Not long ago, David cared little about what his future might hold. Almost 17, he had no interest in completing his education, finding work, or relating well to the people around him -- especially those in his own family. David's parents had divorced years before and beyond the devastation of that loss there were other obvious signs of dysfunction in the home. He was one more boy who soon would head out into the world; not yet a man prepared for the challenges of life, and quickly losing his chances at a brighter future. David was at a crossroad that not only would affect his life, but most certainly the lives of anyone his path might cross in the years ahead.

"When I first heard about Tulsa Boys' Home from a juvenile probation officer I thought the Home was a just a place for hard-core delinquents," David said. "I soon realized it was a place where I could get help. My counselors and social worker showed me how to better myself and further my education. They taught me the skills I needed to get my life back on track." David since has graduated from high school and holds down two jobs. He recently took his college entrance exams and looks forward to attending Oklahoma State University, majoring in pre-law with an interest in pursuing law enforcement. He is, by all accounts, a young man with a vision and a plan for achieving great goals.

Like David, Tulsa Boys' Home set its sights on a great vision, surpassed any ‘reasonable' goals and achieved remarkable success. What began as a master plan for phasing in vast upgrades and enlargements to the campus no longer is an incremental goal but a complete package of opportunity. They achieved their initial target of raising $3.7 million was achieved with swift and convincing support from foundations, corporations and individuals. In addition, an $11.6 million grant from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation put Tulsa Boys' Home on the fast track -- moving from vision to implementation in record time.

Formed in August 1918 by the Rotary Club and First Presbyterian Church, Tulsa Boys' Home began in downtown Tulsa providing shelter and meals for orphans or boys who had left home. Over the decades the Home has experienced many changes. Today Tulsa Boys' Home, located just outside the city in Sand Springs, Okla., is a residential treatment center as well as a "home away from home" for troubled boys (those with emotional or behavioral problems) aged 11 through 18..

Gregg Conway, executive director of Tulsa Boys' Home, recalls the beginnings of the Vision 2000 capital campaign; "I first came to Tulsa in April 1997. Even before I agreed to serve as executive director I considered the stature and makeup of the Home's board. I knew this organization had the history, tradition, mission and commitment of its board to achieve great things. I was coming in with new eyes for the campus and one of my goals from the very beginning was to undertake a capital campaign to position Tulsa Boys' Home as a world-class leader in our field. At my very first board of directors meeting I placed the campaign on the agenda and initiated discussion. The Home's reputation and history of excellence afforded us a great opportunity to take the campus to a new level of influence and effectiveness. I wanted to see it turned into a state-of-the-art, world-class facility for troubled boys -- nothing less."

In the weeks to follow there was continued discussion about the campaign, its scope and potential. "There was great support and enthusiasm," Conway said. "It was entirely a yeoman's effort. A lot of people made it happen. I never had any doubt that we could do this. I knew the funds were out there and that people would be inclined to give, but it took great work on everyone's part to achieve our goal."

The final decision to go forward on a campaign came in late 1997. There were several more meetings to hammer out the details. Then the board brought in campaign consulting firms for interviews and retained Hartsook Companies, Inc. The firm began with an assessment identifying $3.7 million as a solid target for a capital and endowment campaign. By 1998 Vision 2000 was underway.

"In addition to giving guidance on the campaign, Hartsook convinced us that we could benefit from some public relations work," Conway said. "The community knew we were here, but they were not sure of our mission and they certainly didn't know where we were headed in the next century. In combination with the campaign, we began putting our story out to the community, telling people exactly what we did and what we planned to achieve in the future."

One of the first tasks was to form a steering committee to oversee the campaign. The committee established subcommittees on all related issues: major gifts, special gifts, donor recognition, etc. Added Conway; "We met with Hartsook once a month over a 3 year period and had frequent phone calls between visits.

"Almost immediately we began receiving gifts from the board. The earliest came from the newest board member at the time. I was at a lunch meeting in an area restaurant when a young man approached me and said, ‘You may not remember me, but I was one of your students.' I developed and taught a school-based drug prevention program a long time back and when he was 11 or 12 he attended my program. I actually did remember his face and was pleased to hear he had achieved a level of success at a fairly young age. I asked him to come by and take a tour of the Home, which he did. Then I asked him to serve on our board, which he agreed to do. His lead gift of $250,000 was his idea. The gift, which came in 1999, certainly lived up to its name and led the way for other board members to make significant contributions right from the start. We had 100-percent board participation, which we understood was a necessary component to launching a successful campaign."

A Mabee Foundation challenge gift of $500,000 came in July 2000. Although this represented a big step forward, it also required the organization to raise the remainder of its goal in a year's time. With $400,000 left to go toward the $3.7 million goal, it was a legitimate challenge, but not overwhelming.

The master plan calls for six new cottages, each with larger kitchen, laundry and staff offices. Cottages will house 10 boys who will have separate bedrooms and bath. Renovating the existing cottages would have been too expensive because of the required repairs and updates in power and plumbing. The Home will raze the current four cottages and bring the ground level to floodplain before the new cottages are built.

Other campus upgrades in the master plan: a new Donald W. Reynolds Training Center which will underscore the Home's commitment to training and education, dining hall, loading dock, full court gymnasium, biking and fitness trail, transitional living, vocational tech, pool, sidewalks, signage and a new sports complex. Said Conway: "Everything that isn't new will be overhauled. Every other building on campus will receive a major face lift.

"The most obvious impact we were hoping for is clearly coming to fruition. The incredible publicity and positive response from the community has heightened the Home's visibility and greatly enhanced our influence. I can't go anywhere anymore without someone saying, ‘Hey, you're with Tulsa Boys' Home, right? Heard what you're doing out there. Great job!' It's had a real impact beyond the major changes on campus."

For more than 83 years Tulsa Boys' Home has made a significant difference in the lives of thousands of boys. Vision 2000 will make it possible for the Home to make significant changes to its campus and to lead the way for other similar organizations to step out, see what can be done and achieve great goals.

AUTHOR'S BIOGRAPHY
Denise Rhoades is a free-lance writer living in Newton, Kansas. Denise has worked on several projects for Hartsook and Associates and regularly writes campaign case statements for Hartsook clients.

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