OAK BROOK, Ill. -- The retail petroleum, convenience store and truckstop industries have continued to renew their commitment to charitable giving, community service and education. Just a few of the many recent examples of industry altruism include the following:
Ayerco
Ayerco Stations in Hannibal, Mo., will collect nonperishable items for Hannibal's Salvation Army Food Pantry by offering gasoline discounts, reported KHQA-TV. From November 16 to 20, Ayerco customers can receive three cents off each gallon of gasoline for a donation of nonperishable [image-nocss] items for The Salvation Army. Ayerco is based in Canton, Mo.
Stewart's Shops
Stewart's Shops, Saratoga Springs, N.Y., was recently named Outstanding Community Partner by the Food Pantries for the Capital District at its annual Autumn Evening celebration. The award was presented to many Stewart's partners by Lorraine Houk, president of the food pantries board.
Since 2003, Stewart's has supported the Infant Needs Project each year through the Holiday Match program. Funding from the program has enabled the group to purchase more than 230,000 diapers for infants. Stewart's has also supported the food pantries by donating milk certificates to help feed children this summer. This year alone, it donated more than $15,000 in milk certificates.
CITGO
Top executives from Houston-based CITGO Petroleum Corp. competed in the ING New York City Marathon on November 1 to raise funds for the Simon Bolivar Foundation. The foundation provides specialized medical assistance to low-income patients, mainly Venezuelan, who receive treatment in health centers in Argentina, Italy, the United States and other countries.
The Team CITGO runners, CITGO chairman, president and CEO Alejandro Granado; Rosana de Granado, a member of the Simon Bolivar Foundation board; CITGO vice president of government and public affairs Daniel Cortez; and CITGO manager wholesale region sales for distillates Terry Sullivan joined more than 43,000 athletes from around the world who completed the 26.2-mile event through the five boroughs of New York City, in what was the 40th edition of this well-known marathon.
Quality Oil
Quality Oil Co. is accepting $1 donations at each of its Quality Mart, Quality Plus and Shell station stores throughout North Carolina during November to raise money for the Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, reported Paddock Talk. The effort is part of Quality Oil's 80th anniversary celebration. Each $1 donation comes with a paper die-cut of the Childress Institute logo for the purchaser to write his or her name on. The paper logo will then be hung in windows of the Quality Oil stores.
"The Childress Institute is privileged to partner with Quality Oil Co.," said Richard Childress, president and CEO of Richard Childress Racing and co-founder of the Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma. "They have been providing service to our community for 80 years and are a distributor of Shell Oil Co. products, one of RCR's loyal sponsors. During more than 40 years of racing, we have also been dedicated to our community. Now we both have the opportunity to give back by saving the lives of seriously injured children across the United States."
In addition to these c-store locations, Quality Oil Co. will also be accepting donations at the Hampton Inns in Winston-Salem, N.C., and Cary, N.C., as well as the Sleep Inn in Winston-Salem, N.C. and Quality Oil's home office. All proceeds will be donated to the Childress Institute.
The Childress Institute was organized in July 2008 by Richard Childress and his family in conjunction with Wake Forest Baptist. Its mission is to prevent and treat life-threatening injuries to children and to help kids affected by life-threatening injuries recover and lead normal lives.
Nice N Easy
Canastota (N.Y.) High School is hosting the L.E.A.D USA workshops Nov. 23-24, 2009, sponsored by the Canastota Nice N Easy, said The Madison County Courier. Joanna and Cory, members of FBLA and the Character Education Committee, will serve as student facilitators for the two-day event. L.E.A.D. USA provides students with the opportunity to attend workshops, seminars, and participate in character building activities that drive them to have a better outlook on their education and life in general. By participating in these workshops, attitudes such as negativity, disrespect and laziness are eliminated. This year, all ninth-grade students will be invited to participate.
Irving Oil
Arthur and Sandra Irving were recognized as outstanding philanthropists as they accept honorary doctor of letters degrees from the University of New Brunswick, Saint John. Arthur Irving is president of Irving Oil, Saint John. Hundreds of organizations throughout Atlantic Canada have benefitted from Irving's philanthropy and his commitment to the environment.
Sandra Irving, a proponent of creating opportunities for UNB students, established the Sandra Irving Scholarship and the Primrose Scholarship. She has supported many nonprofit organizations, serving as chair of the New Brunswick Junior Achievers Business Hall of Fame, on whose board she continues to serve, and she has been a board member of the New Brunswick Region 2 Health Authority, the McGill Institute for Canadian Studies, the Theatre New Brunswick Foundation Inc., D.A.R.E. (Drug Awareness Resistance Education), Dialogue New Brunswick and the Boys & Girls Club of Saint John. This year, she was honorary chair of the 11th annual Rocmaura Nursing Home Foundation Gala. In recognition of her many volunteer and public service activities, Sandra Irving was awarded the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal in 2003.
ExxonMobil
Sue Grewal from ExxonMobil awarded Tierra Linda Elementary School principal June Pack, and Michelle Tingley, the school's PTA president, a $750 ExxonMobil Educational Alliance grant for technology. The money will be used toward the purchase of overhead projectors for Tierra Linda Elementary School in Camarillo, Calif., said The Camarillo Acorn> Funded by the ExxonMobil Corp., the ExxonMobil Educational Alliance Program is designed to provide Mobil stations the opportunity to donate to neighborhood schools.
Rutter's Cos.
Rutter's Dairy, part of York, Pa.-based Rutter's Cos., has donated $3,400 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation's York regional office. This represents the fifth straight year that Rutter's Dairy has recognized the retailers through a charitable contribution, in lieu of individual holiday gifts for them. The retailers receive a thank-you note acknowledging the donation.
NATSO Foundation
The NATSO Foundation has opened online registration for the 2010 Bill Moon Scholarship. The foundation awards the Bill Moon Scholarship annually to deserving students with ties to the truckstop industry and whose academic qualifications and achievements are considered outstanding. In 2009, eight students each received a $2,500 scholarship. Applicants must be travel plaza or truckstop employees or their dependents. Scholarship candidates must submit the application with a 500-to1,000-word essay describing a personal experience with an ethical dilemma, a letter of recommendation describing the applicant's character traits and achievements, a high school or college transcript and financial information by April 16, 2010.
The Bill Moon Scholarship was established in 1989 with a $5,000 contribution from the Mason-Dixon Truck Stop Operators Association. Today, it includes contributions from the Northeast Truckstop Operators Association and the Moon family. The NATSO Foundation began awarding scholarships in 1993. The scholarship is named in honor of Bill Moon, creator of Iowa 80. More than $250,000 in scholarships has been awarded since 1993.
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