Valero recently kicked off its 2010 United Way Campaign with a chili cook-off at the company’s Benicia Refinery. Valero employee-chefs vied for bragging rights and the coveted People’s Choice award. Check out photos from the festivities below.
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The night before the chili cook-off, Valero held its annual Leadership Giving Reception and raised more than $180,000 from donors who each pledged $1,000 or more. Since 2002, Valero has contributed $6.3 million to United Way’s Bay Area Community Fund to support programs such as SparkPoint, 211 and Earn It! Keep It! Save It! This year, the company’s campaign theme is “Making Hope Happen.”
“Valero’s partnership with United Way is a great example of how a company can achieve maximum community impact on multiple fronts – through monetary donations, as well as the power of employee volunteers and the passion that accompanies it,” said United Way of the Bay Area CEO Anne Wilson. “We thank General Manager Doug Comeau and Valero leadership for nurturing such a strong culture of giving and volunteerism among employees.” Wilson noted that 200 Valero employees spent more than 1,000 hours volunteering last year during the company’s annual Month of Caring event.
Valero is fostering the spirit of volunteerism beyond its employees and helped to launch Solano County’s first volunteer center earlier this year. Valero Campaign Chair Joe Muehlbauer served on the Solano Volunteer Center planning committee. Valero also provided a financial gift and spoke at the Solano County Board of Supervisors in support of the Center.
Valero’s exceptional employee giving and strong volunteerism have earned them United Way’s Spirit of the Bay Award twice, and the company is a two- time recipient of United Way Worldwide’s Spirit of America Award.
Valero Campaign Chair Joe Muehlbauer closed the chili kick-off with this powerful message, “ The most important thing is to get involved, and don’t do it alone. Get your family and friends to get out and give. That is probably the most powerful thing we can do in our community. Because in order to make hope happen, I believe its going to take all of us. No one can do it alone”
