Every year, we gather all our franchise owners of the Celebree School network together to learn, connect, and grow at our Grow Big Conference. Celebree School of Tulsa is honored to share that our owner, Karl Neumaier, was the winner of this year’s Community Difference Maker Award. This award honors owners whose commitment to their community goes beyond their school walls and into the neighborhoods they serve. Hear from Karl about what this award means to him.
As a friend of mine, Alison Anthony, CEO of the Tulsa Area United Way, likes to remind me, “Karl… everybody needs help sometimes.” My parents and my faith instilled in me the values associated with the importance of giving back and building community.
I try to say yes as much as possible, and as a result, I have been honored to chair efforts that raised $25.8M for the Tulsa Area United Way in 2023, which provides services to more than 150,000 people through community organizations each year in Tulsa, as well as approximately $500K for Tulsa Community College Foundation scholarships in 2025.
I currently serve as the Vice Chair for Catholic Charities Eastern Oklahoma and the Chair for the Tulsa chapter of the American Red Cross. Through all of this, I strive to connect people in the community by listening to them and referring them to organizations I am familiar with, where they can contribute their time, treasure, or talents, as well as receive support in their time of need.
My wife, Jennifer, and I have been repaid many times over, especially as we grieved the loss of three of our parents in 2022, and as our friends in the community continue to support us as we bring Celebree—and the mission of growing people big and small—to Tulsa.
