TeamCITGO Assists Shady Oaks Camp in its Annual Beautification Day for the 15th Consecutive Year

Lemont, Ill., September 21, 2015 /3BL Media/ - Members of TeamCITGO, the employee volunteer team at the CITGO Lemont Refinery, helped Shady Oaks Camp in Homer Glen, Ill., prepare its grounds this summer for more than 60 special needs campers for the 2015 summer session. Shady Oaks Camp holds its beautification day annually to refurbish its 30-acre facility for both children and adults with physical and developmental disabilities. This year, several volunteers from the Lemont Refinery participated in this day of service.
 
As a facility that is fully owned and operated by the parents of the campers who attend, Shady Oaks depends on volunteer groups like TeamCITGO. Throughout the year, the Shady Oaks parent group organizes fundraisers while donating their time, energy and other resources to maintain the facility. However, to take on additional landscaping projects, additional help is greatly needed.
 
“We simply do not have the additional funds or the staff for landscaping projects. Therefore, without the help of TeamCITGO, the Shady Oaks Camp facilities would not be as safe, or as appealing to the eye, for campers and their families,” said Shady Oaks Camp Executive Director Scott Steele. 
 
This year, CITGO employees focused their efforts on a range of landscaping projects including the areas around the cabins where the campers would be staying. To help the camp fund its operating costs for Shady Oaks, the CITGO Lemont Refinery has recruited outside contractors to help with long-term facility projects, such as replacing light fixtures throughout the campsite and digging trenches for drain tile. 
 
“Our volunteers at the Lemont Refinery have committed their time and resources to the Shady Oaks Camp for the past 15 years. Our company’s focus has been in helping those with physical disabilities and disadvantages. We feel that the Shady Oaks Camp is consistent with these priorities,” said Jim Cristman, vice-president and general manager of the CITGO Lemont Refinery. 
 
Founded in 1947, Shady Oaks Camp is dedicated to providing disabled people of all ages and backgrounds with the same recreational opportunities and summer camp experience that their peers without disabilities enjoy. The Shady Oaks strives to offer opportunities for personal growth, increased self-esteem and social skills building for all of its campers through its unique “one counselor to one camper” philosophy. To successfully fulfill this mission, the cost for each camper to attend Shady Oaks is approximately $8,000.
 
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, 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 Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A., the national oil company of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. For more information, visit www.CITGO.com.