BASF sites in South Carolina joined together with Make-A-Wish South Carolina to make one child’s wish come true.

Team members from BASF’s sites in Mauldin, White Stone (Spartanburg), Seneca and Central (Clemson) Converse helped celebrate Ruthie Gregory’s fifth birthday at Cleveland Park in Spartanburg, complete with balloons, birthday cake and a trip to Zoo Miami at the end of the month.

“We are deeply honored to help grant Ruthie her wish of going to Zoo Miami,” said Gerald Murphy, Site Manager for BASF in Mauldin and White Stone. “We know she is excited and so are we. All the teams in the Upstate couldn’t wait to be part of this event.”

The trip was funded by a $7,500 charitable contribution made by the BASF sites through Make-A-Wish’s Corporate Wish Sponsorship.

“The sponsorship was created to offer corporate and community supporters a first-hand giving experience to grant a life-changing wish for a child with a critical illness,” said Kea Wade, Corporate and Community Engagement Manager at Make-A-Wish. “We are grateful to have BASF sites as partners in wish-granting for the tremendous wish kids of South Carolina. Their combined generous charitable investment in our mission will provide encouragement and healing for many children facing critical illnesses. Their corporate impact will transform lives.”

The funding of Ruthie’s trip, including her parents, Martina and Dillon and sisters Maryleigh and Mattie, came about when staff from Make-A-Wish reached out to the BASF site in Converse. Jerome Kirkland, the site manager at Converse, realized this was the perfect way for the BASF sites in South Carolina to come together.

“Individually, each of the sites does a lot for the community and gives back in a lot of ways,” Kirkland said. “However, we have been looking for a project that could bring all of us in the Upstate together.”

Ruthie, who has Revesz syndrome, a rare bone marrow disorder, chose Zoo Miami to see the animals and hold a koala and a tiger.

“She’s excited to be going on this trip and really excited to be spending time with her sisters,” Martina Gregory said. “It really means a lot. It was very special to us to get this wish, and go with her, and live life to the fullest with her.”

BASF’s South Carolina sites employ approximately 750 people and invest nearly $85 million in the state through annual payroll, purchases, investments, taxes and charitable contributions.

The BASF sites in South Carolina produce materials that are vital to the sustainability of our economy and quality of life. Employees are committed to producing safe, clean and reliable products that are essential ingredients in many consumer items used in homes around the world every day.