For their annual Earth Day celebration, the Wilmington YMCA received a community garden and brand new mural thanks to the generosity of Valero Energy and their Wilmington Refinery team of volunteers. Valero has a long history of investing in the community, and this year’s Earth Day celebration included a community clean-up, botanical improvements, and an inspirational Kobe Bryant mural at the Wilmington YMCA. 

Valero volunteers and local community members rolled up their sleeves to make the YMCA a cleaner, greener, and more beautiful place. “We took to the streets and went down the Avalon corridor which is a pride to the community,” shared Brissa Sotelo-Vargas, Director, Community Relations and Government Affairs at Valero. “We take pride in this community as well, and were honored to give back to the YMCA and surrounding community.”

The volunteers also planted trees and cultivated a community garden that will be open to YMCA members. Kyle Sharon, VP and Valero General Manager said, “We are surrounded by a heavily industrial area of the city, so it’s really important for us to add plants where we can. We hope this garden is  enjoyed by all of the YMCA community.”

This Earth Day celebration came just a few short months after Valero invested time, energy and resources into Hawaiian Avenue Elementary School. Sharefest Executive Director Chad Mayer had this to say in response to their generosity, “Without partnerships like we have with Valero, and their volunteers who are willing to make an impact, Sharefest would not be able to make the kind of impact that we would like for our kids and our communities.”

Sharefest and the Wilmington YMCA are extremely grateful for Valero’s commitment to give back to the communities where they live and work.