The fact that any cities in the Permian Basin, including Midland and Odessa, are more than a pinprick on a map is due to the presence and extraction of oil and gas. Indeed, the only reason the region is named after rocks that are invisibly buried thousands of feet out of sight, instead of by its surface designation of the Llano Estacado, is because those hidden rocks have drawn hundreds of thousands of people to their environs in a black gold rush that has yielded 30 billion barrels of oil and 75 trillion cubic feet of natural gas (Enverus figures) over its century of activity—and at 104 years old is producing more of both than ever.
And while the industry has given much to the community simply as part of its payroll, property investment, and other business, many companies—producers and service companies alike—see a larger responsibility and opportunity to help the communities whose growth they are responsible for. It takes schools, roads, hospitals, electricity, human services, and other infrastructure to boost the community’s quality of life.
Individual industry companies and nonprofits have teamed together to make a desert community livable. Here are some of their stories, including stories of two organizations that have leveraged the fact that the Permian’s “skies are not cloudy all day” to host charitable golf tournaments for decades.
Oil Patch Kids: A Beacon of Hope
From its beginning 30 years ago this year (founded in 1994) OPK has been all about tapping into the Basin’s ready generosity to help children who have few options. What started as a golf tournament is now a series of events including Casino Night and a concert, with the most recent iteration of the latter being held on October 24, 2024.
According to the organization, the tournament’s earning power continues to grow. “It took Oil Patch Kids 20 years to raise the first million, six years to raise the second million, and four years to raise the third million.” And almost 100 percent of that money goes directly to the children, other than a few expenses. “Oil Patch Kids is a volunteer-only organization, which allows us to donate everything back each year except for event cost.”
Among their top donors they list Innovex, Diamondback, Endeavor, American Well Service, Fracline, and others.
In October, Halliburton hosted its 31st Halliburton Charity Golf Tournament, raising a record $4 million.
Simple Beginnings
The original idea was to support foster children and others served by Child Protective Services (CPS). While those children are still the heart of its mission, it now reaches out to more than 40 groups created to help at-risk children, doing everything from educational initiatives to recreational programs.
According to the organization’s statement, “The heart of Oil Patch Kids beats for the most vulnerable among us. Many of the children served by the organization come from backgrounds marred by trauma, including those who have been removed from their homes due to abuse and neglect. Others face challenges stemming from single-parent households or low-income families. Regardless of their circumstances, Oil Patch Kids aims to provide these children with the necessities and opportunities they need to build a brighter future.”
Abell Hanger’s Steadfast Commitment
No story on Permian Basin giving would be complete without the Abell-Hanger Foundation, the legacy of legendary oilman George T. Abell and his wife, Gladys Hanger Abell. It has given $275 million based solely on the Abells’ original investment derived from their oil and gas holdings. According to Every Worthwhile Endeavor, the foundation’s story written by Jimmy Patterson, the original divestiture of those holdings after the 1988 passing of Gladys (George had passed away in 1979), brought $42.5 million to the foundation. That seed money has since been wisely invested to fund the astounding total contributions stated above.
Executive Director Mark Palmer, in his 9th year in that post, says the foundation gives around 5 percent of its assets, “based on a three-year rolling average of total assets” to the community. Giving goes to five main categories: arts and culture, education, health and human services, public society benefit, and religion. These are categories to which the Abells themselves consistently contributed during their lives.
Education is a high priority for the organization. Palmer said, “We have just finished a couple of large grants to Midland College: $2.25 million for the planning work for the Certified Technical Education facility. And we’ve also approved roughly $1.6 million for C3, which is a program that helps educate 6th grade through 12th grade students about the opportunities for scholarships.” The program also educates students about the types of degrees and certifications available at Midland College. Officially entitled “The College and Career Connections” program, it is a collaboration between Midland College and Midland Independent School District.
Scholarships
In addition to giving to schools and programs, the foundation awards many scholarships directly to students. They’ve recently updated their Legacy Scholarship program, with the goal of more fully supporting success for recipients. Originally focused only on creating access to Midland College, it has expanded. “Now we’ve put systems into place to help students be more successful.” Those include academic coaching, a first-semester class purposed with helping students navigate the campus, and systems geared toward test preparation.
New Horizons: Helping Whole Families
After hearing from community leaders through a series of listening lunches, Palmer said they heard calls for “a navigation service and social work support for some of our needier Midland residents.” The idea there is to help them find a way to be more independent of social services.
To achieve that, the foundation is looking to collaborate with a nonprofit that is already doing that kind of work and allow them to expand their services. Said Palmer, “I think that is a real opportunity to help some people who are in significant need, and their whole families…. Some people don’t know where to begin, and they’re just so overwhelmed by their circumstances that they just need someone who knows how to connect them with all the resources that they’re going to need, and then walk with them through that.”
The health and human services category also recent received an Abell-Hanger contribution of $2.25 million “for the new behavioral health hospital they’re getting started,” Palmer said. “They needed that seed money for their budget until they get up and running and creating revenue.” The $200 million facility will be located between Odessa and Midland.
Fore! More with Halliburton
In addition to organizations dedicated to community service, individual companies often line up to help out. Halliburton is one of those, making High Sky Children’s Ranch, which has state contracts to provide foster care services for Region 9, one of their top beneficiaries. In October, the company hosted its 31st Halliburton Charity Golf Tournament, raising a record $4 million.
This year, said Cristina Cave, Community Relations Manager / Corporate Communications, they’re funding 101 organizations across the company’s locations, including seven in the Permian Basin. First teeing off in 1993, the tourney has raised a total of $35 million over its existence.
This has been a special cause for the company. Cave says, “High Sky has been the organization we have been sponsoring the longest,” and the organization’s Director of Development, Coleman Sneed, sees that steady stream of income as a godsend for the children they help.
“This money has become very instrumental in our operations here and it goes directly to our programmatic effort,” he said, adding, “Having that stability of support with Halliburton allows us to not be so ‘survival mode’ in our operations, but more proactive and forward, focusing on what we’re doing in our day-to-day.”
Even though they receive state funding for helping children in foster care, Sneed says it’s not nearly enough, and general donations can fluctuate greatly with the vagaries of oil and prices. Having the dependable Halliburton money lets them move beyond simply scrambling to make payroll and keep the lights on, and thus to be more forward focusing.
Specifically, within the last year High Sky started a program entitled LIFE, standing for Living Independently Financially and Emotionally. Sneed explained, “That works with foster youth who have aged out of the foster care system, ages 17-21.”
He pointed out that many former foster children leave the system with little training and few resources, leading many into deep trouble. “Oftentimes they run into judicial intervention, homelessness, or drug abuse, so we to focus on these youth to make sure that they’re incorporating into society and being productive.”
Opportunities include four reunions per year with peers and with High Sky, for encouragement. But more than that, there’s the Life Locker. “We keep supplies on hand for the kids, whether that’s for a young mother who needs a washer and dryer… or [someone who has] a job but they don’t have a car.” Often High Sky can provide transportation and other support to help them get a good start on their own.
Success Stories
A disturbing number of foster kids never graduate high school, and two of the young ladies who aged out of the system this year did that and much more, Sneed said. Both active in the LIFE program, one, “Rachel” (not her real name) worked two jobs while finishing high school and also earning certification in phlebotomy and as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA). Another, “Megan,” (also not her real name), worked part time, was in choir and in JROTC, and graduated from high school. Both, said Sneed, are headed to higher education.
Halliburton’s Invitation
Cave affirmed that the company is continuing to uphold the values of its founder, Erle P. Halliburton—not only by giving money, but also encouraging employees to volunteer and providing paid time for them to do so. After all, she said, “We live and work in the community too.”
For any organization looking to be included in the golf tournament’s funding, Cave said they begin looking at funding applications in January of each year, and she invited organizations interested in applying to go to Halliburton.com and read the information to see if they might be a good fit. New recipients are notified in August, and funding goes out in October, after the tournament, she explained.
Paul Wiseman is a freelance writer in the oil and gas industry.