Valero Refinery Donates $50K to High School

DEPTFORD TOWNSHIP, N.J. -- Valero Corp.'s Paulsboro Refinery presented $50,000 to Paulsboro High School to help the school triple the size of its football stadium facilities, adding extra seating for fans, as well as aisles for access for those with disabilities.

Construction at the stadium was expected to begin yesterday and will be completed by Oct. 13, the school's next home game, the Gloucester County Times reported.

That presentation was one of many made during the company's annual Report to the Community luncheon held last week in southern New Jersey. The refinery also presented a mutual aid grant of $5,000 to both the Gibbstown Volunteer Fire Department and the Paulsboro Fire Department, according to the newspaper.

Four Valero employees were recognized for their volunteer efforts in the community and each received a $500 grant. Charles Capanna will use the funds to help the Pitman Food Pantry; Barry Davis for Peter's Pantry in Elmer; Rich Roat for the Spring City Boy Scouts; and Harold Schweitzer for the Marshallton UMC Youth Group.

Valero also continues to be a strong partner of the United Way of Gloucester County, raising $700,000 in 2006, officials said. Similar results are expected for 2007.

In addition to hearing about Valero's community partnerships, the 180 or so government, business, academic and community leaders in attendance learned of Valero's 2006 accomplishments. "2006 was Valero's best year in its history," said John Pickering, vice president and general manager, who discussed Valero's focus on making the Paulsboro refinery one of the safest in the industry.

Valero currently has an injury rate below the national refinery average and was recertified as an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Voluntary Protection Program Star Site. It has been more than 16 months since a contractor OSHA injury at the refinery and two years without a contractor lost time injury, the report said.

"We've improved our safety performance in almost every year that we've operated," Pickering noted in his speech.

Valero is the largest independent refiner in North America, with 17 refineries across the United States, Canada and Aruba. Located on 950 acres along the Delaware River, the Valero Paulsboro Refinery employs approximately 550 people.

"We've come a long way from our beginnings of 5,000 barrels a day to our present state," Pickering said.

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