PPG announced the completion of a COLORFUL COMMUNITIES project in Stowmarket, United Kingdom, that helped revitalize The Mix youth centre. The Colorful Communities program provides PPG volunteers and products along with financial contributions to bring color and vitality to communities where the company operates around the world, such as in Stowmarket, where PPG has an automotive refinish facility.
The project brought together more than 40 PPG volunteers, who spent five days revitalizing the facility's interior and exterior. PPG provided $26,500 and more than 400 litres (105 gallons) of JOHNSTONE'S® Trade and LEYLAND® Trade interior and exterior paint products by PPG to assist with the project.
The Mix provides and enables the opportunities, services and support that young people want and need to discover their true value and build their best future. In 2017, more than 1,500 youth accessed the available services and activities. In addition, the organization estimates that more than 5,000 people used the onsite Cabbages & Kings café, and another 2,000 people rented commercial space. All of this income goes back into the facility, creating sustainable youth services that are unique to the area.
PPG volunteers painted the facility's interior spaces, including the main youth hall and auditorium, in more than a dozen colours that included Exotic Spice, Mint Macaroon and Moroccan Flame. These colours were chosen to create a modern and welcoming environment.
The volunteers also transformed the large outside area by painting exterior walls, landscaping the garden with real and artificial turf and adding new seating areas to allow for expansion of the café. PPG's Stowmarket Technical Centre assisted with the project by respraying The Mix's catering trailer and a trailer used to transport a mobile skate park with the recently introduced PPG TURBO VISION® coatings.
The PPG funding also enabled the addition of two meeting pods that will provide much needed private space, giving The Mix staff the ability to hold one-on-one coaching and counselling sessions when required.
"This was an excellent opportunity to work with The Mix, which has transformed itself in the last three years and is really making a positive impact on the young people in our community," said Mike Walsh, PPG plant manager, Stowmarket. "Teaming up with The Mix means that we can meaningfully contribute to the lives of young people in the town in which we are based. Many of our employees are parents of children and young adults who benefit from The Mix."
The Colorful Communities program, PPG's signature initiative for supporting communities, aims to protect and beautify the neighbourhoods where PPG operates around the world. Through the Colorful Communities program, PPG's committed volunteers contribute their time and PPG paint products to help transform community assets – from painting classrooms, to bringing colour to a maternity ward and redesigning a playground. Since 2015, PPG has completed more than 125 Colorful Communities projects, impacting more than 4 million people in 23 countries.
PPG and the PPG Foundation aim to bring colour and brightness to PPG communities around the world. We invested more than $10.5 million in 2017, supporting hundreds of community organizations across 29 countries. By investing in educational opportunities, we help grow today's skilled workforce and develop tomorrow's innovators in fields related to coatings and manufacturing. Plus, we empower PPG employees to multiply their impact for causes that are important to them by supporting their volunteer efforts and charitable giving.