Wood River Refinery Celebrates "Good Energy Month"

ROXANA - In honor of National Volunteer Month, Phillips 66 celebrates April as “Good Energy Month.” Employees around the country participate in company-sponsored service projects and are also encouraged to donate their personal time to support local organizations. Wood River Refinery hosted four service projects during the month.

On April 2, the refinery’s New Hire Network hosted a trash clean-up project. Volunteers picked up litter along Madison Street and IL-111, filling nearly 20 trash bags. The clean-up project was supported by 16 employees who donated 60 hours with volunteer grant funds designated to support the United Way of Greater St. Louis.

“Litter along the corridor near the refinery has been a heightened topic of concern in the last two years,” said Melissa Erker, Phillips 66 Wood River Refinery spokesperson. “This volunteer project is one that not only instills pride for us as property owners in the region, but we know is also appreciated by local neighbors who are continuously working to keep this area clean of trash.”

On April 11, 17 employees, including members of the Refinery’s Environmental team, donated 68 hours to support the Edwardsville Children’s Museum Micro Forest. “This is our fourth year supporting the site and it has been great to see the native trees continue to grow,” says Erker.

In addition to providing volunteer support, Phillips 66 sponsors the interactive STEM Forest and the new outdoor fuel station exhibits at the Children’s Museum. The company provided a $40,000 grant in 2022 to support the Citizen’s Science Program and new pollinator garden project.

On April 18, nine employees donated 36 hours to support Rebuilding Together Southwest Illinois. The project was sponsored by the refinery’s Veteran’s Network. Volunteers helped build a wheelchair ramp for a local veteran.

“In many cases, our employee volunteers come with very specialized skills who enjoy building and repairing things,” Erker said. “Our partnership with organizations like Rebuilding Together allows us to match interests and talents of our employee skillsets with needed help to area residents.”

On April 30, 22 employees donated nearly 50 hours to plant trees with Living Lands & Waters. Volunteers traveled to Calhoun County to the first site Living Lands & Waters planted trees. The group planted 200 native oak trees and wrapped protective cages around the trunks.

The Refinery selected Living Lands & Waters for one of the service projects because Phillips 66 donated $50,000 in 2023 to support the organization’s MillionTrees project. Initiated in 2007, the project's mission is to protect, preserve, and restore the natural environment of the nation’s major rivers and their watersheds. Since the project launched, Living Lands & Waters has planted over 2 million trees. “We think it is important to also invest sweat equity into local organizations who have received monetary donations,” says Erker.

In addition to the work in Calhoun County, more than 5,000 trees were distributed locally to refinery employees by Living Lands and Water and planted this spring. Included in these new trees were trees planted at Belk Park in Wood River by the fourth-grade classes at Roxana Central Intermediate School. This project was planned by Fourth Grade Teacher Breanna Minogue who also serves on the refinery’s Community Advisory Panel.

Complimenting the volunteer effort, Phillips 66 donates money back to organizations based on employee volunteer hours. The April projects will bring over $5,000 back to the four organizations.

“We encourage volunteerism with our employees throughout the year,” says Erker. “While we are highlighting our April projects, it is good to note that we hosted a service project with Riverbend Family Ministries in February and have several more projects planned through the rest of the year, including supporting the Lewis & Clark State Historic Site Education Day and the annual Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois STEM Camp. The direct work of our volunteerism really speaks to our goals as a company to providing energy and improving lives.”

In 2023, the volunteer efforts of Phillips 66 Wood River Refinery employees netted nearly $250,000 in volunteer grant money back to local organizations through organized service projects and individual volunteerism.

About Wood River Refinery
Located in Roxana, Illinois, and jointly owned by Phillips 66 and Cenovus Energy through the WRB Refining partnership, Wood River Refinery is operated by Phillips 66. Phillips 66 (NYSE: PSX) manufactures, transports and markets products that drive the global economy. The diversified energy company’s portfolio includes Midstream, Chemicals, Refining, and Marketing and Specialties businesses. Headquartered in Houston, Phillips 66 has employees around the globe who are committed to safely and reliably providing energy and improving lives while pursuing a lower-carbon future. For more information, visit phillips66.com or follow @Phillips66Co on LinkedIn.

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