Teachers at E.C. Mason Elementary School in Manvel, Texas, returned to campus this week to find a newly planted garden filled with vivid blooms.
Similar scenes were repeated in 37 locations around the world through the efforts of nearly 3,000 Lyondell volunteers who participated in Lyondell’s eighth annual Global Care Day on May 5.
From São Paulo, Brazil, and Morris, Illinois, to Matagorda, Texas, and Rotterdam, Netherlands, and many cities between and beyond, thousands of Lyondell employees and their families participated in Lyondell’s Global Care Day by simultaneously volunteering to complete community service projects in communities near our manufacturing facilities in eight countries. Volunteers spent the day working on landscaping, habitat development, carpentry, maintenance and cleaning. The program’s mission is to "make a difference" in each community where we operate in a single day.
An administrator at E.C. Mason was thrilled to find the fresh landscaping at the school following Global Care Day in which more than 200 Lyondell volunteers worked alongside another 200 volunteers from the school.
The teachers are so excited to have an area large enough to bring the entire class, and we had quite a few little ones helping to plant the flowers," said science coordinator Lisa Brady. "Words just can't express how appreciative we are to have our school chosen as the site of a Lyondell Global Care Day project. The garden is absolutely beautiful.
In São Paulo, employees focused their efforts on a children’s shelter where they painted the exterior, made repairs throughout the building and manicured the soccer field.
Employees at Lyondell’s largest facility, in Channelview, Texas, had to divide and conquer to complete multiple Global Care Day projects. More than 300 volunteers participated in all. Their projects included working at a women’s shelter to build a perimeter fence, swing set and sandbox. Another group of Channelview employees volunteered at a new school where they built bluebird nest boxes placed throughout the school’s grounds and installed a butterfly garden.
Almost 200 volunteers from Lyondell’s corporate headquarters in Houston came together to revitalize The Neighborhood Center’s Golden Age Hobby House Senior Center in the shadow of downtown Houston. Their projects included cleaning and interior painting and building a new fence, installing plants and making drainage improvements to the grounds. Among the most welcome of the upgrades and amenities, however, were two new bench swings in the center’s courtyard.
The Global Care Day projects go a long way in assisting agencies with maintenance, repairs and beautification projects that – without the available manpower and funds – often are long overdue. The Saratoga Tower – a Morris, Illinois, subsidized housing residence for disabled and elderly residents – was badly in need of a facelift when volunteers arrived to begin landscaping the three-acre site surrounding the residence. Both the residents and city officials were grateful for the volunteers’ efforts.
"It’s been a long time since I have seen such an incredible outpouring of kindness for people who need help so badly," said Brent Newman, CEO of the Grundy County Housing Authority. "The folks at Lyondell have made an indelible impression on our residents, on our property and on me. We are truly grateful."