Brandee Pait enjoys taking care of members as a Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma coordinator. Even when she's off the clock, Pait likes to help when she sees a need.
Pait and her husband, Wayne, co-founded Vets That Matter in Sand Springs to support veterans, first responders and their families. Vets That Matter, which opened in 2017, provides connections to resources and camaraderie for veterans and their families at any stage of life.
Wayne, who served in the Navy, is a 20-year veteran.
“My husband saw a need,” Brandee says. “There are different organizations for veterans, but we didn’t feel that Sand Springs veterans’ needs were being met. We also help them to get their benefits that they’ve earned and deserve.”
In 2022, the City of Sand Springs gave the organization the Sand Springs Veterans Center, a downtown building at 205 N. McKinley Ave. The center includes four organizations, Vets That Matter, American Legion, Legion Auxiliary and Witkop Foundation, where they host a food pantry for those in need, as well as weekly Saturday morning breakfast, bingo night and numerous fundraisers. The nonprofit operates on a volunteer basis. One of the organization’s goals is to help veterans free of charge, according to Pait.
“I think it has served a huge purpose,” she says. “It’s not just veterans. It’s for their families, too. There’s a lot of camaraderie. There are a lot of people that you wouldn’t get to know otherwise.”
In addition to her work in Sand Springs, Pait serves as BCBSOK community chairperson for its business resource group Supporters of Military Veterans. She has been instrumental in the group’s growth, including its participation in the annual Tulsa Veterans Day Parade.
“There is a lot going on with veterans and the fact that Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma and Tulsa support our veterans is awesome,” she says.
Pait is part of Leadership Tulsa 360, a community service education program for individuals interested in learning about Tulsa and ways to make a difference in the community. Participants become familiar with challenges facing Tulsa, develop skills to lead effectively and develop a network to make a difference.
Her participation in the program has been supported by BCBSOK and has allowed Pait to be part of a network of people she never would have met otherwise.
“I am very humbled by what Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma is allowing me to do through Leadership Tulsa,” she says. “And my coworkers see it. It’s changed my life.”