Community Service Roundup, February 2020
By Hannah Hammond on Feb. 24, 2020CHICAGO — This month’s roundup features six retailers and one c-store partner that gave back to their communities.
Click through to see their charitable initiatives …
Graham Enterprise Inc.
CITGO Petroleum marketer Graham Enterprise Inc., Vernon Hills, Ill., raised $123,000 to support the Muscular Dystrophy Association. The retailer raised the money in 2019 through efforts such as two six-week paper mobile campaigns, in which it asked customers to purchase $1 mobiles and displayed them in stores. Graham Enterprise also raised money through MDA donation buckets. C-store locations also asked customers to round up their purchases to the nearest dollar.
Money raised supports research, MDA Care Center and an MDA Summer Camp. CITGO and its employees have raised more than $250 million in total to support MDA.
Pilot Flying J
Pilot Flying J, Knoxville, Tenn., supported American Heart Month throughout February. As part of its Hearts for Hearts initiative, Pilot Flying J donated $1 to the American Heart Association (up to $10,000) for every “heart” a post on its Facebook page received.
The post promotes the Hearts for Hearts campaign with a short video.
TravelCenters of America
Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT) awarded TravelCenters of America, Westlake, Ohio, its Champion Award in the organization category.
The award, presented Feb. 13 in Sandusky, Ohio, was created to honor the efforts of TAT partners that have significantly furthered TAT’s work and mission to end human trafficking, recover survivors and prosecute perpetrators.
“Professional truck drivers are vitally important to helping us fulfill our work.," said Kendis Paris, executive director of TAT. "From the beginning, TravelCenters of America knew they had the audience of people we needed to reach the most. They not only invited us in; they took our mission and ran with it. They’ve trained thousands of employees on what to look for at the sites and are committed to supporting our work in whatever way they can.”
TravelCenters of America’s efforts to reduce trafficking include:
- Selling TAT merchandise in travel stores.
- Administering awareness and empowerment training to more than 21,000 employees at more than 260 locations across the country.
- Distributing TAT materials.
Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores
Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores employees volunteered at locations in Oklahoma City and Moore, Okla., for the company’s annual Share the Love event.
Volunteers from the Oklahoma City-based company worked at the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma; the Moore, Okla., Food & Resource Center; Tuscany Village Nursing Center; Brookdale Village Assisted Living Center; and Central Oklahoma Humane Society.
The Spinx Co.
Spinx, Greenville, S.C., will host its annual Charity Golf Classic Tournament on May 12. Five charities will benefit from the tournament this year, including the American Red Cross, Safe Harbor, Loaves and Fishes, Pendleton Place and the Children’s Museum of the Upstate.
The Spinx golf tournament has raised more than $1.3 million to help fund 25 charitable organizations to date.
VERC Enterprises
VERC Enterprises, Duxbury, Mass., presented a $500 grant to Fitchburg High School. The grant was made possible through the ExxonMobil Educational Alliance Program, which provides local retailers an opportunity to invest in the future of their communities through educational grants to neighborhood schools.
The Wills Group
The Wills Group, La Plata, Md., recently released its third annual community engagement report on the effect the company—which comprises Dash In convenience stores, Splash In Eco Car Wash and SMO Motor Fuels—has had on deserving communities across the Mid-Atlantic region.
One highlight: More than $472,000 in donations was raised for the Blackie Wills Community Leadership Fund, which donates that money to charitable organizations in the Mid-Atlantic region.