Kids from low-income families get up close with Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Formula 1 Driver Heikki Kovalainen at ExxonMobil's Singapore Refinery

Formula 1 Driver Heikki Kovalainen says hello to children at Singapore Refinery

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Singapore – Sept 22, 2009 –Twenty pre-school children from low-income homes in the South West District will get their chance at meeting Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Formula 1 Driver Heikki Kovalainen at ExxonMobil’s Singapore Refinery, which he will be touring.

On that day, Kovalainen will be showing the pre-school children the controls of a different kind of car - a remote-controlled car. For many of these children, who are from the South West District’s Centre-based Financial Assistance Scheme for Childcare
(CFAC) and Kindergarten Financial Assistance Scheme (KiFAS), it will be their first time getting close to being part of the F1 racing action in Singapore – where the night race is in its second year.

Meeting the F1 driver will not be the only highlight for the kids. They will get to ride in a sports car themselves, as 20 Porsche Club members have volunteered to give of their time and effort to drive the children from their respective centres to ExxonMobil’s Singapore Refinery in their own Porsche cars.

ExxonMobil’s Lubricants and Specialties Asia Pacific Marketing Manager Eric R. Carmichael said: “We are glad that with the support of our partner, the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team, we have this opportunity to host this group of children from the South West District.

”At ExxonMobil, we believe that children are the key to our future. And we hope that their experience with Heikki and with us, will be a special one that inspires them to dream big; and drives them to achieve those dreams.”

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Team Principal Martin Whitmarsh said: “Vodafone McLaren Mercedes is thrilled to be supporting Mobil 1 in Singapore as part of our preparations for this weekend’s Grand Prix.  Our technology partnership with ExxonMobil is now in its 15^th year and has made direct contributions to our Championship successes. Their technical expertise has also helped us make performance gains. It’s great for Vodafone McLaren Mercedes and our drivers to be able to give something back to the local community at the races that we participate in. So today is an important activity away from the track.”

Mr Carmichael added: “We are thankful for our strong partnerships with both the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team and Porsche Club Singapore which offers us opportunities to work together, not only in business, but also to contribute positively to the communities where we operate.”

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About ExxonMobil

ExxonMobil, the largest publicly traded international oil and gas company, uses technology and innovation to help meet the world’s growing energy needs. ExxonMobil holds an industry-leading inventory of resources, is the largest refiner and marketer of petroleum products, and its chemical company is one of the largest in the world.

For more information, please visit www.exxonmobil.com.

About ExxonMobil in Singapore

ExxonMobil is one of Singapore’s largest foreign manufacturing investors with fixed asset investments of over US$7 billion. Its manufacturing facilities include refinery operations in Jurong and a world-scale petrochemical plant on Jurong Island. ExxonMobil has the largest network of 66 Esso service stations and it is a major supplier of cylinder cooking gas.  ExxonMobil also serves the commercial market with its industrial, aviation and marine fuels and lubricants.

As a corporation, ExxonMobil is committed to safe operations, making a positive, lasting impact on the community and environmental protection. In line with those strategies, ExxonMobil contributes to programmes in Singapore that support education, the arts, the community and the environment. Since 2003, ExxonMobil has been partnering the South West Community Development Council in helping needy children with their school-going expenses.  

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