SENECA, SC, June 17, 2023 – Volunteers from the VETS Team at BASF’s site in Seneca, along with Seneca-based Wild Hearts Equine Therapeutic Center and the Oconee County’s Lewis G. Watkins Marine Corps League Detachment 1131, dedicated a new playground today at Wild Hearts that will serve its clients and their family members. The playground was built from scratch by volunteers from BASF’s VETS Team, an employee resource group made up of veterans who are dedicated to community service.
The new playground includes ladders, rings, a rock wall and a slide, along with a swing that accommodates children in wheelchairs, which was donated by the Marine Corps League Detachment 1131 to honor two of its members, the late Clarence “Dell” Williams (1938-2023) and Argyle “Skip” Wakeman, Jr. (1945-2022).
Wild Hearts Director of Operations, Janine Hartley, said, “You can feel the compassion and love that went into creating this wonderful, inclusive space. It will enrich the lives of our clients and it helps us show support for their family members and caregivers. All of us at Wild Hearts are incredibly thankful for the generosity of BASF, the BASF VETS team, and the Marine Corps League Detachment 1131.”
Members of BASF’s VETS Team attended the dedication with their families and expressed their gratitude for being able to support an inclusive space in the area.
During the dedication, the Marine Corps League Detachment 1131 offered a 21-gun salute and played “Taps” to honor fallen Marines.
Over the past year, BASF in Seneca’s VETS Team has spent more than 560 hours and 10 weekends making home repairs and improvements in and around Seneca to improve the quality of life for veterans and their families, in addition to 135 volunteer hours for other organizations. The VETS team spent two weekends and more than 100 hours building the new playground at Wild Hearts from the ground up.
Wild Hearts Equine Therapeutic Center, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that cultivates powerful connections between people and horses. Blending world-recognized equine-assisted therapies with its own innovative approaches, Wild Hearts helps people with physical, emotional, or intellectual challenges, including at-risk teens, veterans, victims of abuse, and many others who are recovering from traumatic experiences. More information is available at www.wildheartsequinetherapy.org or on Facebook at Wild Hearts Equine Therapy Center.
About BASF in Seneca
BASF is currently hiring. Hourly compensation starts at $23.50/hour and increases with experience. For more information on open roles, visit www.basf.us/seneca. BASF’s site in Seneca is one of five BASF sites in South Carolina. The Seneca site employs more than 500 employees and contractors. This site is a specialty chemical catalyst manufacturing and precious metal refining facility. BASF customers use those products to produce a wide variety of products including pharmaceuticals, water treatment media for the removal of lead, arsenic, and other impurities from drinking water, fertilizers, herbicides, auto-emission catalysts, plastics, fragrances, and more. BASF’s site in Seneca is dedicated to community engagement and contributed more than $50,000 in 2022 to charitable organizations that serve local residents.
About BASF
At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. More than 111,000 employees in the BASF Group contribute to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio comprises six segments: Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, Surface Technologies, Nutrition & Care and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of €87.3 billion in 2022. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchange in Frankfurt (BAS) and as American Depositary Receipts (BASFY) in the United States. Further information at www.basf.com.