Local nonprofit wins thanks to friendly competition at Chevron’s Midland campus

A friendly competition at Chevron’s Midland campus made a big difference to clients of an important local nonprofit.

Members of the Chevron Women’s Employee Network recently delivered heaps of employee-donated items and a matching monetary grant to the Crisis Center of West Texas, which provides wraparound services for local girls and women who are victims of sexual abuse and domestic violence.

The donations came courtesy of a competition waged between the Chevron Midland campus’ North and South buildings. During the last two weeks in October, employees were encouraged to bring items to work to donate to clients of the Crisis Center, like diapers, baby wipes and other essentials.

The competition was based on a points system. Donated items received more points based on urgency of need. The building that raised the highest number of points was declared winner, which turned out to be the South building. The Chevron Midcontinent Business Unit’s Public and Government Affairs department provided $2,500 in matching funds to the effort.

Claire Lacobie, Performance Reservoir Engineer and Midland Women’s Employee Network Chapter Lead, helped deliver the donated items to the Crisis Center last month.

While the South building won the friendly competition, “the survivors we serve are the real winners thanks to everyone’s generosity,” the Crisis Center stated on Facebook.

Lacobie says this is the first time the Women’s Network has partnered with the Crisis Center, and said she hopes it won’t be the last.

“The donations came at a perfect time for the Crisis Center,” Lacobie said. “They host an event to provide essentials to clients right before the holiday season.”

The Chevron Women’s Employee Network is one of a number of company-sponsored, employee-run networks that serve to promote diversity and inclusivity for all Chevron workers. Such networks aim to ensure all employees have the opportunity to grow professionally and personally, Lacobie said.

Aside from this friendly competition, the Women’s Network hosts on-campus events to raise awareness among colleagues about women’s issues, including a flag-raising ceremony on International Women’s Day and a breakfast lunch and learn. The group also partners with the Midland Library to host a summer reading event, where Chevron volunteers conduct STEM activities for kids related to the book of the week for several consecutive Thursdays. The event draws hundreds of community members to the Library.

This year, the Women’s Network aimed to step up its community engagement. Lacobie said her colleague, Stephanie Alvarez, a Chevron Operations Advisor, sits on the Board of Directors for the Crisis Center and made the initial connection about the donations drive.

“Domestic violence disproportionately affects women, so obviously it’s a cause that’s near to the heart of the Women’s Employee Network,” Lacobie said.