Mikaila Adams, Associate Editor — OGFJ
Devon Energy has a long standing tradition of community involvement in Oklahoma City, where the company is headquartered. Since the company’s inception in 1971, giving back has always been a priority. Wendi Schuur, manager of public relations at Devon notes that as the company has grown, so have the community outreach activities. “We have active community outreach programs in Houston and Calgary, where we have large corporate offices, and we have outreach programs in our field locations as well.”
Schurr believes strongly in the community outreach activities and feels that “employees benefit both personally and professionally from engaging in volunteer initiatives.” She states that at Devon, community involvement is one of the company’s core values and employees understand it is the right thing to do, noting that volunteerism builds a cohesive, motivated workforce and instills a sense of pride in employees that are part of an organization that understands the importance of being a good corporate citizen.
Kathy Boaz, Devon land technician, tutors a student at Mark Twain Elementary in Oklahoma City. Photo courtesy of Devon.
“We have an employee volunteer program in place that recognizes, encourages, and supports employees who volunteer their time and talents to non-profit organizations,” she said. The program includes making a donation to organizations on behalf of the employees in recognition of their volunteerism and allowing time off from work with pay for volunteer activities.
In Oklahoma City, Devon has more than 225 employees involved in a tutoring program. Additionally, the company is actively involved with the United Way campaign in Calgary, Houston, and Oklahoma City. In 2006, these campaigns brought in a record-breaking $2.6 million, including Devon matching funds. Schurr said that each city records high participation rates. “Devon employees are truly caring, compassionate people,” she continued.
While the company supports many projects and programs, the one that Schuur is most proud of, “far and away,” is the company’s partnership with Mark Twain Elementary School in Oklahoma City. Mark Twain is a school located in a high poverty, high crime area. Five years ago she initiated a partnership between the school and Devon with the goal of providing one-on-one tutoring and mentoring for the students, many of which speak English as a second language.
“The partnership has exceeded my wildest expectation, with more than 225 employees spending an hour of their time each week mentoring a child,” she stated. Since the program started, the school’s test scores have consistently increased each year. Last year the school was removed from the “at risk” list. “Our partnership is about giving time; it’s not just about giving resources. While we do make financial contributions to the school, the most valuable thing we donate is our time,” Schuur concluded. OGFJ
