Bazzi Oil And CITGO Help Five Local Students "Fuel Their Future"

DETROIT, July 9, 2012 / 3BL Media / PRNewswire/ -- Approximately 800 community members joined local CITGO Marketer Bazzi Oil for an awards ceremony on Saturday, June 16, to honor five local high school students at a CITGO location on Seven Mile Road. Destiny Harris, Briana Pannell, Mae Mova, Channel Wilkerson and Roselyn Watson, seniors representing Pershing High School and Osborn High School, each received a $500 scholarship from Bazzi Oil, with support from CITGO Petroleum Corporation, to help fund their continuing education.

"These students are working so hard toward a better future, and I couldn't think of a better way to help than by fueling that drive to succeed," said Zaher Abuelroos, executive operations manager for Bazzi Oil. "With the help of Pershing High School and Osborn High School administrators, we identified these hardworking students. It is truly my honor to provide them with support and encouragement, and to use this opportunity to celebrate education and encourage other students to follow in the footsteps of these role models."

Each of the five scholarship recipients plans to attend college this fall, and has already been accepted to an accredited university or college.

To truly make the scholarship presentations a celebration, Bazzi Oil and CITGO offered Detroit-area community members a day of free family activities, including a moon bounce, dunk tank, free food, reduced gas prices and free window washing for automobiles.

"We were so excited when Bazzi Oil approached us about this scholarship program," said John H. Anderson, guidance counselor at Pershing High School. "All too often, financial obstacles prevent students from achieving their goals and going on to pursue a college degree. Thanks to the gift from Bazzi Oil and CITGO, these students are one step closer to success."

Bazzi Oil & Gas has been in the Detroit metro area since 2000 and currently operates and supplies fuel to multiple gas stations in the region. As a strong member of the business community, the company provides almost 70 jobs to local residents, pays taxes that support programs and services and actively participates in area programs, including Business United with Officers and Youth (BUOY).

CITGO is committed to giving back to the local communities it serves through its network of nearly 6,000 locally owned retail locations. CITGO Marketers and Retailers in Michigan, like Bazzi Oil, own and operate more than 300 CITGO locations and are proud to support their communities. For more information on the positive impact of the locally owned CITGO stations, visit www.FuelingGood.com.

CITGO, based in Houston, is a refiner, transporter and marketer of transportation fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals and other industrial products. The company is owned by PDV America, Inc., an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A., the national oil company of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. For more information, visit www.CITGO.com.

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