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Celebrating 60 Years in our Community

Back to School Blitz 2022

October 25, 2022

On September 10th, Detroit Refinery held a Back to School Blitz to celebrate the new school year.  This was the biggest “Fueling Detroit” event yet – with over 700 residents in attendance.  School supplies were passed out until we ran out, around 100 kids were able to receive free haircuts and hairstyles, over 500 free meals were served, over 200 feminine care kits were distributed, and 10 laptops were given out to residents (thanks to Human IT!!) and countless resources were distributed through our many nonprofit partners that were in attendance! We also had some fun with carnival rides, dessert trucks, games, and music.

Most importantly, this event was to kick off our new partnership with the Detroit Police Athletic League, which will be bringing its programming to Kemeny Recreation through one of our community investment grants.  We currently have over 300 local youth from 48217, Ecorse and River Rouge signed up with interest in one of the many programs that will be coming to the local recreation center this school year (including computer coding, EcoTek science, & a wide array of sports offerings).

Girls in Engineering tours Detroit refinery

October 25, 2022

Rising 7th graders from the Girls in Engineering Academy (GEA) in Detroit have first-hand knowledge of the energy industry after a tour of Marathon Petroleum’s Detroit refinery and met with some of the women who work there.  

 

The Women’s employee network chapter at the Detroit refinery hosted the field trip in July for students participating in the GEA summer program, created by the Engineering Society of Detroit. GEA was developed to prepare and encourage middle school girls, particularly students from Detroit, to enter college and study engineering. Every week, the girls take field trips to local companies to get exposure to different industries. This was the academy’s first time visiting the Detroit refinery.  

 

The girls learned about the refinery and saw samples of crude oil, gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and asphalt. Refinery leaders took the students on a driving tour of the plant while they completed a scavenger hunt. They heard about different jobs held by women working at the refinery during a career panel. Volunteers coached the girls through an activity building molecules using marshmallows and toothpicks. 

 

“On the tour group I was with, the girls seemed most excited about the salt mine, seeing where the trucks come to load up the charcoal, Marathon staff working on one of the pipes and learning that people were out there working on even the hottest and coldest days,” said Alexandra Lofton, Program Coordinator, Girls in Engineering Academy. “They also loved the marshmallow activity of course even though they haven’t taken chemistry yet. They will be taking that class with us next year, and we will be sure to remind them of that activity!” 

Detroit neighbors find a healthy path forward

October 25, 2022

A vegan enthusiast who loves to run found herself inspired to find more ways to stay healthy. In June, health advocate and business owner Asia Rawls hosted a booth at the Health and Fitness Fair at the Kemeny Recreation Center in Detroit. She regularly attends health events in the city to learn and educate others and said this fair was one of the best she’s ever experienced.

“It felt great to immerse myself in Southwest Detroit and meet new faces. I couldn’t think of a better way to motivate and celebrate health and fitness for all ages, genders, and ethnicities,” said Rawls, owner of Brown Bambi, a health and fitness business that hosts health classes and pop-up exhibits. “It meets the mission and vision of a forward city by putting people first. By the end, we were all inspired to live healthier as a community.”

The Health and Fitness Fair sponsored by Marathon Petroleum’s Detroit refinery was part of its Fueling Detroit Event Series. Attendees had the opportunity to visit a dozen health resource organizations that ranged from physical to mental health.

 

Frances Turner grew up in Southwest Detroit and said after losing several relatives to health issues like heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease and colon cancer, she realize

d that life cannot be taken for granted.

“I decided to attend the health fair, because I believe knowledge is very important,” said Turner. “It is the perfect place to gain resources and explore healthy alternatives. It is also nice to get out into the community and network with like-minded neighbors.”

Turner took her 16-year-old son with her, and they both participated in yoga and meditation classes.

“I learned yoga positions that I can do at home. The instructors were very thorough, and I intend to continue those exercises,” said Turner. “I encourage everyone to catch the next health event. You’ll have a good time and enrich your lifestyle.”

The Detroit refinery brought together people and organizations to teach healthy eating and cooking classes, two group fitness classes and a sound meditation session that had residents feeling mentally refreshed. All residents in attendance were offered free fresh produce boxes from Forgotten Harvest and a warm meal home from the 48217 food truck, Clean Street Food, and fresh squeezed juice from Southwest Detroit small business El ArteSano Juice and Café Bar. The refinery’s women’s employee network chapter partnered with Helping Women Period to pass out free feminine hygiene products.

“There is so much potential for this to grow bigger,” said Rawls. “I look forward to more events like this in the future.”

 

Marathon Petroleum wraps successful Fueling Detroit Event Series

October 25, 2021

Marathon Petroleum is committed to supporting the community surrounding our Detroit refinery, specifically the people living in the 48217 zip code. From June to October, the refinery hosted the Fueling Detroit Event Series, four community events that included a family movie night, the Southwest Detroit Farmers Market, Back to School Blitz, and the Health and Harvest Fair. The events were held at the Kemeny Recreation Center and nearly 250 guests attended each one.  

 

In October, organizations offered free immunizations for children, health screenings for adults, information about mental health services and overdose prevention.  Attendees were able to join free workout classes held during the event. The Detroit Police Athletic League (PAL) hosted mini tutorials for soccer, cheerleading and drone programming.  

 

“This unique event series brings the community together in multiple ways. It’s supporting local businesses, providing family resources, health services, and education materials. And it’s a lot of fun to get together with our neighbors,” said BreAnna Lockhart, Community Relations Representative with Marathon Petroleum. “I’m really excited about what we have planned for next year.”  

 

The Back to School Blitz in September featured free school supplies for everyone who attended and free food from local restaurants Two Fat Boys & a Grill and Motown Dawg Slingers. Kids enjoyed carnival rides, music, and special guest Smiley the Clown, a Detroit legend. The refinery’s community partners, Wayne Metro, Mark Twain Elementary and Starfish Family Services, were on hand to provide resources to parents.  

 

The refinery is scheduling events for 2022, which will include a financial literacy lunch and learn with community partner Wayne Metropolitan Community Action Agency (Wayne Metro), a non-profit organization serving low-and moderate-income residents throughout Wayne County. 

 

Fueling Detroit: SW Farmers Market

August 31, 2021

On August 14th, the Detroit refinery’s Detroit Forward team hosted its second installment of the Kemeny Fueling Detroit series with the Southwest Detroit Farmers Market.  The event featured 36 local businesses from SW Detroit and the greater downriver area.  Over 200 residents attended the event, along with quite a few MRD employees stopping by to support local businesses.  Two 48217 restaurants (Two Fat Boys & a Grill and Catfish and a Cure) were featured, providing free catfish dinners and corned beef sandwiches to all that attended.  MRD employees hosted two tables at the event – one to teach residents about what goes on at the refinery, and another hosted by the women’s network to pass out free feminine hygiene products from the nonprofit, Helping Women Period.  We have two more events for this series — The Back to School Blitz (Saturday, September 11th) and the Health and Harvest Fair (Saturday, October 9th).  If you’re interested in either,  sign up here for more information!

Employee Giving Summit

August 31, 2021

The Detroit Forward team held a Nonprofit/Employee Giving Summit on August 24th.  This event was an extension of the monthly Detroit Forward: Nonprofit Spotlight.  Thirteen nonprofits were featured at the event, with MRD employees being able to talk to them one-on-one about the work that they’re doing in 48217.  The nonprofits that were featured were excited that how engaged the employees were and are excited to see how we can further partner on future projects! See below for a list of the featured organizations:

  • Covenant House Michigan
  • Matrix Human Services
  • Detroit Police Athletic League (Detroit PAL)
  • AmeriCorps Urban Safety Program
  • Friends of the Rouge
  • Wayne Metropolitan Community Action Agency
  • Brilliant Detroit
  • St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
  • Mercy Education Project
  • Southwest Detroit Environmental Vision
  • Bees in the D
  • Detroit Greenways Coalition
  • Girl Scouts of Southeastern Michigan

MRD employees were excited to sign up for volunteer opportunities and donate to these organizations (with a 100% from Marathon) to help their continued work in the SW Detroit community!

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