Alon USA Supports Communities In Schools of the Dallas Region to Help Students Succeed

DALLAS - July 29, 2015 - PRLog -- Alon USA, a long-time partner of Communities In Schools of the Dallas Region, Inc. (CISDR), has continued to help students throughout the Dallas area by providing scholarships, sponsoring a summer intern, and supporting the CISDR Golf Tournament. These initiatives, along with Alon’s ongoing support for the CISDR Foundation, will further CISDR’s mission of surrounding students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life.

Alon USA kicked off the summer with the Second Annual Alon Scholar Luncheon on June 11. Five deserving CISDR students each earned $2,000 college scholarships with essays based on the theme of “How I Plan to Fulfill My Dreams.” The 2015 Alon Scholars are Jocelyn Rodriguez and Mariel Cruz from Thomas Jefferson High School in Dallas Independent School District (ISD), Abigail Seghid and Diana Monyancha from Lake Highlands High School in Richardson ISD, and Yesenia Machado from Nimitz High School in Irving ISD.

Jeff Morris, Vice Chairman of the Board of Alon USA and CISDR Board Member, was at the Alon Scholarship Luncheon to congratulate each student and give them life advice. “Invest in yourself,” he said, “because at the end of the day, that’s what made the difference for me, and I think it’s made the difference for you. You’re here today because you invested in yourself.”

In addition to the Alon Scholarship, Alon USA has supported CISDR by sponsoring a summer intern through the Mayor’s Intern Fellowship Program (MIFP). Modeled after the White House Fellows, MIFP is an eight-week paid summer internship that introduces Dallas public high school students to careers in industries in which they have expressed interest. Thanks to Alon’s generous sponsorship, CISDR was able to select an amazing young man, Luis Garcia, as its 2015 summer intern.

As a rising 11th grade student at Sunset High School in Oak Cliff, Luis joined MIFP because he wanted the opportunity to have a new experience and better himself. Luis says he doesn’t want to get stuck in the same difficult position as his peers, instead wanting to set a good example for his little brother, and thanks to Alon USA, he is doing just that.

“Luis has shown himself to be honest, trustworthy, punctual and committed,” said Rey Maldonado, Program Coordinator for CISDR. Maldonado, starting his 23^rd year with CISDR, commended Luis for being a role model for his brother. “This is a young man that, at an early age, realizes that his life could affect someone else's life. How do you not give someone like that an opportunity?” With Alon’s continued support, CISDR is making Luis’ opportunity a reality.

This fall, Alon USA will continue in its support of CISDR as a Presenting Sponsor of the CISDR Golf Tournament. Now in its fourth year, the Golf Tournament will be held on Monday, September 28, 2015 at Hackberry Creek Country Club in Irving.

Thanks in part to corporations like Alon USA, inclusive of their $1 million dollar investment into the CISDR Foundation in 2011, this mature organization is positioned to sustain and expand on 30 years of experience supporting at-risk children.

For additional information about Communities In Schools of the Dallas Region, Inc., and its role in educational reform initiatives, please refer to the organization website at www.cisdallas.org. Visit CIS National at www.communitiesinschools.org to find other Communities In Schools locations.

About Communities In Schools of the Dallas Region

Communities In Schools of the Dallas Region, Inc. (CISDR) is a nonprofit organization that provides campus based integrated academic and social support to students deemed at-risk per Texas Educational Agency, in partnership with local school districts. Since 1985, the mission has been to surround students with a community of support and empower them to stay in school and succeed in life. The local CISDR program can be found on K–12 campuses in 12 school districts in Dallas, Collin, Ellis, Hunt and Rockwall counties.

About Alon USA

Alon USA Energy, Inc., headquartered in Dallas, Texas, is an independent refiner and marketer of petroleum products, operating primarily in the South Central, Southwestern and Western regions of the United States. Alon owns 100% of the general partner and approximately 82% of the limited partner interests in Alon USA Partners, LP , which owns a crude oil refinery in Big Spring, Texas, with a crude oil throughput capacity of 73,000 barrels per day. In addition, Alon directly owns crude oil refineries in Krotz Springs, Louisiana, with a crude oil throughput capacity of 74,000 barrels per day and in California with a crude oil throughput capacity of 70,000 barrels per day. Alon is a leading marketer of asphalt, which it distributes primarily through asphalt terminals located predominately in the Southwestern and Western United States. Alon is the largest 7-Eleven licensee in the United States and operates approximately 300 convenience stores in Central and West Texas and New Mexico.