TAUW LEGENDS: Tom Bennett Jr.
The TAUW Legends video series preserves the voices and stories of those who shaped our first century of service. As part of our Centennial celebration, Jesse Boudiette, president of Propeller Consulting and Centennial Committee member, sat down with Tom Bennett Jr., who has contributed to the United Way for more than 50 years.
Join us in continuing Tom’s legacy of compassion and community impact. Your gift today in honor of Tom helps write the next chapter of our story, ensuring that future generations will have access to the same life-changing services that have touched so many lives over the past century.
interview highlights
Jesse Boudiette: Well, let’s just start with how you first got started and introduced to the Tulsa Area United Way in the first place. How did that all begin?
Tom Bennett Jr.: Well, it really begins before the Tulsa Area United Way. My first job in banking was when Stillwater National Bank hired me to be a loaned executive for the United Way in Stillwater. That led to many years of involvement while I lived in Stillwater. Then, when I came to Tulsa to set up Stillwater National’s offices here, one of the very first things we did was organize a United Way campaign. We got here in 1988, and we’ve been running United Way campaigns in all three banks I’ve worked at since then. It’s an important part of our culture. We’ve always adopted an overarching value of treating others as we want to be treated, and we think the United Way is the best way to be involved in doing that practically in the community.
Jesse: So you said you moved here in ’88, but I think your prior United Way involvement goes back even before that. Over all the years you’ve been involved, are there things you worked on early on or supported that you still see having an impact today?
Tom: Yeah, I think in terms of impact, it can be both inside our organization and in the community. Inside the organization, it gets everyone engaged across departments that might not interact in day-to-day work. Whether it’s the Day of Caring or working at a local United Way partner organization, it’s a great way of building relationships inside the organization. It creates a special culture where people are excited to go to work and succeed with their friends. So, for us, it’s a great mobilizing and culture-building tool.
Outside, the United Way is the best organization to convene people and organizations to address big needs. When COVID hit, the United Way pulled people together and said, “We’ve got a big problem here. How can we use all these different organizations and mobilize funds to get them where they’re needed most?” When schools closed and kids needed food, the United Way made it happen; they have the community contacts to make it work.
And I think the United Way has done a great job of making community engagement fun. You get to know amazing people through United Way, whether it’s the encouraging staff or other volunteers from across the community who you might not meet otherwise. United Way has so many ways of making life better for individuals and businesses—everyone should be involved.