Both Pia Carlsen and Kim Clausen take a great deal of satisfaction in the fact that at PPG, we are all encouraged to propose, organize and take part in various corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. Therefore, as keen advocates of community engagement activities, Kim and Pia kept their eyes peeled for the perfect COLORFUL COMMUNITIES® project in their local area.
Local Center Presented the Perfect Opportunity
Pia is the assistant to the general manager for Architectural Coatings Scandinavia, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, while Kim is the product technician for the Denmark site and export. Their desire to help in their community was born out in local Det Åbne Tilbud.
As a center for adults with developmental disabilities or spectrum disorders, Det Åbne Tilbud offers various activities, socializing events and field trips in Soborg, Denmark to its community of members. What with its upcoming merger with another facility for people with developmental disabilities, this coming together signifies a brand-new start for them both.
A Fresh Start Deserves a Fresh Lick of Paint
Kim, Pia, and around 20 of their colleagues turned up at Det Åbne Tilbud armed with 100 liters of DYRUP® paint products.
The rooms that would become the new center’s main space received painting and beautification from the enthusiastic volunteers. They put up and painted shelves (including gallery shelves for members’ fresh paintings) and decorated a new creative room.
The facility also received brand new dinner tables and chairs so that members could have a communal space for sharing dinner, instead of eating alone at home. Additionally, our own artists, Talal Ghadban and Pia Ebdrup, held a painting workshop.
“One of the Best Days in a Long Time”
With pleasure and pride, Kim and Pia invited the mayor of the city and our general manager for the region, Peter Sørensen, to open the newly renovated space, together with a total of 60 guests!
One member expressed perfectly the kind of impact this sort of project can have: “This was one of the best days for me for a long time.”
Talal Ghadban gifted a painting he created to the center on opening day, which bore the center’s brand-new name (chosen by way of a competition): Kellers Klub.
“It Is a Long Process from Ideation to Reality and Optimism Is Essential”
Who Are Kim and Pia When Not Changing Lives?
This is, in fact, not Pia’s first community project – she has done a lot of volunteering at local organizations, like the cancer-focused “Relay for Life”. Plus, when she’s not at her desk, you can find her on her mountain bike. Heatwaves, rain, snow, hurricanes – nothing can dissuade her from going for a ride. Her other passion is hard rock and metal, and she loves attending concerts and festivals.
Kim also likes concerts, as well as boxing training, and he spends a lot of time renovating his house and garden. His other volunteering undertakings have included arranging concerts, the Roskilde Festival, and various art projects.
Just as with their other volunteer work, Kim and Pia really feel that the volunteers have made a difference with this Colorful Communities project, but it doesn’t end here. Members from the center already plan to visit the PPG site to see how we produce our paints and how we work. Now that is what community is all about.
Learn more about Colorful Communities initiative here.