PPG Industries Foundation honored by American Red Cross

Sue Sloan (left), senior program officer, PPG Industries Foundation, and Lynne Schmidt, vice president, government and community affairs, display the Circle of Humanitarians Award the foundation received from the American Red Cross National Headquarters.

June 2, 2006 – The PPG Industries Foundation has been honored with the highest award given by the American Red Cross National Headquarters. The Circle of Humanitarians Award acknowledges major gift-giving efforts, such as the foundation's ongoing support of American Red Cross disaster-relief efforts, along with ongoing annual major gift support.

In 2005, American Red Cross contributions from PPG employees, retirees and directors through the foundation's Matching Gifts Program totaled $43,145 to the International Response Fund for tsunami-relief efforts and $79,757 to National Disaster Relief primarily for recovery from hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

“PPG employees', retirees' and board members' donations to the American Red Cross – matched by foundation funds – enable the organization to help victims of declared disasters with shelter, food, counseling and other assistance,” said Sue Sloan, senior program officer, PPG Industries Foundation. The foundation matches gifts of $25 or more to the American Red Cross that are designated for disaster relief for a period of 90 days following a declared national or international disaster.

In related news, Tom Narbit, manager of PPG’s fine chemicals facility in La Porte, Texas, presented a $7,500 check from the PPG Industries Foundation to the Central Bay Area Branch of the American Red Cross of Greater Houston to aid in disaster recovery in the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Narbit said the foundation asked PPG facilities to submit applications for disaster-relief funding to agencies that had aided displaced Gulf Coast residents, and the Central Bay Area Red Cross needed help recouping costs for sheltering as many as 700 evacuees last fall. “The foundation has worked for years with the American Red Cross to fund disaster-relief efforts, so it was a good fit for them to support the Central Bay Area Red Cross as well,” Narbit said.