ConocoPhillips’ charitable giving is often accompanied by the voluntary efforts of employees who give their personal time and talents to benefit the communities where they work and live.
Annually ConocoPhillips engages in a number of corporate signature volunteer events as well as regional volunteer events. ConocoPhillips’ employees at our Houston headquarters volunteer once a quarter in partnership with the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center to encourage employees to sign up to donate blood and Commit for Life. Employees in Ponca City, Okla. also host quarterly blood drives with the American Red Cross and Oklahoma Blood Institute.
More than 1,200 employees, families and friends volunteer for the ConocoPhillips Rodeo Run. In partnership with The Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, this event raises scholarship funds for Texas youth. In addition, the week before the race, volunteers clean up a section of the race course that passes through a Houston community in need. The volunteer crew clears the course of trash and debris, mows and trims the landscape and helps to beautify the neighborhood for its residents.
Two other events embraced by our employee volunteers benefit Special Olympics of Texas (SOTX); ConocoPhillips Sporting Clays Tournament and ConocoPhillips Athlete Village at the SOTX Spring Games. These events raise funds for sports and life training for persons with intellectual disabilities in the greater Houston area.
ConocoPhillips employee volunteers also enjoy participating in the Junior Achievement program. By volunteering time and knowledge to provide K-5 students with hands-on experiences, our volunteer consultants help students understand the economics of life and help them reach their full potential as citizens.
The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure affords corporate employee volunteers an opportunity to register participants, walk in the event and promote the event in support of breast cancer research.
ConocoPhillips is a key supporter of the United Way. A big part of this fundraising effort is the creativity of our employee volunteers. Each year, they generate funds by fostering friendly competition and participating in games, food festivals, auctions and team-building events. For several years, employees in Alaska have donated more funds than any other company in the state.
In addition to these signature volunteer events, the company supports employee volunteer efforts and involvement in community projects through the Employee Volunteer Grant Program. U.S. employees can apply for grants of up to $3,000 for capital improvements and up to $500 for planning projects for charitable organizations in which they volunteer their time. In 2008, more than $776,000 was awarded to charitable organizations via 695 employee volunteer grants.
In 2006, the Employee Volunteer Grant Program was introduced in China, where volunteer activities include tree planting, orphanage visits and interactive teaching in elementary schools. In Beijing, the company matched money raised by employees for the Light and Love School for children of the city’s migrant workers, thus bringing the total donation to more than $31,000.
ConocoPhillips’ Canada employees help teach reading at Connaught Community School in Calgary. They also participate in the national Commuter Challenge, an event that encourages people to commute to work on foot, or via bicycle, public transport or carpools. In 2008 nearly 600 employees and contractors cycled a total of 50,000 miles for the challenge, farther than any other corporation in Canada.
ConocoPhillips employees in Australia continue to raise money for the Cancer Council of Western Australia. This initiative was directed by motivated employees who set up a steering committee and organized a number of breast cancer research fundraising activities, including purchasing Pink Ribbon Day merchandise and organizing guessing games, interoffice competitions and an auction with items donated by employees and outside parties. The company matched the amount raised dollar-for-dollar, with a total of approximately $13,000 donated to the council.
In Texas, our Houston employees help Habitat for Humanity build homes for the needy; while at the Sweeny refinery, the work force holds an annual barbecue and auction to raise money for colleagues in need of financial assistance for medical or other reasons. In 2007, the event raised $80,000, and in 2008, raised $109,000, with awards to beneficiaries determined throughout the year.
In Ponca City, Okla., an Employee Environmental Action Committee initiates and supports activities that promote environmental awareness and responsibility. Funding is provided to help volunteers work in partnership with schools on environmental grants, the city of Ponca City on household hazardous waste collection, the state on an adopt-a-highway program to clean up designated areas of roadside trash, and other environmental activities initiated by ConocoPhillips employees and retirees to benefit the community.
In addition to numerous volunteer programs, the company’s Matching Gift Plan is available to employees who wish to support their communities by making contributions to accredited educational institutions. Eligible contributions from employees are matched dollar-for-dollar to an annual maximum of $10,000 per employee. Eligible retiree contributions are matched at 50 cents to the dollar to an annual maximum of $5,000 per retiree. In 2008, the company matched a total of $2.2 million of program participants’ contributions.