More than 300 employees from BASF sites in southeast Michigan joined Life Remodeled, a Detroit-based non-profit organization, to create positive change in Detroit’s Durfee community.

Volunteers spent two days at Durfee Middle School renovating classrooms and a gymnasium, and landscaping the school grounds as part of the middle school’s transformation into a multipurpose community center. The refurbished community center will house non-profit organizations with business resources, a trade school, after school programming, and a marketplace for the local community.

“Volunteering helps us to connect to the community and make it a better place,” said Greg Pflum, Vice President and General Manager of BASF’s Midwest Hub. “Our efforts will play a key role in helping to restore a vital resource and foster educational growth and community development.” 

This is the fourth-year BASF has partnered with Life Remodeled to bring impactful change to local Detroit communities. In 2016, BASF joined the community to remove blight at surrounding schools In Detroit’s Denby neighborhood.

“We are dedicated to repurposing this historic school building into a Community Innovation Center focused on entrepreneurship, education and community,” said Chris Lambert, CEO of Life Remodeled. “BASF’s continued support and generosity helps to make this vision possible.”