Published: August 01, 2019
Published: August 01, 2019
Stowmarket Colleagues Honored for Community Efforts
Supporting the community seems to come naturally to our colleagues at our Automotive Refinish Coatings site in Stowmarket, England.
In the last 15 months, they have organized four COLORFUL COMMUNITIES® projects, raised thousands of pounds for AJ’s Legacy, their Charity Partner, and helped fund a local program that provides opportunities for at-risk youth.
Kat Terry, PPG fundraising lead and quality assurance specialist with Antonio Ragosta, PPG community team lead and raw material and process specialist.
Their commitment to the community hasn’t gone unnoticed. Instead, it’s earning them honors, including the 2019 Community Involvement Award presented as part the recent Suffolk Business Awards sponsored by Suffolk Chamber of Commerce.
Since June 2018, this passion has translated into four completed Colorful Communities projects that involved more than 100 employees and over 500 donated hours. The result has impacted on an estimated 8,000 local residents from the Stowmarket neighborhood.
A £23,300 PPG community engagement grant was also presented to the Mix Youth Centre ‘Together Project’ to help up to 3,000 at-risk youth develop job and leadership skills. A £20,000 donation was given to AJ’s Legacy, this comprised of donations collected through employee fundraisers and matching Charity Partner funds.
The site isn’t resting on its laurels. In the weeks immediately following the award announcement, it hosted its 8th annual summer ball. During the event, colleagues raised more than £7,400 to support a local AJ’s Legacy family. These and other charitable efforts will continue through 2019 and beyond.
Mike credited a team approach to Stowmarket’s success, with special recognition to several dedicated PPG employees including:
- Antonio Ragosta, community team lead and raw material and process specialist
- Kat Terry, fundraising lead and quality assurance specialist
- Daniel Vile, color information support manager
- Tina Denison, occupational health administrator;
- Carl Theobold, security and fire officer;
- Tina Seeley, administration and communications coordinator
- recent retiree David Barton, former resin technician