Dallas Cowboys, Chevron partner to support student service projects in Midland, Odessa

The Dallas Cowboys and Chevron have partnered on an initiative in Midland and Odessa that encourages teamwork between local students and nonprofits on service projects that benefit their communities.

The Dallas Cowboys Community Captain initiative invites local high school students participating in the Abell-Hanger Foundation’s Students in Philanthropy (SIP) program to partner with a local nonprofit organization to develop a community service project.

Student teams will be asked how they would make the greatest impact in the community if they had $10,000 and plenty of volunteers. The top four teams will get to pitch their idea to a panel of judges from the Cowboys, Chevron and Abell-Hanger Foundation later this fall at The Star (the Cowboys’ headquarters in Frisco).

After presenting their projects to the panel, the students will be treated to a special Cowboys experience, including a tour of The Star.

Chevron will award the team selected as the Community Captain $10,000 to implement their project in the spring semester, “making the Midland-Odessa community the ultimate winner,” officials said.

“The Dallas Cowboys are proud to partner with Chevron to impact the Midland and Odessa communities through the Community Captain initiative,” said Dallas Cowboys Executive VP and Chief Brand Officer Charlotte Jones. “The students engaging with the effort will be taking the value of sport – leadership, character and integrity – into the West Texas community to make a difference for their neighbors in need. That is always a win!”

Ryder Booth, vice president of Chevron’s Mid-Continent Business Unit, said the company is honored to be part of a partnership that “inspires local students to unleash their creativity for the good of our community.”

“Chevron has been an active member of the Permian for nearly 100 years, and our employees take pride in giving back to our Midland-Odessa community in new and impactful ways,” Booth said.

Mark Palmer, CEO of Abell-Hanger Foundation, called SIP a “natural fit” for the Community Captain initiative.

“The students will gain real-world experience in thinking through the process of executing a project to benefit their community,” Palmer said.

Participants in the Community Captain contest include:

• SIP at Midland High School
• SIP at Midland Legacy High School
• SIP at Odessa Permian High School
• SIP at Young Women’s Leadership Academy
• Basin Theatre Works
• Bynum School
• Crisis Center of West Texas
• Harmony Home Children’s Advocacy Center
• I-20 Wildlife Preserve and Jenna Welch Nature Study Center
• Midland Children’s Rehabilitation Center
• Odessa Family YMCA
• Odessa Links
• Permian Basin Rehab Center
• Permian Warrior Partnership
• The Field’s Edge