ExxonMobil Joliet Refinery donates 100 laptops to local charitable organizations

ExxonMobil’s Joliet Refinery donated 100 laptops that were being cycled out of use to four organizations in Will County: MorningStar Mission, the Will County Veterans Assistance Commission, the Spanish Community Center and the Diamond Youth Foundation. The donated laptops will be used by key community organizations whose resources have been stretched during these economically challenging times. Understanding that social distancing and current economic conditions have left many without work and unable to connect with potential employers, social service organizations and educational institutions, ExxonMobil sought to donate the laptops to groups that provide essential human services and workforce opportunities. Eloise Crabb, Chief Operating Officer at MorningStar Mission in Joliet is excited to put the laptops to good use. “MorningStar Mission is so grateful for ExxonMobil’s generous donation of laptops, because it will help us as we serve those who have been most affected by the pandemic and ensuing economic downturn," Crabb said in a news release from ExxonMobil’s Joliet Refinery. “The laptops will help these families to connect with the services and employment opportunities that they need as they try to get back on their feet.” The donation was also an opportunity for ExxonMobil’s Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) to grow their relationships with key community organizations. ExxonMobil ERGs are employee-led organizations that support personal and professional development, and diversity and inclusion awareness. The Joliet Refinery has a very active group of ERGs, which includes Black Employee Success Team (BEST) Global Organization for the Advancement of Latinos (GOAL) PRIDE (People for Respect, Inclusion, and Diversity of Employees) Veteran Advocacy and Support Team (VAST) Women’s Interest Network (WIN). Representatives from the ExxonMobil ERGs were on hand for the donations and paid a visit to the Spanish Community Center (SCC) to see firsthand how the equipment would be used there. Veronica Gloria, executive director of the SCC, knows that the donation comes at a time when people are in greater need and the Center’s resources are needed in so many other ways. “We’re incredibly grateful to ExxonMobil for this gift that will strengthen our adult education programs," Gloria said in the news release. "Thanks to these laptops, more community members will have the digital resources to find employment, study English, and achieve citizenship."