ExxonMobil Charity Campaign set to generate $46,000 over first two years of program

Campaign launches with results of nearly $19,000 to SPF in 2003

SPF Board member Annette Lockwood (right, with Charlie Maguire, V.P. of Engineering, ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company) has worked for ExxonMobil Corporation for 23 years (Mobil Oil prior to 2000).  In past years, ExxonMobil conducted a United Way Campaign for employee payroll deductions to the charity of their choice.  Due to the difficulties that  the United Way office in the Washington, DC area was having in 2002, ExxonMobil elected to conduct an Employees Favorite Charities Campaign (EFCC) for 2003 charitable donations instead of the usual United Way Campaign. 

The VP for the department that Annette works in, Jean Baderschneider, was selected to be the 2003 EFCC Chairperson.  As Jean was familiar with Annette's efforts of raising funds through the Spastic Paraplegia Foundation, Jean spearheaded the inclusion of SPF in the campaign.  Annette was selected as one of eight employees to be featured in a video that was used during the campaign.  Although SPF was not on the list of charities for the first year, co-workers could write it in.  The result was some $13,300 in contributions from her co-workers. Exxon Mobil Corporation provided a corporate match of $5,660 which made a 2003 grand contribution total of $18,960.

2004 efforts set to generate over $27,000

In preparation for the 2004 EFCC, ExxonMobil invited the most popular charities from the previous year to participate in a Charity Fair.  Each charity was given a table to display information and materials. Employees were able to visit with the charities of their choice in order to help them in their selection process. SPF volunteer Mary Helen Cobb manned the SPF table with Annette and answered many questions while providing reference materials to interested co-workers.

On December 2, ExxonMobil presented Annette with a $7,430 check which represented the Exxon Mobil Corporation match for the 2004 campaign.  2004 pledges from employees totaled $20,081, for a grand total of $27,511 to be donated in 2004, a 45% increase over 2003 contributions.  Out of 157 charities that were selected, SPF was one of the top 20 charities selected.