COMMUNITY
Lake Area Industry Alliance member companies are proud to participate and lead the way in many community endeavors. Local industry and their employees contributed over $30 million to area organizations each year. Employees of local industries volunteer over 80,000 hours with area organizations annually. They are involved, making our community better.
Philanthropy
Area industries and their employees are among the most generous corporate citizens in Southwest Louisiana, giving millions in donations. Local industries give over $30 million to area organizations each year. The United Way of Southwest Louisiana reports that Calcasieu Parish industrial employees give $2 million annually.
Consider these statistics:
- Over $5 million in financial contributions by local industries to the McNeese State University Foundation
- 10 endowed scholarships at McNeese State University
- 11 endowed professorships at McNeese State University
- Over $1 million donated for equipment and program support at SOWELA
- Over $1 million for capital projects at SOWELA
- Over $1 million in financial contributions for scholarships to SOWELA in the last five years
Community Advisory Panel
Being a good industrial neighbor means listening to ideas and feedback from residents in the area. Lake Area Industry Alliance and several member companies have voluntarily formed Community Advisory Panels, or CAP’s, to share information.
Industry representatives along with 12 to 15 community members meet regularly. The community members represent a wide cross-section of residents including business owners, educators, close neighbors to the industrial site, members of the clergy, senior citizens and volunteers. CAP members choose the topics of discussion based on interest voice by the group.
The panels serve as an advisory group to the industry, collecting the opinions and feedback from their centers of influence and relaying them back to other CAP members and industry representatives. The CAP’s do not operate as a decision-making body but the provide valuable feedback and many of the discussions help local industry officials.
back to topPartner in Education
The Partner in Education program has been a great success since it began decades ago through the Calcasieu Parish School Board. The program connects schools with area business, and local industries were quick to sign up to give back to area schools; they are some of the most generous in the Partner in Education program. From providing workshops for teachers, to volunteering time to improve school facilities, to eating lunch with students, area industries and their employees have contributed thousands of dollars and thousands of hours for many years.
| INDUSTRY | SCHOOL |
|---|---|
| Cameron LNG | W.T. Henning Elementary |
| CITGO | Calcasieu Parish Alternative School – East & West |
| E.K. Key Elementary | |
| Sulphur High | |
| LeBlanc Middle STEM Partner | |
| Maplewood Middle STEM Partner | |
| W.W. Lewis STEM Partner | |
| Energy Transfer | Oak Park Middle |
| Entergy | S. P. Arnett Middle |
| Firestone Polymers | Moss Bluff Middle |
| Grace | Barbe High |
| Indorama | Maplewood Elementary |
| Lake Charles LNG | Oak Park Middle |
| Lotte Chemical | Barbe High Baseball |
| East Beauregard High Girls Track | |
| F.K. White Middle Robotics | |
| Grand Lake High Baseball | |
| Hamilton Christian Chemistry Lab | |
| Maplewood Middle Robotics Team | |
| Merryville High Boys Basketball | |
| Sam Houston High Girls Soccer | |
| Sulphur High School Track and Field | |
| W.T. Henning Elementary | |
| W.W. Lewis Middle Dance Team | |
| Louisiana Pigment | Gillis Elementary |
| Lyondell Basell | Sulphur High |
| Fairview Elementary | |
| Starks High | |
| T.S. Cooley |
Waste ManagementW.W. Lewis Middle
| INDUSTRY | SCHOOL |
|---|---|
| Phillips 66 | Barbe Elementary |
| LaGrange High | |
| Pearl Watson Elementary | |
| Westlake High | |
| Sasol | Combre-Fondel Elementary |
| Western Heights Elementary | |
| Westwood Elementary | |
| Sempra Infrastructure | Cypress Cove Elementary |
| DeQuincy Middle | |
| Hackberry High | |
| South Beauregard Upper Elementary | |
| Waste Management | W.W. Lewis Middle |
| Westlake | Combre-Fondel Elementary |
| Cypress Cove Elementary | |
| LaGrange High | |
| Maplewood Elementary | |
| Maplewood Middle | |
| Our Lady Queen of Heaven | |
| Sam Houston High | |
| S.P. Arnett Middle | |
| Vincent Settlement Elementary | |
| Vinton Elementary | |
| Vinton High | |
| Woodside Energy | Cypress Cove Elementary |
| Frasch Elementary | |
| Sulphur High | |
| Vincent Settlement Elementary | |
| W.T. Henning Elementary | |
| Washington Marion High |
SWLA Women in Industry is designed to promote careers in the industrial field to female juniors and seniors in high school by connecting them with female leaders within industry in a broad range of careers and specialties, including accounting, human resources, lab, engineering, business management and more.
Paint Recycling
Since 2000, Lake Area Industry Alliance has participated in a Paint Recycling event, encouraging local industrial employees to volunteer. Thousands of gallons of residential paint, donated from the community from various repair and remodeling projects, have been recycled at this event.
Proper disposal of paint is important as paint can be harmful to the environment. The recycled paint is donated to charity organizations.
Thousands of gallons of paint have been recycled with the help of hundreds of volunteers who contribute more than 11,000 hours collectively to this cause.
back to topChem Expo
Nearly 2,000 7th graders attended Chem Expo each year to see science in action! Students move through various interactive stations where they participate in experiments using ingredients from products produced by local industries.
This endeavor is a success thanks to over 500 volunteers from local industries, along with teachers from McNeese State University, SOWELA Technical Community College and area high school chemistry classes.
back to topThe Educators’ Institute
The Educators’ Institute is a two-day interactive professional development opportunity designed to give educators in Southwest Louisiana tools to help students prepare for careers with local industry.
Participants are given tours of local industries, participate in hands-on learning activities, and engage in panel discussions with plant managers.
Environmental Initiatives
LAIA member companies are consistently below EPA standards. During any incident, these companies self-report to the appropriate agency.
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