CITGO's Fueling Good Trip Hits Michigan

DETROIT -- CITGO's Fueling Good Road Trip rolled into Motor City and across Michigan in May. Local CITGO marketers were joined by Miss America representatives and the CITGO Fueling Good Road Trip Ambassadors, Adam and Diego, to celebrate special customer appreciation events, visit local nonprofit organizations, hospitals and schools, honor local heroes and reward loyal customers.

"The Fueling Good events allow us to engage the community while showing our customers just how grateful we are for their business," said Waleid Elhady, sales and marketing executive at Michigan-based Bazco Oil. "We were excited to welcome Adam and Diego for one of our grand-opening events, which also served as a fundraiser for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure to benefit breast cancer awareness and research. The visit allowed us to shine a spotlight on the great organizations and community members in the areas where we own and operate our stores, and where we also live."

Adam and Diego visited the CITGO-sponsored "preventable injuries" wing of the Motts Hospital in Ann Arbor, Mich., on May 4. Along with Miss America representatives, they delivered bike helmets and safety gear to the children in the hospital. Later that day, the pair stopped at a local CITGO station to demonstrate the proper way to install a child car seat.

Other stops included a visit to Mumford High School as part of the Relentless Tour Ianni Project, a grassroots initiative to eradicate bullying led by former Michigan State basketball player Anthony Ianni.

The final stop on the tour was the Food Bank of South Central Michigan, a former Fueling Good project winner. Adam and Diego toured the facility, which provides food, advocacy and education on hunger issues. The food bank also received a check for $24,000 from local CITGO marketer Folk Oil Co., which worked in partnership with PS Food Mart Charities.

"It's inspiring to give back and improve the lives of the people in the communities we serve," said Jim Linton, vice president at Folk Oil. "A little help really does go a long way. We are incredibly grateful for our partnership with CITGO in enabling us to support the efforts of the Food Bank of South Central Michigan."

The Fueling Good Road Trip continues in Indiana on June 23, and will log countless miles throughout several states this year. More information is available at www.FuelingGood.com and on the CITGO Fueling Good Facebook page.

CITGO is committed to giving back to local communities it serves through its network of nearly 6,000 locally owned stations. The Houston-based 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.