Most of us have probably read to ourselves, our children or our grandchildren that all-time favorite, "The Little Engine that Could." This simple tale has been teaching the value of optimism and hard work to millions of young (and old) readers for more than a hundred years.

Several powerful locomotives are asked to pull a heavy string of cars over a mountain. They each have “good” reasons for why they can't. The last engine in the yard is a small fellow — not nearly as big or seemingly as powerful as the larger engines.

With the mantra of “I think I can, I think I can,” that little engine successfully drags the long heavy train over the mountain to deliver Christmas toys to girls and boys.

That's how I think of Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF) — as that tenacious little engine that could.

Read the rest of the story at oklahoman.com.