CITGO, Flash Market And Core Mark Sponsor Passport To A Cure Event Featuring Film Director Zack Arnold As Keynote Speaker

LITTLE ROCK, Ark., Dec. 22, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- On Dec. 4, local CITGO Marketer Flash Market Inc., Core Mark and CITGO Petroleum Corporation hosted the tenth annual Passport to a Cure event featuring keynote speaker Zack Arnold, director and producer of GO FAR: The Christopher Rush Story, which follows the life of a boy diagnosed with muscular dystrophy at a young age. The event was held at the Embassy Suites in Little Rock and raised nearly $40,000 to benefit the local chapter of the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA).

"We were so excited to welcome Zack Arnold to speak at our event," said Heather Zimmerman, executive director at the MDA. "His film and adaptation of Christopher Rush's story is a true inspiration. We were honored to hear Zack tell this story and help us in our efforts to fight these neuromuscular diseases."

Arnold discussed his film, which follows the life of Christopher Rush, who was born in Michigan and diagnosed with muscular dystrophy at only seven months old. Doctors told the Rush family that Christopher would not live past the age of two, but he defied the odds and lived his 30 years of life to the fullest. Arnold and Rush met at the University of Michigan in a film production course and went on to become close friends. For more information on the film and Christopher Rush's story, please visit www.gofarmovie.com.

"Because muscular dystrophy is a disease that affects so many people in the communities where we live and work, we're happy to support events where people can learn first-hand about the organization and its fight for a cure," said Alan Flagg, assistant vice president of supply and marketing at CITGO. "Furthermore, we're grateful that Zack could join us and share his personal experiences with muscular dystrophy."

The Muscular Dystrophy Association is the world's leading nonprofit health agency dedicated to saving and improving the lives of people with muscle disease, including muscular dystrophy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other neuromuscular diseases. It does so by funding worldwide research to find treatments and cures; by providing comprehensive health care services and support to MDA families nationwide; and by rallying communities to fight back through advocacy, fundraising and local engagement.

Visit mda.org and follow us at facebook.com/MDAnational and @MDAnews. Learn more about MDA's mission by watching this video.

CITGO is committed to giving back to the local communities it serves through its network of locally owned locations. CITGO Marketers and Retailers in Arkansas, like Flash Market, own and operate nearly 180 CITGO locations and are proud to support their communities. For more information on the positive impact of the locally owned CITGO stations, visit www.fuelinggood.com.

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 CITGO.com.

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