CITGO Contributes Volunteer Support to Camp Aranzazu in its Fifth Annual Care Day
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas, July 12, 2016 /3BL Media/ – Volunteers from CITGO Corpus Christi Refinery will return to Camp Aranzazu in Rockport for a fifth year to assist with cleanup and other efforts on the camp’s Annual Camp Care Day. Camp Aranzazu serves children and adults with special needs and chronic illnesses through therapeutic recreation at its barrier-free facility. With more than 100 acres of land and only one full-time maintenance staff member, the camp relies heavily on volunteers.
“Camp Aranzazu’s facilities and highly trained staff make it possible for campers with special needs and chronic illnesses to spend time outdoors enjoying all the traditional camping activities. With special equipment and a few adjustments, even children whose vision is impaired can enjoy archery, for example, and campers who must use a wheelchair can scale our climbing wall,” says Virginia Ballard, president of Camp Aranzazu. “Having volunteers from CITGO and other organizations help us maintain the camp and ensure that our money – 75 percent of which is raised from the community – is used to help underwrite the cost of camp so that as many children as possible can attend.”
“CITGO shares Camp Aranzazu’s commitment to providing recreation programs designed to enrich the lives of children and adults with chronic illnesses, disabilities and special needs and fostering inclusive communities throughout the Coastal Bend,” said Art Klein, vice president and general manager of the CITGO Corpus Christi Refinery. “We take seriously our responsibility to help our neighbors with special needs by supporting Camp Aranzazu, which provides opportunities for campers to gain confidence and have fun.”
Since the inception of Camp Aranzazu’s Annual Care Day, TeamCITGO, the company’s employee volunteer group, has committed its time to ensure that special needs campers from throughout Texas enjoy outdoor activities and therapy at the camp. Last year, TeamCITGO donated nearly 110 volunteer hours to Camp Aranzazu.
This year, Camp Aranzazu is celebrating its 10th year. “With the help of longtime supporters such as CITGO, more than 18,000 campers have benefited from time spent at Camp Aranzazu over the past 10 years,” says Ballard.
Employees at CITGO are active participants in the Corpus Christi community. In 2014, TeamCITGO volunteers donated more than 2,940 hours of their time to local charities, including: United Way, Charlie’s Place, Muscular Dystrophy Association, The Miracle League, Catholic Charities and the Special Olympics, among other community initiatives. For more information about TeamCITGO and its charitable efforts in Corpus Christi, please visit https://www.citgo.com/SocialResponsibility.jsp.
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 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 www.CITGO.com.
