LEMONT, Ill. – Dec. 16, 2015 – Recognizing efforts by CITGO Petroleum Corporation to fuel good in Northeastern Illinois, three local organizations honored CITGO Lemont Refinery employees for giving back to the community this past year. Volunteers from the refinery, known as Team CITGO, donated more than 1,500 volunteer hours to area charities in 2015, earning awards from the Senior Services Center of Will County, the Village of Homer Glen and the Northern Will County Special Recreation Association (NWCSRA).
During its annual gala, the Senior Services Center of Will County presented Team CITGO with the 2015 Friendship Award, which recognizes the CITGO Lemont Refinery for its ongoing support for the seniors served through the organization. The Senior Services Center of Will County provides informational, social and nutritional programs to senior citizens living in Joliet, Lockport and its surrounding communities. For more than 5 years, the refinery has sponsored various events with the Senior Services Center, including the Pasta Dinner and Resource Expo. Both of these events raise proceeds for the Center, which is funded through grants and charities.
Team CITGO also received the Community and Nature in Harmony Award from the Village of Homer Glen. This distinction is awarded to a group that enhances the quality of life in the village while demonstrating a commitment to the environment. Team CITGO was chosen for this honor because of the many landscaping and beautification projects it has contributed to over the last 15 years at the Shady Oaks Camp, a specialized camp for people with disabilities in Homer Glen.
According to Scott Steele, executive director of the Shady Oaks Camp, the efforts by Team CITGO have been vital to the success of the completely parent-owned and operated organization. “Shady Oaks has very limited funds or staff to support landscaping projects,” said Steele. “Without the help of Team CITGO, the Shady Oaks Camp facilities would not be the safe, beautiful haven for disabled campers and their families it is today.”
Team CITGO was presented with a third award from the NWCSRA, formerly known as the Tri County Special Recreation Association (SRA), a nonprofit dedicated to enriching the lives of disabled individuals in Illinois through recreational sports. During the NWCSRA’s Annual Recognition Dinner Dance, the refinery received the Community Support Award for sponsoring various fundraising events benefitting disabled athletes and their families, including their Olympics event and the nonprofit’s annual Trivia Night.
“At CITGO, our employees work hard whether they are at the refinery or out in the community, and these awards show that their efforts have not gone unnoticed. In 2014, Team CITGO in Lemont hosted 76 events that attracted participation from 746 volunteers, which is more than 50 percent of our workforce. We hope to finish 2015 with an even stronger turnout,” said Jim Cristman, vice president and general manager of the CITGO Lemont Refinery. “We thank the Senior Services Center of Will County, Village of Homer Glen, Shady Oaks Camp and NWCSRA for their recognition and their close-knit partnership over the years, and we thank our employees for embodying the CITGO spirit of generosity.”
The Senior Services Center of Will County, Shady Oaks Camp and NWCSRA, in addition to many other local nonprofits, demonstrate values that align closely with the CITGO social responsibility pillars, which include health, education, environmental protection and energy assistance. For more information on how CITGO and its employees strive to be good neighbors in the communities they operate, review the CITGO Corporate Social Responsibility Report 2014 and other information at www.citgo.com/SocialResponsibility.jsp.
About the CITGO Lemont Refinery
The CITGO Lemont Refinery employs more than 800 local residents on a full-time and contract basis in support of the local economy. In addition to producing high quality fuels for a large portion of the network of nearly 6,000 locally-owned CITGO stations across the country, Lemont refinery employees also make a major positive impact on the community. Each year, more than 2,500 volunteer hours and thousands of dollars are given in support of community programs such as Muscular Dystrophy Association, United Way and a variety of environmental and preservation programs. For more information on the CITGO Lemont Refinery, visit www.citgorefining.com/Lemont.
About CITGO
CITGO is a Houston-based refiner, transporter and marketer of transportation fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals and other industrial products. The company is owned by CITGO Holding, Inc., an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A., the national oil company of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. For more information, visit www.citgo.com.