CITGO Oklahoma City Lubricants Plant Leads East Highland Neighborhood Revitalization

OKLAHOMA CITY, Oct. 1, 2013 /3BL Media /PRNewswire/ -- For the third time in two years, volunteers from CITGO Petroleum Corporation and its Lubricant Blending and Packaging Plant in Oklahoma City helped beautify and enhance the living conditions for the local community. On Saturday, Aug. 10, 18 CITGO employees and family members converged on the Culbertson's East Highland neighborhood to do a mass makeover of a severely neglected area.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131001/PH89221)

"It was a pleasure to team up once again with our neighbors to improve an area that is important to all of us," said Bob Pine, plant manager of the CITGO Oklahoma City lubricants plant. "Environmental protection, conservation and restoration are core social responsibility principles for CITGO, so helping to revitalize at-risk neighborhoods in Oklahoma City is a great project for our team."

The day of service project began in full force at 7:00 a.m. with the CITGO team and other community partners working to remove overgrowth and vegetation from properties that have been vacant for years. The volunteers spent the day cutting overgrown trees and bushes and mowing and trimming the lawns to turn the area into an inviting park-like recreation area.

"This is a fantastic improvement to not only the appearance of the neighborhood but also for its safety and health status," said Walter Jacques, community involvement team leader for the Oklahoma State Department of Health. "Removing the debris eliminates breeding ground for mosquitoes and reduces chances of injury to the residents. We commend CITGO for taking the initiative to make the community a better place."

Since 1995, the CITGO Lubricants Plant in Oklahoma City has been dedicated to giving back to the communities it serves. Each year, in addition to its neighborhood clean-up projects, the plant runs a variety of local charity events including blood, food, and coat drives, as well as various events to support the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA), for which CITGO is the largest corporate sponsor.

CITGO, based in Houston, is a refiner, transporter and marketer of transportation fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals and other industrial products. The company is owned by PDV America, Inc., an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A., the national oil company of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. For more information, visit www.CITGO.com.