[Sponsored Report] GS Caltex gives back through education, art

Yeulmaru, an arts and culture park, is run by the GS Caltex Foundation and hosts cultural events from concerts to art exhibitions.

GS Caltex is living up to its slogan, “A Beautiful World Through Energy Saving,” through its corporate social responsibility (CSR) campaign.

The company’s CSR activities can largely be categorized into three tiers: national-level activities, local-level activities mostly concentrated in Yeosu, South Jeolla, and activities through the GS Caltex Foundation.

On the national level, GS Caltex runs Maeum Toktok, an art therapy program for children from underprivileged households.

Since launching in March 2013, GS Caltex has worked with 40 network centers and organized programs for 13 camps and 27 schools, reaching out to more than 7,400 children.

The program provides art, theater, music and dancing classes.

In order to maintain a high standard, therapists are required to complete training sessions led by university professors.

Previous programs included an art psychotherapy course for children jointly run with the non-governmental organization Good Neighbors, a three-day therapy camp held in Yeosu Culture and Arts Park and a sociality cultivation program for seventh graders.

GS Caltex’s local CSR activities are concentrated in Yeosu, where its main factory is located. Thirty-two employee volunteer teams participate in about 20 programs each month, which includes a regular program in which free meals are prepared five days a week for low-income seniors.

Education is another big part of GS Caltex’s social activities. Since 2010, the company has organized numerous programs intended to help and guide children at community child centers.

Between May and November, more than 500 children visited job sites in Yeosu and participated in field trips to GS Caltex’s Yeosu factory, English summer camps and therapy sessions, among other activities.

Additionally, the GS Caltex Scholarship has delivered 5.8 billion won ($5 million) to more than 7,800 students since 1996 and continues to support lunch money and school uniforms for students in need.

In 2012, GS Caltex Foundation established Yeulmaru, an arts and culture park built on 700 square meters (7,500 square feet) of land in Yeosu. The park consists of a grand 1,021-seat theater, a smaller theater, an art hall and a coastal walking trail. Yeulmaru also offers seats for those who lack the means to attend cultural events.

Among the 383,000 people who visited the park until September 2015, nearly 11,000 were granted free admission.