Tulsa-based Williams has become the first major corporate sponsor of the Reed Community Foundation’s capital campaign to renovate and reopen the Ben Hill Community Center in the Greenwood District.
Toward the project, the energy company has pledged $100,000 annually for five years.
“The donation from Williams is like a breath of fresh air and it will be a game-changer for the Reed Community Foundation,” Reed Community Foundation Founder Keith Reed said in a statement. “I’m so happy Williams chose to work with us, and we look forward to more community partners joining us in changing lives.”
The community center at 210 E. Latimer Place reportedly closed in 2002 but hosted off and on programming until more than a decade ago. In 2012, it and eight other recreation centers were targeted for demolition at a time when the city considered them too far gone to refurbish. Crews demolished the center’s pool in 2013.
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Established in 2014, RCF is a place for local children to come after school for mentoring, tutoring or a hot meal. It supports the work of “Coach” Keith Reed and his calling to be a positive role model and instilling self-discipline, self-esteem and confidence in at-risk youth.
RCF is scheduled to open the Ben Hill Community Center in conjunction with the commemoration of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre in May 2021.
The financial support from Williams will help RCF with its capital campaign goal and operating costs over the next five years. In appreciation of the support from Williams, Reed will name the STEM lab after Williams.
The Williams STEM Lab will educate children in the elements of STEM, including science, technology, engineering and math. Williams employees will also volunteer with the students, providing mentoring experiences and STEM career guidance.
“The Ben Hill Community Center and the important work Reed Community Foundation is doing in North Tulsa is right in our backyard,” Laura Creekmur, president of the Williams Foundation, said in a statement. “Our employees were passionate about getting involved with this center that was a beloved resource to families for many years.
“We are committed to preparing the next generation for leading jobs with employers in STEM fields — including Williams — and we are proud to support our neighbors in strengthening our hometown.”
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In a year filled with challenges and heartbreak, these people gave us hope.
Photos: Tulsa World’s people to watch 2021
Gallery: Tulsa World's people to watch 2021
People to Watch - Amy Brown
As Tulsa’s deputy mayor and, since November, its chief administrative officer, Amy Brown does a lot of “non-glamorous, behind-the-curtain work,” as she puts it.
But she’s also the administration’s point person on at least one very public project expected to attract national and even international attention in 2021 — the search for unmarked burials from Tulsa’s 1921 Race Massacre.
People to Watch - Sen. Kevin Matthews
State Sen. Kevin Matthews, D-Tulsa, is pictured in front of the Greenwood Rising history center being built at Greenwood Avenue and Archer Street, the once and perhaps future crossroads of a thriving African American commercial district.
In 2017 Matthews introduced Senate Bill 17 as part of his goal to build a reminder of the 1921 Race Massacre and a memorial to what he calls “the most resilient people on this earth,” who built, rebuilt and persevered through many setbacks over past 100 years.
People to Watch - Ryan Walters
Oklahoma Secretary of Education Ryan Walters may not get all interested parties on the same page in the coming year, but he hopes to at least get them in the same room.
Gov. Kevin Stitt nominated Walters for secretary of education in September as part of a cabinet reorganization. It is the first time Stitt has had a cabinet officer who is solely focused on education.
A McAlester native, Walters taught full-time in the McAlester Public Schools for eight years and continues teaching Advanced Placement courses there and in Millwood Public Schools, even after becoming executive director of Oklahoma Achieves, an education initiative of the Oklahoma State Chamber of Commerce.
People to Watch - Aliye Shimi
“We have had many people turning to their faith traditions and faith communities at a time like this," said Aliye Shimi, executive director of the interfaith Tulsa Metropolitan Ministry.
"We see it any time there’s a disaster, everybody kind of turns to faith.
“We’ve seen a dramatic increase in congregations and their memberships during this time. Where you would have thought we’d have a drop off, it’s been an increase. Even in giving."
People to Watch - Becky Gligo
“I love this job,” said Becky Gligo, housing policy director for the city of Tulsa and soon to be full-time director of the nonprofit Housing Solutions. “I’m a full-blown housing nerd.” That’s good, because COVID-19 is turning what was already a problem in Tulsa into a potential crisis. In moving from the city to the lead agency for the area nonprofits fighting homelessness, Gligo (pronounced GLEE-go) will be right in the middle of the fray. With a federal eviction moratorium expiring at the end of the year and landlords feeling the strain of lost revenue, Gligo and others fear a wave of homelessness in 2021.
<&underline>Click here to read more.</&underline>People to Watch - Mike Bausch
Mike Bausch and his brother Jim own a group of Tulsa restaurants that includes Andolini’s Pizza, STG Gelateria and Prossimo Italian Ristorante. Their newest concept is Bagelarium, which shares space with STG, 1601 E. 15th St.
People to Watch - Jennifer Murphy
Earlier this year, at about the same time many American cities roiled with anger over law enforcement tactics, Lt. Jennifer Murphy was given the job of convincing some skeptical Tulsans that the police could be their friends.
As part of his reorganization of the department, Tulsa Police Chief Wendell Franklin put Murphy in charge of a new Community Engagement Unit. The unit mostly combined initiatives already operating independently, but without much coordination or combined focus.
People to Watch - Joe Deere
Cherokee Tribal Councilor Joe Deere says his job calls for a lot of hats.
The one Tulsans are most likely to see him wearing is for community involvement.
Whether that’s organizing a food distribution at Oklahoma State University-Tulsa, volunteering for the Special Olympics or figuring out how to improve access to tribal services, Deere has committed himself to helping people get through the COVID-19 pandemic and to raising the Cherokee Nation’s profile in Tulsa.
People to Watch - Lori Long
Lori Long picked a heck of a time to become executive director of the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma.
After 12 years leading the Center for Individuals with Physical Challenges, Long took over northeastern Oklahoma’s largest food assistance network on March 30 — just in time for an unprecedented wave of demand caused by the COVID-19 epidemic.
In April, Long’s first month on the job, the food bank moved a record 3.8 million pounds of food. In September, it went over 4 million pounds.
People to Watch - Dr. David Kendrick
A high school job entering genome sequencing data introduced Dr. David Kendrick to medical science, so it’s perhaps not surprising that his career revolves around information systems.
To be sure, there is an M.D. after his name, with specialties in pediatrics and internal medicine. But at the top of a long list of job titles are chairman of the Department of Informatics at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in Tulsa and and chief executive officer of MyHealth Access Network.
That’s a mouthful that may not mean much to the average Tulsan — at least not until they wind up in the back of ambulance or a hospital emergency room.
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