PPG recently completed a COLORFUL COMMUNITIES project in Sacavém, Portugal, that helped revitalize Sacavém Secondary School. 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 Sacavém, where PPG has an architectural coatings facility.

For the project, PPG volunteers and more than 140 of the school’s teachers, staff, parents, and students spent approximately 1,600 hours over 10 Saturdays revitalizing the 35-year-old school. PPG provided more than $30,000 to assist with the project, including 2,250 liters (595 gallons) of DYRUP interior and exterior paint by PPG and other protective coatings.

Volunteers painted classrooms, the student social area, the gymnasium and exterior spaces to create a warm and cheerful environment for the school’s 1,100 students, 120 teachers, and 36 staff. Activities also included replacing old equipment, such as lamps, chandeliers, playground equipment, lockers and roller blinds, as well as placing decorative items and signage in the buildings.
Volunteers used the school’s original colors – white, light gray, yellow, green, orange, dark pink and turquoise blue – to refresh and color-coordinate each building’s interior and exterior while still maintaining the school’s identity.

“The Colorful Communities program allows us to make a difference in our community and leverage the best that we have to offer – our people, expertise, and products,” said Jose Pedro Barbosa, PPG national director, architectural coatings and protective coatings, Portugal. “We are very proud of the commitment and dedication of our enthusiastic employee volunteers in transforming the school into a more cheerful place for the students and entire school community.”

“It is really inspiring to see what we were able to achieve together,” said Carina Gomes, PPG human resources internal communications, Iberia, and the Colorful Communities project leader. “It was a long journey, and I’m truly thankful for every volunteer that dedicated his or her personal time to bring life to this school. Now that it is finished, it is extremely gratifying to see the smiles of students and teachers, knowing that they have a cozier and colorful school and that PPG was part of this positive change in their daily lives.”