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TULSA, Okla., – Williams, a Tulsa-based energy company, has become the first major corporate sponsor of Reed Community Foundation’s capital campaign to renovate and reopen the Ben Hill Community Center located in the Greenwood District of North Tulsa. Through its Foundation, Williams has pledged $100,000 annually for five years, for a total of $500,000 toward supporting the mission of the Reed Community Foundation (RCF) to change lives and build future leaders in the Tulsa community.
“The donation from Williams is like a breath of fresh air and it will be a game-changer for the Reed Community Foundation. I’m so happy Williams chose to work with us, and we look forward to more community partners joining us in changing lives,” said Coach Reed.
“The Ben Hill Community Center and the important work Reed Community Foundation is doing in North Tulsa is right in our backyard. Our employees were passionate about getting involved with this center that was a beloved resource to families for many years,” said Laura Creekmur, president of the Williams Foundation. “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.”
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, Coach 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.
Established in 2014, RCF is an important place for local children to come after school for mentoring and tutoring, or for a hot meal. RCF supports the work of “Coach” Keith Reed and his calling to be a positive role model and mentor by 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. For more information on the Reed Community Foundation and how to support the Ben Hill project, visit reedcommunityfoundation.org.
About Reed Community Foundation
The Reed Community Foundation’s mission is to provide an environment in which children and youth can develop life skills, a strong work ethic, self-discipline, an enlarged spiritual life, and respect for others. The Reed Community Foundation changes lives and creates future leaders in the greater Tulsa metropolitan area by showing love, teaching life skills, and building healthy minds and bodies.
About Williams
Williams (NYSE: WMB) is committed to being the leader in providing infrastructure that safely delivers natural gas products to reliably fuel the clean energy economy. Headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Williams is an industry-leading, investment grade C-Corp with operations across the natural gas value chain including gathering, processing, interstate transportation and storage of natural gas and natural gas liquids. With major positions in top U.S. supply basins, Williams connects the best supplies with the growing demand for clean energy. Williams owns and operates more than 30,000 miles of pipelines system wide – including Transco, the nation’s largest volume and fastest growing pipeline – and handles approximately 30 percent of the natural gas in the United States that is used every day for clean-power generation, heating and industrial use.