CITGO Awards Friends of the Columbia County Traveling Library For Fueling Good

MILLVILLE, Pa., April 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Caring about people and helping to improve the quality of their lives is a deeply embedded value of CITGO Petroleum Corporation and its Fueling Good program. Now in its fourth year of rewarding local heroes, the Fueling Good program has assisted more than 200 non-profit organizations in carrying out their vital missions, from caring for the eyes and ears of the underinsured to providing support for families affected by mental illness to protecting valuable water resources.

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CITGO recently recognized Friends of the Columbia County Traveling Library as a 2012 Winter Fueling Good winner. Providing local residents with convenient access to books, the Columbia County Traveling Library bookmobile received $5,000 in CITGO Gift Cards, which will allow it to travel thousands of miles serving those who live far from any public library facility. "In addition to being a desperately needed boost to our budget, entering and winning the CITGO Fueling Good contest helped raise our profile in the community and gave us the opportunity to tackle the financial plight resulting from last year's flooding," said Kathryn Kuryloski, chairman of the fundraising committee of the Columbia County Traveling Library. "We give our thanks to CITGO; with increased community support, we are optimistic that we can continue our literacy outreach to those in Columbia County."

In 2011, the Columbia County Traveling Library's headquarters was severely damaged by record flooding, which resulted in $70,000 of uninsured losses. Additionally, the state of Pennsylvania reduced funding for the library. And finally, an aging bookmobile required fundraising to preserve the only free library service to the surrounding rural communities.

For more than 70 years, the Columbia County Traveling Library's bookmobile has brought library service to the small towns and farm communities of Columbia County.  In addition to community stops, the bookmobile visits nursing homes, senior centers, schools, preschools and day care centers. While the Fueling Good prize will boost the travel budget, it also allows the Friends of the Columbia County Traveling Library to devote vital resources to building a special collection of large print and audio books for vision-impaired senior citizens as well as providing both financial support and volunteer time for summer reading programs.

The principles of Fueling Good can be seen in all aspects of the CITGO brand. In fact, since the launch of the program in 2009, CITGO has fueled more than a million miles of good through its support of local heroes like the Columbia County Traveling Library. During the most recent campaign, nearly 1,700 charities entered and nearly 151,000 votes were cast to help determine the current round of Fueling Good winners.

Registration for the next Fueling Good program will open for all 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations within the CITGO marketing area on Sept. 4, 2012. To enter for a chance to win up to $5,000 in CITGO Gift Cards, or to learn how CITGO and local organizations are making a difference, visit www.FuelingGood.com. For regular updates and to join the conversation, "Like" CITGO Fueling Good at www.Facebook.com/CITGOFuelingGood and view videos of past winners at www.youtube.com/CITGOFuelingGood.

CITGO, based in Houston, is a refiner, transporter and marketer of transportation fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals and other industrial products. The 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. For more information visit www.CITGO.com.

SOURCE CITGO Petroleum Corporation