PPG Completes COLORFUL COMMUNITIES Project in Amsterdam

PPG Industries has announced the completion of a COLORFUL COMMUNITIES charitable-giving project in Amsterdam, which helped revitalize the Amsta Karaad residential care facility at the Overtoom. The Colorful Communities program incorporates employee volunteers, products and financial contributions to bring color and vitality to communities where the company operates around the world. Launched earlier this year, the program expands PPG’s investment in global communities by committing an additional $10 million over 10 years.

PPG donated $23,000 to Amsta Karaad, along with SIGMA brand paint products by PPG, to beautify the garden and building of the organization’s Overtoom facility. About 70 employee volunteers from PPG’s Dutch plants used the Sigma paints for the revitalization project.

Amsta Karaad provides support in Amsterdam for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, through 13 residential care facilities and a variety of other programs. The Overtoom location houses about 100 residents ranging in age from 5 to 75 years old, most of whom need intensive support.

“Amsta Karaad does incredibly important work for our community, helping improve the quality of life for individuals and families in Amsterdam who are dealing with big challenges,” said Bianca Maton, PPG internal communications manager. “This project not only revitalizes and brightens the facility at the Overtoom; it also enables us to bring a bit more color to the residents’ lives.”

PPG’s Colorful Communities initiative aims to enhance, protect and beautify the neighborhoods where the company operates. Together with community partners and PPG employee volunteers, the program supports projects that transform community assets using donated PPG products. Other Colorful Communities projects involved revitalizing and improving the safety of a playground in Poland; transforming classrooms and corridors, and adding to the science curriculum, at a charter school in Pittsburgh; and creating a more welcoming and positive environment at a children’s hospital in Italy.

The Colorful Communities program is currently engaged with a number of communities and expects to complete more than 14 projects in 2015 in North America, South America, Europe and Asia. PPG has completed five other Colorful Communities projects to date: in the United States, Italy, Poland, South Korea and China.

In 2014, PPG and the PPG Industries Foundation donated more than $5.7 million to hundreds of community organizations across 24 countries around the world. These investments focused on: education programs that teach young people skills needed to succeed in studies and careers related to science, technology, engineering and math, such as jobs in advanced manufacturing; revitalization programs for buildings and community spaces; and organizations important to employees through grant and matching-funds programs.