women post-pandemic. The original founders created the club in September 2022 to foster connection between women while also supporting local businesses. 

When Pryor took on the president role, she began filling out the volunteer executive team. One of her goals was to keep the team as diverse as possible to appeal to the most women.

“I am a white-passing woman, and so like there’s that one walk of life,” Pryor said. “I grew up on a poor side and have worked my way up … but we have Asian American individuals on our team. We have Middle Eastern women on our team, African American women. I mean, literally, all different walks of life who have seen different things and have dealt with different things.” 

She added: “They know what our communities are lacking.” 

Now, the club’s Instagram has more than 15,000 followers and the group hosts around 10 events a month, ranging from coffee shop dates to pilates classes. Pryor said she’s witnessed strangers turn into bridesmaids. 

“It’s just kind of written in our DNA that we all need a form of social connection to fill that social battery in us and have that fulfillment,” she said. “So ultimately, the core of it is to have a safe space for women in Tulsa to find new friends, or if they’ve just moved here to create a new community and find new places to shop, new places to eat, things like that.” 

Victoria Neils, the club’s lead walk coordinator, is working on creating a consistent community in her hometown of Broken Arrow. She felt as though her community lacked diversity when she was growing up and remembers feeling like an outsider as a young Black woman. 

With the team expanding to include other walk coordinators who are hosting events in Tulsa, Sapulpa and Jenks, Neils is honing in on BA. 

“My hope with sticking to Broken Arrow this year is that I’m gonna start seeing the same people, especially if they live in Broken Arrow or close to Broken Arrow,” Neils said. “I hope they’re like, ‘Oh yeah, that’s easy to go to,’ and like, “Oh yeah, I’ve seen the same handful of people whenever I come.’”

Neils said she hopes her presence on the executive team encourages other Black women to get involved, whether it’s through fitness or a book club, trivia night or a planned dinner. The group is branching out to visit other parts of northeastern Oklahoma, including upcoming trips to Claremore and Tahlequah. 

Tulsa resident Jennifer Kontje has attended a few events, including some where she arrived alone. She said she never felt left out. 

“Don’t be afraid to go by yourself, because you will meet people,” Kontje said. “I tend to have social anxiety, so I get nervous going to things by myself, but I think it’s a really, really good way to branch out, reach people and have a social life.” 

To continue the club’s growth, the team’s next goal is to become a registered nonprofit by obtaining federal 501(c)(3) nonprofit status. Pryor said the distinction could help the group become more philanthropic and give back to Tulsa in the form of resources and donations. 

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