With fresh paint and beautiful colors, PPG employee volunteers from China to the Netherlands, and beyond, embarked on month-long, worldwide celebration of the volunteers, community partners and individuals who have helped to bring color and brightness to PPG communities and contributed to the 500 COLORFUL COMMUNITIES® projects milestone.
Celebrating 500 COLORFUL COMMUNITIES projects around the world
VIDEO: See the 500th project come to life and hear more about the impact our volunteers made at Carnegie Science Center.
Celebrating 500 COLORFUL COMMUNITIES projects around the world
“Our employee volunteers in every region and local communities where PPG operates globally have contributed to this milestone,” said Malesia Dunn, executive director, PPG Foundation and Corporate global social responsibility. “Our volunteers create brighter futures and live our purpose to protect and beautify the world. Each project enables team building and bonding opportunities centered around a shared desire and enthusiasm to give back to the communities we call home.”
Read on to learn more about the global 500th project celebrations and their transformational impacts.
United States and Canada
Following the 500th Colorful Communities project at Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, local employee volunteers continued to spread joy at three projects in the area as part of the annual Day of Caring in partnership with United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania. In total, 120 of our volunteers painted Global Links, Youth Places and the John Heinz Child Development Center.
Europe, Middle East, Africa, French Overseas and Suriname
In Delfzijl, the Netherlands a Colorful Communities project united 50 PPG employees and volunteers from local community and muralist, Aileen Esther Middel, who helped to beautify a flood barrier in the city’s harbor. After two days of painting, a mural inspired by the city’s maritime history was completed including signal flags spelling out the city’s name. Stretching along the harbor, the barrier, and now the mural, are the first things people see when entering Delfzijl. In addition to contributing to the 500th milestone, this project also celebrated the 30th anniversary of PPG’s Delfzijl silica manufacturing facility. Read more here.
Across France, our volunteers completed three Colorful Communities projects with AFM-Téléthon, which supports research to fight neuromuscular and rare diseases. For the sixth consecutive year, we teamed up with the organization to create lively murals in three Téléthon facilities. The third project was dedicated to celebrate the 500th Colorful Communities project in Lille, France. At this project, a mural was created by artist Bertrand Parse and 35 PPG employees and volunteers from SOFREV.
The Instytut Spraw Gluchych in Warszawa, Poland, provides educational opportunities and support for individuals with hearing loss and deafness. Our volunteers from Automotive Refinish and Architectural Coatings joined forces as One PPG and provided the facility with a makeover, including murals depicting sign language and color-coded doors.
To continue the celebration, the entire interior and exterior of Zastavka, a community center in Zilina, Slovakia, was beautified with fresh paint and colorful murals. As part of this project a mural competition was created giving local artists an opportunity to propose sustainability concepts which could be painted on a nearby wall that also serves as summer cinema.
Asia Pacific
A Colorful Communities project was recently completed at Goupi Complete Primary School, Yangbi County, Dali City, Yunnan Province, China, concluding several projects completed by PPG and SAIC-GM Chevrolet together in 2023. The project brought together volunteers from PPG Automotive Refinish, who spent more than 60 hours creating a better school environment where the students live and study.
As the final episode of the Chevrolet Red Chalk teacher support program for schools in rural regions in combination with our Colorful Communities program, the project continued to “light up dreams with colors” through a series of activities such as color-themed teaching, campus murals, and school renovation, creating a vibrant and imaginative environment for the school, as well as more possibilities for the students.