In Hong Kong, Methanex staff visited a local fire department with children who have Autism Spectrum Disorder and Developmental Delay, as part of our partnership with the Heep Hong Society. In Shanghai, staff engaged with hearing-impaired students from Shanghai Xuhui Local University to explore handcrafting activities together (pictured).
In Chile, our staff organized Solidarity Christmas with two institutions – the Villa Austral Nursery School and the Volunteering Puro Corazón Community (pictured). Our volunteers provided presents for children and food boxes for families, benefiting almost 200 people. In 2019, we also raised funds for the Telethon of Magallanes (to help people with disabilities). More than 70 staff volunteered to work during the event.
In 2019, over 90% of Vancouver staff volunteered for various initiatives, including United Way, the Edible Garden Project, Habitat Restore, and Burnaby Neighbourhood House. The team also provided funds to support Science World's Super Science Club (pictured), which provides science and technology activities to at-risk students.
Methanex Dallas was a Bronze Boot Sponsor of the annual Boots and Bandanas gala to raise funds for Camp Summit, a camp for individuals with disabilities. We were also a Silver Sponsor for the 15th annual Plano International Festival, a one-day community event dedicated to diversity and inclusion. The team also volunteered their time and talents to support Camp Summit Work Day, spending two days helping to ensure the camp was clean and safe for the new camp season (pictured).
Our Methanex Europe staff participated in a fundraising event for Run to Walk Again (pictured), which provides sports and exercise activities for children, young people, and adults with physical disabilities. We also helped fund equipment for Arche de Marie, a day center for adults suffering from cognitive impairment, and provided funds for gifts for the children in Home Reine Astrid, a nursery for children placed by court orders.
Our Geismar team made donations to River Parishes Community College (pictured) for construction of a Process Equipment Trainer (PET) unit for industrial crafts job training, the local volunteer fire department, and Cancer Services of Greater Baton Rouge. We also held a food drive to benefit the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank, resulting in a donation of 732 pounds of food, equivalent to 610 meals.
Through our Safe Days program, Methanex New Zealand helped fund local safety-focused, community organizations Zeal, ASD Connex, Mahia Mahia, and Kidsafe Taranaki. We supported a range of educational initiatives, including the annual Methanex Maths Spectacular competition, engineering scholarships Waitara High School students, and Books in Schools. The Taranaki team also donated volunteer time to benefit the Waitara Beach Clean-up, East Taranaki Environment Trust, Taranaki Women’s Refuge, South Auckland Women’s Refuge, and Kaitake Ranges Conservation Trust (pictured).
Methanex Trinidad partnered with employees to support relief efforts in the Bahamas following Hurricane Dorian and supported various charity golf tournaments throughout the year through sponsorships and team participation. We onboarded a new cohort of 23 students in Mentoring Our Children, a program which pairs Methanex volunteers with teenagers from local schools to provide tutoring, coaching, and life skills training. The team also assisted with relief clothing and food drives (pictured) on behalf of the charitable organization Living Water Community.
Medicine Hat teams built a shed for the Medicine Hat Women’s Shelter Society (pictured) and helped in the community garden at the Medicine Hat & District Food Bank. For a third year, we sponsored the Earth Rangers’ School Assembly program, a scheme dedicated to educating young people on environmental issues. We also partnered with Medicine Hat Public Library to deliver its Methanex Library Card Sign-up Day. The event encouraged local residents to sign up for a library card by reducing any cost barriers to doing so.
Egypt employees participated in Excellence Days, which honours high-achieving students in neighboring areas. In the Damietta community in Egypt, with the help of Methanex employees, we once again delivered medical caravans providing physician consultations and medication to villages surrounding the city (pictured).