DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 24, 2026--
The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas) has named Pine Bluff, Arkansas-based Simmons Bank as its 2026 Community Area Revitalization Efforts (CARE) Award recipient. The award recognizes an FHLB Dallas member financial institution for its outstanding commitment to housing affordability and community revitalization using FHLB Dallas programs.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260422563576/en/
”Simmons Bank was an early adopter of the FHLB Dallas FORTIFIED Fund, and they’ve continued that momentum through their use of other programs like our down payment assistance for first‑time homebuyers,” said Greg Hettrick, FHLB Dallas senior vice president and director of Community Investment. “Their commitment is making a real difference in the communities they serve. We’re proud to recognize their efforts.”
The recognition includes a $15,000 donation from FHLB Dallas to a nonprofit organization selected by the honoree.
“Simmons Bank is deeply honored to receive the 2026 CARE Award,” said Tina Groves, chief risk officer of Simmons Bank. “Through our partnership with FHLB Dallas, we are expanding access to resilient housing that strengthens the well‑being of the communities we serve. Being among the first to utilize the FHLB Dallas FORTIFIED Fund in Arkansas reflects our long‑standing commitment to helping our neighborhoods grow stronger.”
Simmons Bank earned the 2026 award for its proactive use of the FHLB Dallas FORTIFIED Fund, a grant program that supports weather‑resilient roofing. Simmons Bank became the first FHLB Dallas member in Arkansas to use this program, helping homeowners strengthen their properties against severe weather and enhancing community resilience in the region.
Watch a video about how Simmons Bank has used FHLB Dallas community investment programs.
About Simmons Bank
Simmons Bank is a wholly owned subsidiary of Simmons First National Corporation (NASDAQ: SFNC), a Mid-South-based financial holding company that has paid cash dividends to its shareholders for 117 consecutive years. Its principal subsidiary, Simmons Bank, operates more than 220 branches in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas. Founded in 1903, Simmons Bank offers comprehensive financial solutions delivered with a client-centric approach. Recently, Simmons Bank was recognized by Newsweek as one of America's Best Regional Banks and Credit Unions 2026 and by Forbes as one of America's Best-In-State Companies 2026. In 2025, Simmons Bank was recognized by Newsweek as one of America's Greatest Workplaces 2025 in Arkansas and one of America's Best Regional Banks 2025, and by U.S. News & World Report as one of the 2024-2025 Best Companies to Work For in the South. Additional information about Simmons Bank can be found on our website at simmonsbank.com, by following @Simmons_Bank on X or by visiting our newsroom.
About the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas
The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas is one of 11 district banks in the FHLBank System created by Congress in 1932. FHLB Dallas, with total assets of $108.5 billion as of December 31, 2025, is a member‑owned cooperative that supports housing and community development by providing competitively priced loans and other credit products to approximately 800 members and associated institutions in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico and Texas. For more information, visit fhlb.com.
From left: Greg Hettrick and Jill Droge with FHLB Dallas; Latriana Robertson, Marcia White and Eric Gustafson, with Simmons Bank. FHLB Dallas honored Simmons Bank with its 2026 CARE Award.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Isaiah Hartenstein never expected a museum visit to be life-altering.
Before the 7-foot center even signed his free agent contract with Oklahoma City two years ago, Thunder general manager Sam Presti told him onboarding would include a trip to the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum, the site where 168 people were killed on April 19, 1995.
Presti requires new players to go so they can understand what the locals endured as a result of the Oklahoma City bombing at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building.
The bombing itself didn’t stick with Hartenstein nearly as much as the aftermath. The community's collective spirit moved him so much that he produced a 14-minute documentary called “The Oklahoma Standard.” Journalists and visiting first responders coined the phrase after being impressed with the way everyday people from the surrounding area aided the victims and rescue teams.
The mentality — to rise in the face of catastrophe, help collectively, rebuild, then do it all again if necessary — has carried the city through major tornadoes in 1999, 2003 and 2013. It's a major part of the way Okies define themselves.
“We know when we put on the jersey what we’re playing for,” Hartenstein said. “I have a lot of respect for that.”
Presti has infused Oklahoma City’s first major professional sports team with a similar standard since it arrived from Seattle in 2008, from roster makeup to the franchise's emphasis on community service.
The Thunder have developed one of the most rabid fanbases in the league, with the upper bowl of the Paycom Center being affectionately known as “Loud City.” A sports community that might differ on backing Oklahoma or Oklahoma State in football finds common ground for the team that put their city in the spotlight. After Oklahoma City defeated Indiana to win the its first championship last season, thousands celebrated during the victory parade.
“They work hard, they play hard,” longtime season ticketholder “Thunder Rob” Shahan said of the players. “As an Oklahoman, we’re not afraid to roll up our sleeves. We’re not afraid to help our neighbor when they need help. And that’s what the team embodies.”
City and team have risen together since former mayor Mick Cornett and businessman Clay Bennett helped bring the Thunder to the city, which is now on the map as an NBA champion. In 2028, two Summer Olympic events – canoe slalom and softball – will be held here. That same year, the Thunder will get a new arena.
“We’re rightfully proud of the way we responded to the bombing,” said David Holt, the current mayor. “But you can’t really build an identity on an act of terrorism, right? We were grateful that people helped us and we were thankful that people respected the way we responded, but we really ultimately needed a different word to follow Oklahoma City than bombing. And we found that word, and it’s the Thunder.”
The bond goes much deeper than basketball.
NBA star Kevin Durant and the Thunder Cares Foundation each donated $1 million for disaster relief after the Moore tornado in 2013. The Thunder Community Foundation has installed or refurbished 31 basketball courts in 17 counties across the state.
Hartenstein’s choice to debut his documentary at Classen SAS Middle School’s renovated auditorium is an example of intentional community connection. Eighth-grade drama students served as ushers at the April 11 event near downtown.
Sometimes, those kinds of acts have led to recognition. Russell Westbrook won the NBA’s Community Assist Award for the 2014-15 season. Hartenstein won the NBA Cares Award for community service during the 2025 offseason.
In turn, the fans have remained committed. They kept showing up after Durant left in free agency to join the Golden State Warriors in 2016 and again when the team went into full rebuilding mode after the 2020-2021 season.
The franchise believes that loyalty comes with responsibility. After the deadly 2013 tornado that destroyed Briarwood and Plaza Towers elementary schools, the Thunder got to work.
“There were Thunder players who came here and met with people and financially helped people,” recalled Leesa Kniffen, a season ticketholder who has taught at Briarwood for 25 years. “It started way before there was any formal rebuilding going on. It started at a personal level.”
The connection remained after Briarwood re-opened in 2014. In the library is a large, Lego-like display of a boy with an Oklahoma City Thunder jersey draped over his chest. Outside is a basketball court the Thunder built a year after the tornado and came back to resurface last year.
The kids who were rescued from the rubble at Briarwood now are in their late teens and early 20s.
Hezekiah Darbon, who was 6 that year, now is 19 and he remembers meeting Durant at a camp and meeting Serge Ibaka when the Thunder built a court at the school in 2014.
“They don’t say ‘Thunder Cares’ for nothing,” Darbon said. “And after going through that, honestly, it kind of feels more like ‘Thunder Loves.’”
The Thunder had a woeful stretch, going 22-50 in 2020-21 and 24-58 a year later. There was a silver lining: The poor finish allowed the Thunder to select Holmgren No. 2 overall and Williams No. 12 in the 2022 draft. Both have become All-Stars. By 2024, the Thunder were the No. 1 seed in Western Conference and have been the past two years as well.
Rob Clay believes he has been a good luck charm for the team. His deep, husky voice has made him one of the most popular national anthem singers since the team arrived. He moved to Oklahoma City in 2001 and never imagined he’d see anything like the Michael Jordan-led Bulls teams he admired as a Chicago native.
“If you are a true fan of basketball, if you are true analyst of basketball, you cannot deny that Oklahoma City -- they are next in line and have the opportunity to be the next dynasty,” he said. “And it happened authentically. We drafted our team and we picked up free agents. It wasn’t something that was just put together to be a superteam.”
Indeed, the team was rebuilt internally, from the ground up — just like the city. The victory parade last year went right past the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum. The playoff opener this year was coincidentally held on the 31-year anniversary of the bombing.
“For us to represent the city and honor the victims and the families today with a home playoff game was a privilege for us," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. "We don’t take that lightly.”
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
The outdoor basketball court at Briarwood Elementary School, destroyed in a tornado in 2013, is a sign of the connection between the the NBA basketball team Oklahoma City Thunder and the greater Oklahoma City community, in shown, April 15, 2026, in Oklahoma City. Thunder dedicated the court in 2014 and resurfaced it in 2024. (AP Photo/Cliff Brunt)
FILE - Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook tours the tornado damage in Moore, Okla., Wednesday, May 22, 2013. A huge tornado roared through the Oklahoma City suburb on Monday, flattening everything in its path. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams, File)
FILE - Oklahoma City Thunder NBA basketball player Kevin Durant greets Tim Kraeger, right, at his tornado-damaged home in Moore, Okla., Wednesday, May 22, 2013. Kraeger is a police officer who Durant knows from his work at the Thunder games. Durant donated $1 million to the American Red Cross for relief efforts. The Thunder matched the $1 million donation. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)
FILE - Oklahoma City Thunder fans attend a celebration of the Thunder's NBA basketball championship Tuesday, June 24, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings, File)
FILE - Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, right, gives autographs to fans before Game 1 of a first-round NBA playoffs basketball series against the Phoenix Suns, Sunday, April 19, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings, File)
