With paintbrush in hand, Kelli Wong led Chevron volunteers into Richmond PAL on Sept. 16 with the mission of refurbishing a vital youth hub.
“This facility is such a staple of Richmond, and it’s imperative that we support it in any way we can,” Wong said.
The Chevron development specialist, who has spent 13 years with the company and nearly two decades in refining, joined fellow Chevron employees painting walls and sprucing up spaces at the Macdonald Avenue center. She was one of 231 Chevron employees who together gave nearly 670 volunteer hours across 39 projects at nine nonprofit organizations during Chevron’s annual Fall Volunteer Campaign. They repainted walls, made repairs, distributed food, and provided animal care at groups such as RPAL, Bay Area Rescue Mission, the Milo Foundation, and more.
For Wong in particular, community is important.
“Getting out of the office and spending time with people in the community gives me a better understanding of Richmond’s needs,” she said.
It’s a community she is grateful to serve.
The golden ticket
Wong grew up in Martinez and worked in refining at Shell and Phillips 66 before landing at Chevron. She jokes with new hires that joining Chevron is like “pulling the golden ticket” because, in her experience, the company’s culture is so different from competitors – in the best way.
Today, she works in Chevron’s Learning & Development department, where she helps train and mentor operators, easing new employees into refinery careers.
“If you apply to Chevron to become an operator, our group helps you through all phases of getting hired,” she explained. “That’s something I love, helping people gain the confidence to succeed.”
Hands-on at PAL
At RPAL, Wong joined 16–18 fellow employees spread across two shifts during Chevron’s Fall Volunteer Campaign. Teams painted walls around the organization’s new kitchen, funded with Chevron’s multi-year donations. They also pulled out and scrubbed bleachers, cleaned storage spaces, and brightened up common areas.
“It’s like working on your own house,” Wong said. “There are always things you put off until you have extra hands. With volunteers, you can finally tackle those projects.”
For Wong, volunteering doesn’t stop with RPAL. She’s served meals at the Bay Area Rescue Mission, once chopping what she estimates were “thousands of pounds of onions” in one day. She’s also rolled up her sleeves at the Milo Foundation, where she helped rebuild dog runs after a health outbreak. That visit ended with her adopting a Border Collie-Husky mix named Kula.
“I had zero plans of bringing home a dog that day,” Wong laughed. “But volunteering has a way of moving beyond Chevron. It comes home with you.”
Wong also volunteers to run mock interviews for students in regional occupational programs, preparing them for entry-level roles.
Building networks
Inside Chevron, Wong is equally committed to building community. She co-leads the XYZ employee network, which began in Richmond and connects younger professionals across the company, and she participates in Women in Operations and Maintenance (WIOM).
Through WIOM, she has advocated for seemingly small but impactful changes, like replacing one-piece flame-retardant coveralls with separate tops and pants designed for women.
“It sounds simple, but it makes a huge difference,” Wong said. “Something as basic as a uniform that fits well helps women feel more empowered and included.”
She said the networks also create spaces to talk openly about challenges. “Sometimes you’ve had a rough day, or you feel like you were talked over. Having a community of women to say, ‘You’re good, here’s how I’d handle that,’ makes all the difference.”
Wong believes Chevron’s encouragement of volunteerism sets the company apart.
“Not every employer tells you, ‘Go take time to give back,’ but Chevron does. And I’ll take every opportunity to do it,” she said.
Although she isn’t a Richmond resident, Wong said spending time volunteering in the city deepens her understanding of local perspectives.
“When you come out here and spend time with people who live in the community, you realize what the needs are, and you see firsthand the impact of the work,” she said. “It’s not about telling people what the refinery is doing, it’s about showing them through action.”
Kathy Chouteau reported this story.
