PPG Industries announced the completion of a COLORFUL COMMUNITIES charitable-giving project at the site of the soon-to-open Monash Children’s Hospital in Clayton, Victoria, Australia. The Colorful Communities program provided PPG employee volunteers and products to bring color to the hospital site along with a team of local primary school students. Launched earlier this year, the program expands PPG’s investment in communities where the company operates around the world by committing an additional $10 million over 10 years.

An enthusiastic group of 100 students from about 15 local primary schools worked together with about 30 PPG volunteers last Monday and Wednesday, using TAUBMANS SUNPROOF paint by PPG to add murals to the board fence, or hoarding, surrounding the hospital construction site in Clayton. The activity sought to engage local schools and schoolchildren, who designed and put their artistic touches – from a genie-inspired cloud of hearts to a floral design to a jungle scene – on sections of the board fence that will be moved inside the hospital when construction is completed. Through the Colorful Communities program that PPG launched earlier this year, the company donated all supplies for the activity, including more than 110 liters of Taubmans Sunproof paint, brushes, rollers, sun hats and T-shirts. PPG volunteers helped the students realize their creative visions and support the hospital that will serve children in their community by setting up paint stations and mixing colors for them. “We’ve loved helping the students add their signature, colorful creations to the hoarding around the hospital site,” said Fiona King, PPG retail senior brand manager based in Clayton.

“We are also excited that Airbrush Venturi Founder Tony Vowles created two replica airbrushed portraits for Monash to auction at their upcoming gala, with the proceeds helping fund state-of-the-art pediatric surgical simulation units for the new Monash Children’s Hospital.” This is the first Colorful Communities project for PPG in Australia and builds on the company’s existing relationship with the Monash Health Foundation.

PPG and employees at its coatings plant in Clayton have supported the foundation with funding as well as paints for the new Monash Children’s Hospital. The PPG Colorful Communities initiative aims to enhance, protect and beautify the neighborhoods where the company operates. Together with community partners and PPG employee volunteers, the program supports projects that transform community assets using donated PPG products. Other Colorful Communities projects involved revitalizing and improving the safety of a playground in Poland; transforming classrooms and corridors, and adding to the science curriculum, at a charter school in Pittsburgh; and brightening a learning unit in Bursa, Turkey, that serves local children who have limited access to education.

The Colorful Communities program is currently engaged with a number of communities and expects to complete more than 14 projects in 2015 in North America, South America, Europe and Asia. PPG has completed seven other Colorful Communities projects to date: in the United States, Italy, Poland, the Netherlands, Turkey, South Korea and China. In 2014, PPG and the PPG Industries Foundation donated more than $5.7 million to hundreds of community organizations across 24 countries around the world. These investments focused on: education programs that teach young people skills needed to succeed in studies and careers related to science, technology, engineering and math, such as jobs in advanced manufacturing; revitalization programs for buildings and community spaces; and organizations important to employees through grant and matching-funds programs.

PPG Industries and the PPG Industries Foundation aim to create brighter, more colorful communities where PPG has a presence around the world. By investing in educational opportunities, we help grow today’s skilled workforce and develop tomorrow’s innovators in industries related to coatings and specialty materials. With the support of our workforce, financial contributions and PPG products, we help revitalize our communities. Plus, we empower PPG employees to make an impact for causes that are important to them by supporting their volunteer efforts and charitable giving. Learn more at www.ppgcommunities.com.