“What can we do to help?” was one of the first questions a team of Chesapeake employees asked upon hearing of the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
Chesapeake’s Carrizo Springs field office is about 50 miles south of Robb Elementary and several of the company’s South Texas employees live in Uvalde and have personal connections with the school and its students. But it didn’t take a personal connection to motivate our Carrizo Springs-based employees to jump in and help after the tragedy.
“Chesapeake is a major player in the area, and we have a social responsibility to give back to the communities where we work and live,” said Jillian Duge, Sr. Production Assistant at Chesapeake. “As a Uvalde native and previous student of Robb Elementary, I am proud to work for a company that values its local communities.”
The day of the shooting (May 24), Chesapeake employees reacted — providing meals for first responders, many of whom came in from surrounding cities. Since then, Duge and her coworkers have sought out opportunities to support the school, its students and the victims’ families.
Recently, Duge learned of a BBQ fundraiser organized by local business owners to solicit donations for the school. With Chesapeake’s volunteer help, the event expanded to six sites and raised more than $150,000. Chesapeake employees supported many aspects of the event, from preparing the meat and handing out water to directing traffic and picking up donated items from cities such as San Antonio.
So far, Chesapeake employees have volunteered more than 250 hours toward relief efforts doing “whatever we can,” says Duge. Volunteer activities have ranged from hosting a blood drive at our field office to donating art supplies to a local children’s counseling center. We are also partnering with a landscaping company that is working on special memorial projects at the local cemetery and churches.
Beyond volunteer hours, Chesapeake also gave financial donations to the Robb School Memorial Fund and the Uvalde 05/24/2022 Memorial Fund.
“We want the Uvalde community to know that their children matter to us, and we will continue to walk alongside them as our South Texas neighbors,” said Chesapeake CEO Nick Dell’Osso. “Thank you to the Chesapeake employees who are living this commitment through their ongoing support for first responders and those impacted by this tragedy.”
“Chesapeake is a major player in the area, and we have a social responsibility to give back to the communities where we work and live,” said Jillian Duge, Sr. Production Assistant at Chesapeake. “As a Uvalde native and previous student of Robb Elementary, I am proud to work for a company that values its local communities.”