CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – March 16, 2016 – Access to pediatric intensive care facilities for underprivileged children battling serious health challenges in the Corpus Christi area has increased thanks to Driscoll Children’s Hospital’s Fiesta de los Niños fundraiser, sponsored by CITGO Petroleum Corporation. The fundraiser, which CITGO supported for the sixth consecutive year, raised money for key specialty departments in the hospital, including a state-of-the-art Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.
Funds raised during Fiesta de los Niños have helped Driscoll Children’s Hospital deliver essential care to the most underprivileged and underserved children in the Coastal Bend region for more than two decades. This year’s event featured silent, live and bid-board auctions, a barbecue dinner catered by Amigos de los Niños and live entertainment by Still Crazy and Eddy Raven.
“Driscoll Children’s Hospital is dedicated to the children of South Texas in need of specialized care, and will continue to provide a strong foundation of hope and healing in our region,” said Driscoll Children’s Hospital Vice President of Development Martha Avery. “With the help of partners like CITGO, Fiesta de Los Niños hit another record-breaking year. One hundred percent of the proceeds raised will benefit a new contemporary state-of-the-art Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) that will be housed in the future North Pavilion.”
Since 1953, Driscoll Children’s Hospital has been dedicated to improving the health of children through hope and healing in an environment built on trust, compassion and care. Driscoll was the first hospital in South Texas to provide emergency services exclusively for children, and today, it offers emergency care to approximately 40,000 children a year. Additionally, as part of its commitment to the South Texas community, Driscoll Children’s Hospital donates charity care to patients in need.
In addition to the Fiesta de los Niños, CITGO also supports Driscoll Children’s Hospital by sponsoring and participating in the annual Driscoll Hospital Foundation Golf Tournament. All tournament proceeds directly fund the hospital’s charitable care efforts.
“The children of Corpus Christi are the future of our community, and it is crucial that we invest in both their primary and acute care,” said CITGO Corpus Christi Refinery Vice President & General Manager Art Klein. “Supporting Fiesta de los Niños helps ensure that all Corpus Christi children get the support they deserve when they need it most.”
The CITGO Corpus Christi Refinery has supported Coastal Bend health initiatives for more than 80 years. Between 2012 and 2014, the CITGO Corpus Christi Refinery contributed nearly $3 million to local community organizations, including ones that provide the area with vital health and safety services. Committed to improving lives in the communities where it operates, CITGO has partnered with several local programs and organizations that encourage the health and well-being of Corpus Christi residents, including the Special Olympics Texas Spring Games, Charlie’s Place, Camp Aranzazu and the Corpus Christi NAACP Citywide Health Fair.
About CITGO Corpus Christi Refinery
The CITGO Corpus Christi Refinery, which celebrated 80 years of operations in 2015, provides more than 1,000 jobs locally, while generating more than $345 million per year in support of the local economy through salaries, services and taxes. In addition to producing high-quality fuels for its network of nearly 5,500 independently owned and operated CITGO branded stations across the country, Corpus Christi refinery employees make a major positive impact on the community. In 2015 alone, CITGO employees in Corpus Christi volunteered more than 2,900 hours of their personal time to local and national charities. Since 2013, the CITGO Corpus Christi Refinery and its employees have provided more than 10,000 volunteer hours and approximately $3.3 million in support of community organizations such as United Way, Charlie's Place, Muscular Dystrophy Association, The Miracle League, Catholic Charities, the Special Olympics and a variety of environmental and preservation initiatives, such as the revitalization of the Gateway to Corpus Christi, Hans and Pat Suter Park and Adopt-A-Beach Clean Up. The 80th anniversary of the Corpus Christi Refinery last year was preceded by the 70th anniversary of the CITGO Lake Charles Refinery in 2014 and is being followed by the 90th anniversary of the CITGO Lemont Refinery in 2016, with CITGO facilities marking three significant milestones in three consecutive years. For more information on the CITGO Corpus Christi Refinery, visit www.citgorefining.com/corpus-christi.
About CITGO
CITGO, based in Houston, is a 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 Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A., the national oil company of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. For more information, visit http://www.citgo.com/.