Local CITGO Marketers Partner With The Eight Mile Boulevard Association For 17th Annual "Clean the D" Event

Ambassadors from the Miss Michigan Organization Participate in Community Clean-Up Effort

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May 10, 2013, 08:00 ET

DETROIT, May 10, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- On Saturday, May 4, CITGO and five of its local Detroit Marketers teamed up with the Eight Mile Boulevard Association (8MBA), the Miss Michigan Organization and 450 community volunteers to beautify the Eight Mile corridor in Detroit. Now in its 17^th year, volunteers tackled various community enhancement initiatives, including painting projects, flower planting and trash pick-up throughout the 27-mile stretch of the Eight Mile corridor.

"Each year, the 'Clean the D' event reminds us how strong and how engaged our communities are," said Tami Salisbury, executive director of the 8MBA. "This year we welcomed volunteers of all ages and backgrounds, each of whom had one goal in mind – to help the Eight Mile corridor better reflect the community that it supports. On the heels of another successful 'Clean the D' event, we are so thankful to CITGO and its local Marketers, as well as ambassadors from the Miss Michigan Organization, for all of their continued support."

Local CITGO Marketers Barrick Enterprises, Bazzi Oil Company, Knight Enterprises, Corrigan Oil and RKA Petroleum, donated their time to the project. They were joined by local students from Brother Rice and Pershing schools and other local volunteers. In addition, several ambassadors from the Miss Michigan Organization pitched in, including Lauren Allen, Miss Lighthouse; Jaeleen Davis, Miss Pride of the Peninsulas; Erin Jenkinson, Miss Sanilac County; and Rebecca Fisher, Miss Wayne County.

"The annual 'Clean the D' event is a tradition for all of us here at Barrick Enterprises. We look forward to participating each spring," said Bob Barrick, president of Barrick Enterprises. "The Eight Mile corridor is an integral part of our business community, and we are so grateful to the Eight Mile Boulevard Association and CITGO for inviting us to be a part of this event. We know from the pride we put in our own store locations that a clean appearance is important to the safety and prosperity of a neighborhood."

In addition to the physical improvements made by this effort, community support and involvement is a core value for both CITGO and the Marketers and Retailers who operate the nearly 6,000 locally owned CITGO stations. Like 8MBA, CITGO and its network of independent Marketers remain committed to helping neighbors and improving lives through hands-on involvement and volunteering.

Eight Mile Boulevard Association is a non-profit organization formed in 1993 to revitalize and promote the Eight Mile business, transportation and residential corridor between I-275 (west) and I-94 (east) by linking the public and private sectors. For more information about 8MBA, visit http://www.eightmile.org.

CITGO is committed to giving back to the local communities it serves through its network of locally owned CITGO stations. Local CITGO Marketers and Retailers in Michigan, such as Barrick Enterprises, own and operate more than 300 CITGO locations and are proud to support their local organizations, like 8MBA.

CITGO, based in Houston, is a refiner, transporter and marketer of transportation fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals and other industrial products. The company is owned by PDV America, Inc., an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A., the national oil company of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. For more information about CITGO, visit www.CITGO.com.

SOURCE CITGO Petroleum Corporation