A hand for good folks going through a hard time.
When a good person hits the worst stretch of their life, we help them through it. We do it the way Ernie did. Quietly, and without expecting anything back.
Ernest Greere Brooks · 1956 – 2026
He spent his working life in the Oklahoma oil patch.
He had money. He spent almost none of it on himself.
Ernie started Venture Pipe & Supply in 1989 and grew it to seven locations. He ran it the way he ran everything else, on a handshake, and he had more than he ever spent on himself.
He paid the vending company out of his own pocket so his shop guys could get a cold drink for a quarter. He bought a headstone for an employee who couldn’t afford one and never mentioned it. When a church van broke down before a youth trip, the rental just got handled. Most folks never knew it was him.
What we help with.
Seven kinds of help, all handled the same way. We pay the folks you owe directly, and we keep it between us.
Funeral & burial help
When a family can't cover the cost of a funeral, we help pay for it so they can grieve instead of worry about the bill.
Emergency needs
A past-due light bill. A car that won't start. The kind of small emergency that knocks a steady family sideways. We help cover it.
Back on your feet
Sometimes it's not one bill. It's a bad stretch. We give folks a steady hand until they've got their footing again.
Three good ways to pitch in.
Give
For now, gifts go into a reserve, so that when we open, the first grants are already paid for.
Give in Ernie's memoryGet help
Going through it right now? We're not open yet, but you can get on the list and we'll tell you when we are.
See how it worksSpread the word
Tell folks who'd want to help, or who might need the help themselves.
Read Ernie's storyHe never wanted a thank-you. Whenever someone tried, he’d just wave a hand and say…
“It ain’t no thang, man.”
Starting this foundation is how we keep saying it for him.