LEMONT, Ill. March 26, 2008 --- CITGO Petroleum Corporation today donated $500,000 to the Lemont Township to help finance construction of a community center that will provide social services to residents in need within this community of approximately 18,000 people.
“At CITGO we take social responsibility seriously.  We not only consider it our obligation to help, we also consider it a privilege to assist those who are struggling every day to make ends meet,” said Bill Hatch, CITGO’s vice president of supply and marketing.

 “CITGO is a company that cares about people and that is why we focus on projects and initiatives that are ‘people-to-people’ programs,” he added.

Randy Carbo, vice president of CITGO’s Lemont refinery, also spoke at the event and highlighted the company’s many social responsibility initiatives, including its heating oil program through which CITGO donates roughly $100 million annually to help low-income families heat their homes during the cold winter months.

He also noted that, since 1986, CITGO has been offering help, hope and friendship to people suffering from neuromuscular diseases. CITGO has become the largest corporate sponsor of the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA).  During the past 21 years, the company has raised more than $90 million for the MDA, which was accomplished mainly through the outstanding efforts of CITGO marketers, retailers, employees and vendors.

“CITGO is also a leader in support of the United Way organization.  The Lemont Refinery and our very generous employees contributed more than $150,000 to the local United Way in 2007,” Carbo said.

CITGO, based in Houston, is a refiner, transporter and marketer of transportation fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals, refined waxes, asphalt and other industrial products.  The company is owned by PDV America, Inc., an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A., the national oil company of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.