CITGO Lemont Refinery and Bess the Book Bus Promote Literacy at Fairmont and Taft Schools

September 24, 2014 /3BL Media/ - Earlier this year, CITGO Lemont Refinery employees and Jennifer Frances, founder of Bess the Book Bus, delivered more than 120 free books to children at Fairmont and Taft grade schools. During the visits, Frances and CITGO Lemont Refinery Government and Public Affairs Manager Pete Colarelli read to kindergarten and first-grade students and the students got to climb aboard Bess, a mobile library, to pick out their very own new book to take home. Lockport Police Chief Terry Lemmings and Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) officer Kevin Brauch were also on hand to assist Bess the Book Bus and help spread the love of reading. 

“Our visit to Lockport was a huge success,” said Jennifer Frances, founder of Bess the Book Bus. “It was wonderful to be able to visit two schools and give more than 120 students the gift of reading.  We truly appreciate the generosity and thoughtfulness of our friends at the CITGO Lemont Refinery who organized these in-school events. One of the most exciting things about working with CITGO is how involved their employees are in the communities in which they live and work and how committed they are to improving the lives of those around them. It makes us work even harder to represent those values.”

Founded in 2002 by Jenifer Frances, Bess the Book Bus is a mobile non-profit whose mission is to promote literacy through access to new and engaging books. With support from CITGO and other corporate sponsors, Bess the Book Bus has engaged more than 60,000 families, and donated more than 450,000 books during the last 12 years. In her 2014 tour, Frances is traveling across the United States with Bess, making numerous stops at schools, community centers, shelters, Head Start facilities and CITGO locations in nearly 60 cities with a goal of donating more than 60,000 books.

For updates on Bess the Book Bus' 2014 tour, including a travel diary and photos from reading events across the country, visit www.bessthebookbus.org. To learn how CITGO and local organizations, like Bess the Book Bus, are making a difference, visit www.FuelingGood.com. To join the conversation, "Like" CITGO Fueling Good on Facebook and view videos of past winners at http://www.youtube.com/CITGOFuelingGood/.

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.

CITGO, which is based in Houston, is a refiner, transporter and marketer of transportation fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals and other industrial products. The company is owned by PDV America, 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

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