Valero Port Arthur has refined the art of giving.

That’s what the employee drive for United Way of Mid & South Jefferson County seemed to suggest Wednesday, as Valero and United Way celebrated the first million-dollar company campaign in local UW history.

Valero employees and the company donated $1,015,258 to United Way’s annual fund drive, money generated by pledges from the Port Arthur Refinery employees, employee fundraisers and matching funds by the company. Those numbers were proudly displayed around the facility.

That donation marked the largest single donation to the United Way of Mid & South Jefferson County ever and the first employee/company campaign to exceed $1 million in the history of United Way of Mid & South Jefferson County.

“I was speechless. I’m not known for being speechless, by any means,” said United Way executive director Janie Johnson. “It’s an amazing gift to the community.”

Money raised will benefit 30 programs offered by 21 local nonprofit, social service organizations that partner with United Way of Mid & South Jefferson County. Volunteers choose programs to fund and a volunteer board reviews and approves those choices.

“Valero campaigns have been very successful,” said company spokeswoman Barbara Phillips, who said employees are always generous and “committed to those in need.”

Phillips cited a company culture of supporting the community that Valero started when they took over the refinery in 2005.

Phillips said Hurricane and Tropical Storm Harvey raised additional awareness of local needs because as many as 100 of the 820 Valero employees were affected by the storm and flooding, either through damages to their homes or vehicles.

She said the campaign “stepped up significantly this year” after the company aided employees in recovering from the storm’s impact.

“Employees felt like they were being helped,” she said, and reciprocated by helping the United Way effort.

Tim Vodopivec, who oversees process safety at Valero, led this year’s drive and felt the pressure early. Planning started in August, just before Hurricane and Tropical Storm Harvey hit.

He said employees appreciated the need right away. Some who never gave before gave for the first time; others upped their donations. “Super Heroes,” those who donate at the highest percentage of their pay, nearly doubled.

Johnson said the impact of the Valero donation will have an immense and beneficial impact on the campaign, which seeks $1.3 million this year. The campaign has not reached goal — it usually does — and she said she needs other companies to stay on goal in order to raise enough funds to keep programs intact. The campaign will extend into January.

She said the impacts of Hurricane and Tropical Storm Harvey have limited the success of some campaigns.

“Some people just don’t have a penny to spare this year,” she said.