bArtLesviLLe commuNity FouNdAtioN hAs Positive imPAct oN bArtLesviLLe

by savannah howe with photos courtesy of bartlesville community foundation

It takes the support of a community for schools, businesses and families to flourish. The goal of the Bartlesville Community Foundation is to connect the supporters and the supported so that Bartlesville can thrive “through the Power of Together.”

From the Bartlesville Public Schools Foundation to the Children’s Musical Theatre to the George Miksch Sutton Avian Research Center, organizations across the city have benefited through the unique component fund structure that BCF employs.

In a component fund structure, BCF Executive Director Laura Jensen explains, individuals and families can give back to their community through donor-advised funds that support their current charitable preferences, or estate future funds that will leave their impact for generations to come. Organizations, on the other hand, can offer their support through an endowment that diversifies their fundraising portfolio and secures their long-term sustainability.

“The BCF brings donors and organizations together through common interest, pooled investments and project support,” Jensen says. “The foundation focuses very intently on collaboration between organizations and sustainability through component fund development.”

One of the biggest areas of impact is the classroom. The foundation’s most notable efforts in recent years include the $25,000 grant that made the Bruins on the Run program, which serves Bartlesville fifth graders, possible through a collaboration between the Bartlesville Public Schools foundation, Run the Streets and the YMCA. That grant was part of a special grant cycle the goal of which was to encourage innovative collaboration.

BCF also award-

ed over $144,000 in scholarships to Bartlesville area students, supporting bright-futured students in the fields of STEM, teaching, nursing arts and more. The majority of these scholarships were made possible by donors “with a passion for advancing education in a particular field or setting,” Jensen says.

Applications for the 2023 scholarship cycle will open on Jan. 1 of next year.

The outstanding families that facilitate these scholarships and grants are recognized in the annual Legacy Hall of Fame gala; a total of 31 families have been recognized so far.

“This event is held to celebrate our community,” Jensen says, “and donations in honor of the families are designated to the BCF’s Legacy Hall of Fame Fund, which is used to make grants back to the community.”

This year’s honorees included the Keleher, King and Creel families. The Kelehers moved to Bartlesville from Tulsa in the 1970s and owned the largest family-owned billboard company in the state. Dan Keleher Sr. was inducted into the National Outdoor Advertising Hall of Fame, and the family was very active in the community, volunteering with women and children crisis organizations and the symphony. Two of Dan and Dixie’s six children, including Dan Keleher Jr., continued the billboard business until it was sold in 2021.

Dan Keleher Jr., a successful architect, remains very involved in Bartlesville with his wife, working with Agapé Mission, the Chamber of Commerce and the YMCA — to name a few.

The King family has been deeply civically involved for generations. David (a lawyer) and Marilyn (a graphic and watercolor artist with national distinction), high school sweethearts, spent decades investing and volunteering since moving to Bartlesville in the 1980s. The couple raised three sons in the community, all while remaining involved in the public schools, economic development and other charitable endeavors.

All three sons returned to Bartlesville and lead active lives rooted in service in their churches and communities.

The Creels are another multi-generation Oklahoman family that placed roots in Bartlesville in the early 20th century. William “Bill” Creel Sr. and Carol Creel raised five children through the public schools while being involved in board service for multiple foundations, the hospital and more. After living across the country through military service and job opportunities, Don Creel returned to Bartlesville in 1985, where he became very involved in the church, museum service and more.

The Creel, King and Keleher families, and every family that’s been honored since the first gala in 2008, “have been truly exceptional, and each year we are blown away by the extent of their impact,” Jensen says.

Bartlesville Community Foundation Executive Director Lauren Jensen with Bill Creel II. The Creel family was the Heritage Family recognized at the 2022 Legacy Gala.