CITGO Lemont Refinery And Cicero Lubes Plant Raise Money Toward A Cure For Muscular Dystrophy

ORLAND PARK, Ill. , Aug. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The CITGO Lemont Refinery and Cicero lubricants plant teamed up with the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) for the 16^th Annual CITGO MDA Driving for a Cure Golf Scramble.  This year more than 310 CITGO employees, MDA employees, contractors, and various sponsors came together to raise more than $250,000 to help put an end to neuromuscular diseases.

In addition to providing hours of life saving research and valuable services to benefit MDA, those attending the outing also had the chance to directly impact a local child by donating to MDA's Annual Summer Camp Program. Specially designed for young people with mobility challenges, the MDA camps, including one in Ingelside, Ill., provide participants with the rare opportunity to escape a world of limitations and enter into a community created exclusively for them and their needs.

"We are grateful for the support from our employees, businesses leaders, and neighbors for this year's event. MDA and its summer camps embody the CITGO principle of giving back to the local communities we serve," said Jim Cristman, Vice President of the CITGO Lemont Refinery. "Many people who attended this year's event have been to the local MDA camp and seen first-hand how life-changing the experience is for these brave kids. It is our hope that these events will allow more children to benefit from MDA's wonderful programs as we work to find a cure."

This year's Driving for a Cure, held at Silver Lake Country Club in Orland Park on July 17, exceeded all expectations. Selling out the event weeks in advance and even starting a waiting list for eager sponsors, MDA and CITGO were both ecstatic to see another record broken. This year the event raised $252,686.00, an increase of more than $26,000 from 2011.

After a day of golf, guests attended a dinner and silent auction where they were personally thanked by MDA campers. Nicolas and Michael Piunti, two brothers who are MDA campers and ambassadors and have attended the outing for several years, thanked the event sponsors.

"We could never thank you enough for all of your help," said Nicholas Piunti. "We would not be able to go to summer camp without you. Camp is the best week of our lives and we cannot imagine a summer without it!"

The CITGO Lemont Refinery employs more than 800 local residents on a full-time and contract basis in support of the local economy. While Lemont refinery employees produce high quality fuels for a large portion of the network of nearly 6,000 locally owned CITGO stations across the country, they also make a major positive impact on the community. Each year more than 2,500 volunteer hours and thousands of dollars are given in support of community programs such as Muscular Dystrophy Association, United Way and a variety of environmental and preservation programs. For more information on the CITGO Lemont Refinery, visit www.citgorefining.com/Lemont.

The CITGO lubricants plant in Cicero has been a part of the community for 62 years, providing local jobs and supporting charities in the area. The plant blends and packages more than 50 million gallons of finished lubricants and greases that provide products to the automotive, heavy-duty, transportation, industrial, small engine and agricultural markets each year.

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