Good morning, good morning, good morning, and welcome, welcome, welcome.
It is time now for our community connection right here on K one,
the one you trust, and we're talking with our friends here from the United
Way. We've got the annual funding campaign going on. We have Lease Carrie
and John Ford in studios, two great friends of the radio station, great
friends of our program, and of course great friends of our community. How
you do it, Good morning, I'm hoping you'd take great. We're did
right there you go. We are. We are really excited about stuff that's
coming up for Bartlesville Region in the United Way, so as you should.
Yeah, it's it is crunch time now, so we are. We're preparing
for our kickoff, which is Friday at the at halftime at the Bartlesville High
School football game, and then we're we'll prepare in a couple of weeks two
weeks from today, will be at our golf tournaments, so our twentieth year,
and we're super excited and got a lot of stuff that's going to make
it special this year. On top of that, we're kicking off the big
campaign, like you said, and that's kind of where John comes in.
He likes to play a lot of golf. I know, no, that's
fine there. That's why you work hard when you're working, so you can
do things like this when you're retired. Now you're doing a little something here,
a lot of something here with the annual funding campaign. Tell us about
your role. Yes, Lisa in the board this year asked me to be
chair of the retiree portion of the annual funding campaign. And you know,
we think about the funding campaign, but because of everything that the community gives
to the United Way, we're able to give over two point three million dollars
to agencies within our community, and these agencies are working with health, education,
financial stability. I was on the board since two thousand and seven,
and some of that kind of runs together, but not right now. But
I'll tell you United Way has done so much for this community. But it's
not only the United Way, it's everybody that supports us. Retirees are always
a big part of that. You know, they've worked their lives. The
ones that like me elected to stay in Bartlesville because it's a great place to
live and we're really proud of what we have here. But we know it
doesn't happen by accident, so we like to give back, and we like
to give to where we know that money is well spent, that it's it's
that it's looked at closely on how it's spent and how the agencies use it,
and that those agencies do it to promote the programs that really help in
the areas that the United Way believes in. So it's important, but also
for retirees. It's not only the amount of money they give us retirees or
a big portion of a lot of our support our volunteerism, both with the
agencies and with the United Way, and with the golf tournament coming up,
and the golf tournament is not just a golf tournament, which actually work,
but it's also eight golf tournaments in four days with our partners Phillips sixty six
and Conico Phillips where people come in from all over and it is a celebration.
It's a lot of fun. We think Adams Golf Course in the city
for making that available to us. But you tell us about that, well,
I mean it's a golf scramble. So we do have two flights a
day Tuesday through Friday. We could honestly put another flight and it would fill
out. But I don't know if the committee could handle it. So we're
but it's gonna be. I mean, this is me in our twentieth year.
We're gonna do some special stuff. So our goal this year. Last
year we raised nine hundred and eighty five thousand my goodness, yes, so
that was a new record, and this year our goal is a million.
So stay tuned and we will be able to let you know if we made
that goal or not. We're still filling some were technically sold out in sponsorships,
so it's gonna It's a great problem to have, and I would encourage
people if they haven't gone out to Adams, go out there and see what
they've done. They've done some refresh of the clubhouse. It has a new
paint carpet. Uh, it looks really nice, and you know, it
makes a good first impression on those vendors that come out of city and out
of state. So only two out of one hundred and twenty sponsors, I
don't really know if that's right, but it's over a hundred sponsors, only
two of them are local companies. So with you know, Chronico, Phillips
and Phillips sixty six. They do an amazing job and it is a full
time job on top of their work they're doing, especially the last month that
gets really really busy. But it's gonna be a fun time. I'm excited
and it is my favorite week work week of the year because I love being
out there. But Friday night, I'm pretty much exhausted. But it's just
an amazing event. I'm in awe that people continue to support us in that
way. But it wasn't a hard ask for us to ask John forward because
he is an amazing citizen. He's served our legislature's, he's volunteered, he
is you know, he is a reason Bartlesville is a great place to live.
People like him on like minded who want to give back to their community.
That's a legacy that will last for a long time. So on behalf
of the United way. I would just like to thank John and all the
other retirees that get involved to make our community great. John wrote one thing,
you know, I know a lot of friends and family of mine,
we're kind of close in age, who have going on to retire. They
said, well, it doesn't mean you stop. I mean you mean,
goodness sakes, you don't clock in every day, but my goodness, sakes
you. It opens up the door to many opportunities to do some pretty cool
things, and this is one of them. It does, and it's important
that I think a lot of us a volunteer. It's something we enjoy,
we didn't get a lot of satisfaction out of and it helps others. I
don't know what I do if I didn't have some of these volunteer opportunities,
because I guarantee you I couldn't play anymore golf than I did. Let me
mention more the thing about the golfers, And it's not only the million dollars
that we hope to raise for the United Way and the agencies that we support,
but the city of Bartlesville gets a tremendous amount of tax revenue. So
many of these people they come in, they're spending nights in hotels, the
restaurants are full, They're spending a lot of money in Bartlesville. Some of
these people are seeing Bartlesville and they're seeing really what we have to offer,
and it won't be the last time they come here. So it is truly
a win win for the agencies, for the United Way in for the City
of Bartlesville. I have no way of measuring this, but I do have
a feeling that a few people who come here to visit have stayed on well.
Or you could do like I did nineteen ninety five. I put I
picked Bartlesville off in map didn't know a soul. I just knew it was
I knew it was a great place. I heard good things, and here
I am thirty eight years later, I mean twenty eight years later, I'm
still loving Bartlesville. And the generosity that's displayed in this community is incredible.
I had a lot of friends that have our directors of other United Ways and
they are a little jealous, but in a good way. So we're we're
really honored to the community and trust us with their dollars and how we spend
them. So we take it very seriously, and our team is really great,
and the board of directors are very engaged, and I'm just really proud
to be part of such a great organization. How many groups are under the
umbrella of United Way. There's fourteen partner agencies right now, Yes, so
do it. We did add the cottage so and then you know, we
were going to add another one starting January, but I don't we can't see
I can't say yet because they want to make a big announcement. I understand
that that's a big thing. Yes, it's kind of like, you know,
you know you're joining the bag. I try, that's try. Oh,
it's kind of like the good housekeeper and seal of approval because of the
United Way funds and agency, the United Way and the Community Investment Committees have
really looked into that agency. So people that give to the United Way,
as I mentioned earlier, they know those dollars are being spent where they're going
to magnify and help the process. Indeed. Indeed, yes, and you
know, the United Way just just so much for those who I think we've
said this before, kind of fault between the crucks, right, you know,
everybody needs a safety at some time in their life. Yea. And
these agencies are the ones that make sure that your shape so right. Yeah.
I mean, the agencies are the ones doing the work out there in
the field, helping those most vulnerable be the best version of themselves. I
mean not to quote Kevin Durant, because I don't you know, when he
left the Thunder, I was like, Kevin Durants not my friend anymore.
But he did say I mean he when he accepted a speech he told he
said that his mom is the real MVP. Our agencies are the real the
real VP, because they do so much and they they will meet people where
they are so that they can they can get help, uh, not a
hand out. So it's it's really an our list of agencies I would put
against any agencies in the state or nation. They're that well brand. It's
really awesome, I would I would agree. And John, you've seen how
partnerships work. You know that not only at the legislative level, but here
in the community. It's handed glove here it is. And that's one of
the reasons I think initially I had so much interest in the United Way because
I was in the legislature at the time, and everybody knows the state and
the federal government can't and shouldn't try to do everything for people that need So
that's where all of our nonprofits do a wonderful job of being a part of
the process. And it's just it's a lot of satisfaction being involved with nonprofits.
A lot of people they don't get a lot of money at times,
but boy, they dedicate their soul and it's usually a mission they believe in.
That's how they got into a nonprofit. The volunteers believe in that mission,
and that's what makes it really worthwhile. Indeed, yeah, I'll tell
you what United starts with I like that. Yes, every time I walk
into the front office said three thirty in the morning and flip on the light,
I see that finger pointing yes, yes, straight the windows. Oh
yeah, yeah, I got I gotta get at least a good work on
that. But they gets your attention, it does. I I mean I
found a little pen from the thirties or forties at an antique show and Dewey
and it said it was a simple United against with you. It was I
found that after we we just that was our moto. So I took it
to Katie, our marketing manager, and said, can you please make this
into a poster. She made a little more modern, But honestly, that
is from a little pen that I searched in a whole box full of of
like pens and buttons, and I was just so amazed that I found that.
Even back then they were talking about how United begins with you. That
is really good. Cool shit, Yeah it is. I have it on
my desk and I look at it every day and it reminds me it does
start with me, and it starts with my team, and it starts with
everyone. So I love that poster and we're going to get some T shirts
made out of it. Now with the campaign, how do I start to
become part of you? How do I get the ball rolling here? Well,
first thing you can do is visit our website at Bartlesville UW dot org.
You could call at nine one eight three three six one zero four four
or stop by and see us at four fifteen East Silas Street. We are
happy to have people come in and explain how they can get involved and connect
them to what a passion they may have and in helping out Bartlesville community,
which is the now area. Know what at os age in Washington County that
works out work or follow us on our social media. We have Instagram presidents
and a Facebook. We love to share information that our agencies are doing because
they need help and they spotlight a lot of stuff they're doing and you'll be
amazed what they do throughout our community each and every day. And you can
also give it work. That's what I do, yes, So we you
know, there's several internal campaigns we have. I mean they vary from early
part of September till October, and a lot of companies match what their employees
give, so that is really helpful. So yeah, if you're not doing
an internal campaign at your business, let me know and I'll hope you get
it started already. I want to thank you both for being John. Don't
we miss anything on what you're doing here with the retiree end of it here,
No, I don't think so. I want to make sure because if
I left something on the table here, I'm gonna feel bad. I just
want to reach out to everybody in my situation that's retired and they know that
they're where they are today because of a lot of things that happened before and
now they're in a position where they can help that happened to someone else that's
coming up the line. So yes, get involved, be involved, money
hours, whatever is best for each individual. It'll do your heart good,
it will. Thank you very much for being with us here today. Thank
you Tom all right, thank you and the Potter family for making this available.
It's really important for the community.