Key Points
- Marathon Petroleum’s El Paso, Texas, refinery is helping a local nonprofit provide specialized therapy and care to more children with disabilities.
- The refinery has renewed its annual financial support of the Paso del Norte Children’s Development Center after bolstering a capital campaign to build the Center’s second treatment facility.
- The refinery’s assistance also involves two employees who are in their third and ninth years on the nonprofit’s board of directors.
At the age of four, Rahja suffered from a severe feeding condition that made it difficult for him to ingest food normally and get adequate nutrition. His parents relied on a gastrostomy tube (G-tube) inserted into his stomach through his abdomen. His life changed after he was enrolled in therapy at the Paso del Norte Children’s Development Center (PdN Children’s).
“With intensive therapy, doctors estimated that the feeding tube could be removed in a year or year and a half,” PdN Children’s Chief Executive Officer Al Velarde said. “The therapists and team in our pediatric therapy feeding clinic delivered the evidenced-based therapy adopted by the program, and Rahja’s feeding tube was removed in less than four months.”
Rahja’s experience represents a level of care that PdN Children’s provides annually to over 2,500 children across the El Paso, Texas, area who cope with a variety of disabilities and developmental delays. The nonprofit’s services include speech, physical and occupational therapy, dietary support, auditory/verbal intervention, childcare, and education for parents to help them advocate for their children and support their development.
“Our contribution reflected our deep commitment to PdN Children’s mission and was intended to inspire others to join us in advancing this important cause.”
Formal grants don’t address all financial needs. The Center also relies on community support funding from companies like Marathon Petroleum Corporation (MPC), which is providing assistance in 2026 through its El Paso refinery as it has done for almost a decade.
“Community support funds help cover expenses that are not paid for by other grants or fees,” said Velarde. “Marathon’s annual support is very important to PdN Children’s.”
MPC also recently helped the nonprofit expand its reach. The company made a foundational commitment to a capital campaign that allowed for building a second facility, PdN Children’s East, which opened in 2025.
“As the first corporate donor, our contribution reflected our deep commitment to PdN Children’s mission and was intended to inspire others to join us in advancing this important cause,” said MPC Principal Corporate Social Responsibility & Community Relations Representative V.J. Smith. “Thanks to the collective efforts and generosity, the Center was able to fully fund the new facility in east El Paso.”
Beyond financial assistance, the El Paso refinery’s support involves employees who lend their professional expertise. Accounting Division Controller Mark Anchondo has served on the PdN Children’s board of directors for nine years, and Refining Products Control Director Greg Boyer is in his third year as a board member.
MPC Refining Products Control Director Greg Boyer (left) is in his third year as a board member of PdN Children’s, and MPC Accounting Division Controller Mark Anchondo has been on the board for nine years.
“Mark and Greg have knowledge that has helped tremendously in building and developing programs and resourcing them,” Velarde said. “From facility design efforts to identifying financial trends and offering solutions to ensure healthy financials, their business acumen has been a true asset. Their dedication reflects Marathon’s steady commitment, which is helping keep PdN Children’s strong in our 78th year of serving the community.”
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