For nearly two decades, Garyville, Louisiana, refinery employees have provided assistance in the development of the Industrial Mechanical Program at the Louisiana Technical College in Reserve, Louisiana. Since 2001, Garyville has sponsored a School to Career Day at the Louisiana Technical College where all 10th grade students in St. John Parish visit the school in order to determine the skills necessary to work in industry. Additionally, the refinery works closely with the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, hosting an annual refinery operations training for new agency engineers.
Catlettsburg, Kentucky, refinery employees participate in the Adopt-A-Highway program by keeping a two-mile stretch of U.S. Rt.23 clean. Employees also annually participate in the River Sweep, clearing debris from the banks of the Ohio and Big Sandy rivers. Employees are involved with the United Way, Habitat for Humanity, the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, Youth Sports, Big Brothers Big Sisters, local performing arts centers, domestic violence shelters, and a Christmas Wish program. The refinery meets with the local Community Advisory Panel throughout the year, keeping them informed of refinery projects and issues. The refinery also provides Emergency Response Mutual Aid to the local communities.
The Detroit, Michigan, refinery’s Emergency Response Team sets up a refreshment stand on "Angel's Night" in Detroit for local volunteers. Angel's Night involves patrolling of the local area several days before Halloween when traditionally many fires have been set by arsons in the Detroit area.
The Texas City, Texas, refinery assists in the community's annual Children's Health and Safety Fair and the annual "Rivers, Lakes, Bays 'n Bayous Trash Bash” to promote environmental awareness and clean up around the area. The refinery also provides scholarships and grants to the local school districts.
The St. Paul Park, Minnesota, refinery bi-annually hosts Girl Scout Day at the refinery, which brings in local Girl Scout troops for a day of science and math exhibits, experiments and a tour of the refinery. The refinery organized and sponsored a community bowl-a-thon in support of Stone Soup, which provides local communities with used clothing, household items and furniture. The refinery also sponsored home renovation projects with Rebuilding Together. In addition, refinery employees support a local food bank’s “Share the Joy” holiday program by adopting families and donating money to create food baskets. Employees also help to clean a three-mile stretch of road through the county’s Adopt-a-highway program. Two teams of employees join in participating in the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life event.
The Robinson, Illinois, refinery’s 2008 United Way campaign had a record-breaking year, receiving contributions in excess of $170,000. The refinery also has partnered with Habitat for Humanity to construct a home in Robinson using the skills of Marathon employee volunteers.
Speedway SuperAmerica LLC’s (SSA) employees are involved in a number of community outreach initiatives designed to provided assistance to and improve the communities in which we operate. Hearts & Hammers, Rebuilding Together, and Habitat for Humanity are just a few of the projects in which employees give back to their communities. In addition, SSA has adopted philanthropic causes that directly impact the areas in which we operate. Some representative examples are:
- One SSA region participated in Adopt-A-Family in conjunction with the Salvation Army, providing holiday gifts for 94 Cleveland-area families.
- An SSA store in Hobart, Indiana, adopted John Meister Elementary School by raising funds to provide holiday gift baskets, as well as gloves, scarves and mittens for less fortunate children in the school district.
- A store in Coldwater, Michigan, held a “Support Our Troops” drive in conjunction with the Michigan Education Association to provide care packages to armed services personnel.
- The Chicago/Milwaukee Division engaged 125 store and division personnel in participating in the Children’s Miracle Network Torch Relay in Chicago.
- A store in Bridgeport, Michigan, worked with the local fire and police departments, ambulance service and others in conducting a Kids’ Safety Day to educate local children about safety issues including bike safety, fire safety, and hazardous chemical product safety.
- Indiana South Region personnel assist in the Camp Riley Clean-Up for Riley Children’s Hospital, a summer camp for children who have been under the care of Riley’s Children Hospital.
- SSA corporate employees assist in the “Keeping Ohio Beautiful” clean-up campaign.
- Stores within Montgomery County, Ohio, partner with the Montgomery County Waste Commission in handing out free car litter bags to all customers as part of the Keeping Ohio Beautiful campaign.
SSA’s corporate office in Enon, Ohio, supports the local chapter of the United Way, making SSA the largest corporate contributor to the United Way of Clark, Champaign, and Madison counties. Fundraisers are held throughout the year, including $1 Jeans Days; basket, gift card, and ticket raffles; popcorn, nacho, and bake sales; and book sales. Employees also have an opportunity to donate directly to the United Way through payroll deduction. In addition, they can participate in community enhancement projects including Hope Corner, an outdoor playground that SSA partnered in building for the Interfaith Hospitality Network, and the Caring Kitchen, a renovation project for a local homeless shelter and soup kitchen.