Since joining Marathon Petroleum Company’s Louisiana Refining Division about one month ago, I’ve had numerous opportunities to see first-hand how our employee volunteerism impacts the community.

Our Community Outreach Plan is simple: We will be active within the surrounding communities in which we live and do business. Our efforts will focus on community improvement, educational outreach, philanthropy and environmental stewardship.

Our goal is to touch every element of our strategy each month, and I’d like to highlight a few of the events that we recently supported.

Frisco Fest was held on the grounds of San Francisco Plantation in Garyville on March 5-6. The annual festival raises awareness and funding for one of our community’s major attractions, hosting over 100,000 visitors annually.

Good food, crafts, a 40-mile cycling tour, a 5K run and a car show with over 100 entries attracted more than 4,000 visitors to the plantation for the weekend.

Marathon Petroleum Company organized the event and enlisted over 50 corporate sponsors to join in support. In addition to securing sponsorships, Marathon Petroleum Company employees logged approximately 300 volunteer hours in making the event successful.

During the same weekend, over 20,000 visitors converged on the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans for Soul Fest, a celebration of African American history through food, music and culture. Marathon Petroleum Company is a proud sponsor of the event, and employees volunteered their time to share information about our company and support the heritage and achievements of community leaders.

On March 18, our employees joined St. John the Baptist President Natalie Robottom and other community leaders for Leaders Against Litter. This event kicks off the annual Spring Clean Sweep effort and affords our employees another opportunity to raise environmental awareness by encouraging others to help keep our community clean.

Marathon Petroleum Company is committed to all the communities where we operate, and I’ve never seen it more evident than in St. John the Baptist Parish. Louisiana Refining Division employees log thousands of volunteer hours each year, and we intend to increase awareness and opportunities that will enable our efforts to grow.

A medical study proved volunteers live longer, have higher functional ability, lower rates of depression and less incidence of heart disease.

Thus, we believe that volunteering in our community not only equals good health, but also good times and good business. In many instances, local organizations only need your time to be successful. We ask that you please join us in promoting volunteerism.

Keith Hightower is the human resources manager for Marathon Petroleum’s Garyville refinery. He can be reached at thightower@marathonpetroleum.com.