|
Bay Area News
370 volunteers help Bay Area on worldwide service
day
Outdoor classroom, women’s shelter, nature center among projects
by Gayden Cooper
BAY AREA HOUSTON, Texas (April 26) – LyondellBasell’s day of giving back
began in the rain last Saturday (April 26), but it didn’t dampen the spirits
of the 370 volunteers who came out to help the Bay Area Houston communities
in four different projects, among 12 in the Houston area. Two were large
environmental projects in Shoreacres for City Hall Garden and at Bayshore
Elementary. Another environmental project spruced up Armand Bayou Nature
Center, with a community sustainability project at The Bridge Over Troubled
Waters’ emergency women’s shelter, which serves Pasadena, La Porte,
Shoreacres, Morgan’s Point and Deer Park. “It says a lot about
LyondellBasell's commitment to the community to see their employees and
families donate their Saturday to a civic project,” said Shoreacres Mayor
Jayo Washington. “Our city is very grateful and our heartfelt thanks go out
to LyondellBasell's Global Care Day volunteers.” LyondellBasell Global Care
Day is a worldwide community-service initiative that this year involved
3,000 employees, friends and family members in 56 communities in 11
countries where LyondellBasell has operations. Each project receives funding
as well as free volunteer labor. Nearly 90 volunteers from the
LyondellBasell La Porte Complex helped build five new flower beds, totaling
1,300 square feet, and a 60-foot cedar fence.
 Volunteers dug and installed a
200-foot irrigation system and planted trees and shrubs. The flower and bed
design and other assistance at City Hall Garden was provided by Texas A&M WaterSmart Program. “We will leave a lasting reminder to the citizens of
this small community that LyondellBasell employees truly care about the
environment and quality of life of our residential neighbors,” said Mike
Wagner an employee who volunteered to coordinate the project at City Hall
Garden. City Hall Garden was started five years ago by the Shoreacres Civic
Association, Washington said. “With the help of LyondellBasell's Global Care
Day volunteers, the garden moved dramatically closer to completion. The
volunteers accomplished in one day what our small civic association would
have had to pay someone to do,” Washington said.
Teaching children about nature
Just a few blocks away at Bayshore Elementary in La Porte ISD, 106
volunteers from the LyondellBasell Bayport Choate Plant built a nature
habitat that will serve as an exploratory classroom with 780 square feet of
native Texas plants from different ecosystems. I have never seen such an
organized group of volunteers willing to take time out of their busy
schedules to help schools develop a habitat that will capture the minds of
students with science,” said Principal Patricia Herrera-Johnson. A 300-foot
irrigation system was installed in trenches dug by volunteers and a 200-foot
fence was raised. The focal point is a large stunning pergola, under which
classes can congregate.
“We have discussed at length the sustainability and maintenance of this
project as we prepare to maximize its use by integrating science learning
for our students,” said Herrera-Johnson. “This is truly a gift for our
students in the name of science.” Preserving natural beauty of Armand Bayou
Two LyondellBasell Bayport plants came together to enhance the new
LyondellBasell Living Lab, a $25,000 gift from the company that was
dedicated just two months ago. “It was only four months ago when Lyondell
and Basell merged to create LyondellBasell, one of the world’s largest
businesses,” said Plant Manager Paul Molleur of LyondellBasell Bayport
Polyolefins.
“Global Care Day provided an opportunity to bring new colleagues together
from a legacy Lyondell plant and a legacy Basell plant – both in Bayport –
to work together to help our community.” Volunteers built four wooden
benches and cleaned and landscaped the area around the Living Lab, a covered
wooden platform that explores a pond rich with plants and animals. Islands
in the parking lot were weeded, planted with native species that will
require minimal care and mulched.
“Global Care Day is always one of our favorite times because we get to help
our neighbors and it’s important to all of us to preserve this beautiful
natural preserve set in one of the country’s largest urban areas,” said
Plant Manager Joe Marschhauser of LyondellBasell Bayport Underwood. “We’re
also proud that we have partnered with Armand Bayou Nature Center for most
of its 34-year history.”
Located at the main parking lot across from the Visitors’ Center, the
LyondellBasell Living Lab is framed by a graceful arbor at its entrance and
extends over a peaceful pond. It begins the Discovery Loop, an outdoor
educational classroom. “These enhancements to the new Living Lab will
provide a beautiful welcome to visitors and a comfortable place to sit and
enjoy the beauty of the pond,” said Interim Executive Director Sue Sutterby
of Armand Bayou Nature Center. “The Nature Center is grateful for this
partnership with LyondellBasell. It would be very difficult for us to manage
all of our facilities and grounds without this generous donation of time and
effort.”
Helping abused women and children Volunteers made significant improvements
to the emergency women’s shelter operated by The Bridge Over Troubled Waters
in Pasadena. More than 120 volunteers representing LyondellBasell’s Houston
Refinery painted and installed new kitchen cabinet doors and countertops,
built and installed personal dormitory lockers and painted rooms, fixtures
and fences. Outside, they planted flowers and shrubs and spread mulch. “The
Bridge is one of the few organizations in our community assisting victims of
domestic violence and abuse,” said Jim Roecker, divisional vice president
for the Houston Refinery. He added that the women and children helped by The
Bridge deserve a comforting, welcoming place for help. The shelter is one of
the first resources to stop the cycle of violence that many of its clients
experience, said Amy Earnest, senior development manager for The Bridge. It
houses a 24-hour crisis and information hotline and can shelter 75 women and
children daily. Earnest added that the Houston Refinery has been a long-time
supporter of The Bridge but this has been one of the largest, single efforts
put forth by the LyondellBasell team in recent years. “We were just thrilled
to see so many people of all ages pitching in to make needed improvements at
the shelter,” said Earnest. “We couldn’t continue to provide the services
that we do if it wasn’t for the generosity and commitment of our volunteers
from LyondellBasell and many others who make a positive impact on so many of
our clients each day.” Worldwide efforts for nine years.
The company began Global Care Day in 2000 to challenge employees at each of
its worldwide locations to participate on the same day in community service
above and beyond ongoing community involvement activities. Employees
organize their activities around one of the company’s three community focus
areas: environment, education and community sustainability. Worldwide
activities range from landscaping and habitat development to carpentry and
maintenance at children’s or seniors’ centers, to construction of wheelchair
ramps and flagpoles. LyondellBasell Industries is one of the world’s largest
polymers, petrochemicals and fuels companies, producing chemicals used in
everyday products, such as medicines, foods, food packaging, paints and
plastics. In Bay Area Houston, LyondellBasell has five facilities with more
than 3,000 employees and contractors providing more than $1.4 billion to the
local economy through payroll, benefits, purchases and taxes. They produce
chemicals used in everyday products, such as medicines, foods, food
packaging, paints and plastics. Lyondell Chemical and Basell merged in
December 2007 to form LyondellBasell Industries.
back to Bay Area News
|
