The Robinson refinery recently donated $5,000 to Crawford County (Illinois) Liberate Improve Facilitate and Empower (L.I.F.E.), supporting their efforts to increase mental health and addiction awareness by educating the local community. Crawford County L.I.F.E. holds monthly meetings and provides a support network for those going through varying mental and emotional health issues. These meetings offer the opportunity to hear from professional speakers, communicate best practices and share testimonials.

With MPC’s contribution, Crawford County L.I.F.E. will be able to concentrate their efforts towards several projects, including: supporting mothers experiencing post-partum depression, leading an informative movie series highlighting different topics of mental health challenges, and hosting their second Mental Health Awareness Day on Sept. 14, 2019.

There are several Robinson employees who serve on Crawford County L.I.F.E., including Robinson Refinery HR Manager Megan Davies. “Mental health is a critical issue affecting our daily lives – without a doubt, it has a profound effect in the workplace,” said Davies. “Issues like anxiety and depression can significantly impact employees’ ability to form positive, productive relationships with coworkers. Untreated mental health conditions can affect work quality, attendance and overall job performance. When someone suffers from untreated mental health issues that can lead to a whole host of problems that make work a lot more difficult for them and oftentimes, more difficult for the people around them.

“Knowing that our community lacks local resources to help people deal with these issues – that’s not what you want to see as a resident and an employer. At least if one of our employees or their dependents needs help, we can call EAP and get referred to an out-of-town resource rather quickly. Knowing many of our neighbors, including employees’ parents, friends, extended family, can’t do the same thing – that’s not a good feeling. So, when I heard about Crawford County L.I.F.E., I knew it was something MPC needed to support and be a part of.”

“By individuals in our community sharing openly about their personal experiences and local experts educating in their areas of passion, we reduce the stigma and increase hope for those struggling,” said Facilitator and Crawford County Life Vice Chair Gretchen Corn. “Our commitment to facilitating greater awareness, support and access to resources for mental health and addiction is bolstered by partners like MPC and we are beyond pleased to put those dollars to good use in the coming year. We believe that addressing mental health and addiction issues at a preventative level is essential to reducing the prevalence of the problem locally. With the kind donation from MPC, we hope to educate and advocate for better understanding and more services in our community.”