Sharefest has been honored to partner with Valero for many years on transformative community projects. David Kooper, Wilmington Community of Schools Administrator, met with the team at Valero and suggested the transformation of Wilmington Park Early Education Center. “It is always a privilege to partner with organizations like Valero to beautify one of our schools. I thoroughly enjoyed working alongside the volunteers from Valero and look forward to a continued partnership,” shared Kooper. The team transformed the campus with fresh paint and friendly murals to brighten the school for some of the littlest community members on August 4, 2021. 

“I love our community and this school,” expressed by Nicola Boykin, Principal of Wilmington Park Early Education Center. “When our young students and their families walk into a bright and welcoming environment it fosters a sense of pride and belonging to the center and community. We want our earliest learners to learn to take pride in their school and education early so that spirit can follow them throughout their educational journey. I am grateful to Valero and Sharefest for making this transformation possible. We appreciate both amazing companies giving back to the Wilmington community!”

Brissa Sotelo-Vargas, Director, Community Relations & Government Affairs at Valero, led the team of volunteers from Valero. “Working with Sharefest to transform the communities where we serve is important to me and to the Valero organization,” shared Brissa. “Seeing blank walls transformed into fun and inspirational works of art is a wonderful experience for myself and the other volunteers from Valero. We are thrilled with how this project turned out and are looking forward to more projects with Sharefest in the future.”

The Valero Refinery located in Wilmington employs 430 people and generates enough electricity to power 62,000 homes a year! Refinery Manager, Mark Phair, participated in the Valero Day of Service as well. He said, “Volunteerism is a core value for Valero and our local refinery. In 2019 our team logged over 6,000 volunteer hours! This year we were thrilled to be able to get back out there and support Sharefest while also transforming a school in our backyard. I am proud of our team for their commitment to giving back and am thrilled with the result of a hard day’s work.”

Sharefest works with corporations like Valero to plan and execute community service projects throughout Wilmington and the South Bay. By partnering with Sharefest, Valero transformed a school and also invested in disconnected and under-resourced high school students. “Our Corporate Days of Service are one of the ways we fund our youth programs. Our team acts as project managers which allows groups like Valero to simply show up and enjoy the work project together. The funds they invest go into our youth programming which helps disconnected youth mobilize from poverty and achieve lifelong success,” explained Chad Mayer, Executive Director of Sharefest. 

Sharefest is very thankful to Valero and their team for believing in our mission and participating in community transformation.

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