volunteer spirit
drives progress

In countries around the world, Chevron employees are applying their skills, experience and energy in volunteer activities that help improve education, provide basic needs, foster new business opportunities and ultimately strengthen the communities in which we operate.

“By volunteering their talents and time, our employees’ spirit of giving back reflects The Chevron Way’s core values and commitment to the business of progress,” said Joe Naylor, vice president of policy, government and public affairs.

In the United Kingdom, Chevron Upstream Europe (CUE) supports science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education programs that help students prepare for careers in the oil and gas industry, as well as other STEM careers across the U.K. With the nation facing a decline in STEM-related degrees, the need for awareness in this area is critical to avoiding a skills shortage.

To help close this gap, Chevron supports the Scottish Council for Development and Industry (SCDI) Young Engineers and Science Clubs, a leading source of inspiration, excitement and resources for Scotland’s young people for the last 30 years. Through its work with SCDI, Chevron has assisted with the development of topical, hands-on and engaging projects to help bring STEM-related disciplines to life in the classroom. The program now reaches more than 30,000 primary and secondary school students through its 1,400 countrywide school clubs.

At a recent event in Aberdeen, Chevron used the challenge of a 3-D visualization puzzle to tell the story of oil and gas extraction, outlining the path a barrel of oil takes from the reservoir to the refinery.

“Our challenge was not only eye-catching but interactive, which really encouraged the students to communicate and collaborate,” said Mark Urquhart, senior completions engineer in CUE’s Drilling and Completions team.

Chevron’s volunteers also participate in the Engineers ‘n’ Our Lives initiative, another example of how we cultivate innovative partnerships with educational organizations as an investment in tomorrow’s workforce. Through this initiative, more than 1,000 Aberdeen students became engineers for a week to appreciate how the skills they learn in school are used in real life. During the week-long initiative, students were tasked with four challenges to help improve their STEM skills: following a brief, meeting deadlines, solving problems and using teamwork.

Chevron volunteers from our Singapore offices recently packed and delivered groceries to 80 in-need families as part of our community engagement efforts. They also used the volunteer initiative to build brand visibility surrounding the first Caltex service station to open in Singapore in 10 years, Caltex Chong Pang.

The activity falls under Chevron Cares, a PGPA community engagement initiative that offers year-round opportunities where employees can support community organizations through volunteer time. In addition to pre-organized volunteer events by employee networks, employees may also opt for a self-managed volunteer or team building activity directly with a pre-approved charitable organization.

PGPA jointly organized the initiative with Singapore Products and a local community partner, Food from the Heart. The undertaking involved employees, station managers and a commission agent retailer.

Christopher Ho, Caltex Chong Pang station manager, explained: “We have a social objective to support high-need communities in the vicinity of our service station. Our community partner helped us select 80 deserving families, with specially selected groceries funded by Singapore Products.”

Ho and his fellow volunteers have worked in collaboration with business partners, such as banks, on a range of activities, including helping to clean the homes of the elderly.

“These opportunities allow me a chance to do my part, be it monetary or through time. I’m glad to contribute toward better living conditions and making a difference in someone’s quality of life, said Ho.

Our Latin America business unit (LABU) has a long history of support for cleft lip and palate surgeries in Venezuela and Colombia. In both countries, the volunteer work of Chevron employees and their families is pivotal to the surgeries’ success. More than 1,600 patients benefitted from this initiative between 2012 and 2016.

Our volunteers participate at every stage – from patients’ pre-surgical planning to their welfare after the surgery. The volunteers play with the young patients in waiting rooms, comfort anxious parents, and care for the children after surgery. In Venezuela, our volunteers also gather gifts and new clothes for the patients and donate items for the liquid diet that patients should take after surgery.

Jose Guillermo Moreno, planning manager, Venezuelan Projects, said, “It is very fulfilling to be part of such a beautiful activity and I am truly grateful for being able to volunteer with Operation Smile through Chevron.”

In Venezuela, a nationwide initiative extends from Caracas, near our LABU headquarters; to Sucre State, close to our operations in Eastern Venezuela; and Zulia State, near our operations in Western Venezuela. This program is performed in partnership with Operation Smile Foundation, Rotary and Rotaplast and from 2012 to 2016, nearly 1,400 patients have benefitted from this initiative.

The province of La Guajira has a high number of children suffering from cleft palate, particularly among the Wayúu indigenous communities where malnutrition is a factor. The professional capacity of local health care givers has also increased through training in post-surgical assistance and emergency response.

In Colombia, our volunteers participate in a marathon aimed at raising funds for the cause, and solicit money among their friends to support some patients’ operations. We benefitted 251 patients in the country from 2012 to 2016.

“With Operation Smile we change people’s lives,” said Jose Palacio, PGPA community coordinator for Chevron Colombia. “These children will face a different, more positive future because we have given them the chance to smile toward a new horizon.”

“The Operation Smile journey is an experience with plenty of personal and professional fulfillment for me,” said Fabiola Gudino, communications and public affairs coordinator for LABU in Caracas. “As a Chevron employee, I feel very proud of being a member of a company that tries to leave a mark by drawing smiles.”