As part of its 75th celebration to honor founders, John and Lottie Mabee, the JE and LE Mabee Foundation’s Board of Trustees announced in a Tuesday press release a $25 million capital gift to the Permian Basin Behavioral Health Center (PBBHC).
“The JE and LE Mabee Foundation was established with the intent of supporting worthy organizations in the communities where the founders lived or worked,” said John W. Mabee, chairman of the Mabee Foundation in the release. “This special grant reflects the values of John E. and Lottie E. Mabee and the board is proud to continue supporting their legacy. The Permian Basin Behavioral Health Center will fill a long standing void by providing quality mental health resources for the entire region.”
PBBHC’s principal building will be named the J.E. and L.E. Mabee Foundation Permian Basin Behavioral Health Center.
“With this extraordinary gift, the Mabee Foundation has made a profound statement about the importance of bringing high-quality behavioral health services to the Permian Basin,” said Russell Meyers, President of PBBHC, in the release. “We are incredibly grateful to receive this grant, placing us one giant step closer to providing this much needed service to the residents of our region.”
The Mabee Foundation was formed in 1948 by Missouri natives (and Oklahoma residents) John and Lottie Mabee. John, who did not complete high school, and Lottie were hard workers, innovative entrepreneurs and shrewd investors. Starting with nothing, they built an impressive business and were gracious and generous as they shared their financial blessings with others through various forms of philanthropy. Over time, the Foundation began to limit grants to ‘brick and mortar’ projects located in six states: Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arkansas, Missouri and Kansas. John and Lottie Mabee also desired others to give and crafted the foundation ‘challenge’ grants in such a way as to both require and inspire widespread public support. The simplicity of the focus of the Mabee Foundation has allowed its grants to impact grantees in significant ways. Mabee Foundation-funded buildings dot the landscape of the six states in which the Foundation operates. Since its inception, the Mabee Foundation has grown to a value of over $1 billion and has made grants totaling over $1.2 billion.
