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Giving Back in 2023 – Major Drilling Cares

By January 25, 2024No Comments

Major Drilling’s 20 branches around the world continued to demonstrate a strong culture of caring through donations, volunteering, community involvement and more. Here are some of the many ways Major Drilling showed it cares in 2023:

Mongolia

As Mongolia celebrated Tsagaan Sar – Lunar New Year, Major Drilling teams joined with the National Centre Against Violence and South-Gobi Red Cross to help brighten the holiday for 200 Ulaanbaatar and South Gobi households in need.

The team put its core values and commitment to community well-being into action as it marked International Day of Older Persons in South Gobi on October 1 with the South Gobi Red Cross as they delivered essential food packages to elderly individuals.

Indonesia

In February, Major Drilling Indonesia organized a blood drive that benefitted the Indonesian Red Cross Society (Palang Merah Indonesia). Thirty-four employees participated to fill the need for lifesaving blood donations.

In March, the branch celebrated International Women’s Day/Month through women’s health education. At an event held at the branch’s warehouse in Cileungsi, Bogor, the Major Drilling team hosted dozens of local women in collaboration with a neighborhood medical clinic, where activities included a health presentation, important medical screenings and a brief medical consultation.

Later that month, at the end of Ramadan, the branch hosted residents of a local Children’s Home for a special post-Ramadan Iftar party. The special event brought feasting and support to dozens of orphans who broke their fast with branch staff and neighborhood leaders.

“We look for ways to reach out, and these children have our hearts,” Kerryn Hornby, Major Drilling Indonesia General Manager, said. “We’re grateful to partner with the head of our neighborhood unit representing the Gandoang Area. Together we could bring a little joy and live our values to help support our neighbors during this Ramadan season. I applaud our staff for their creativity and outreach to hold this special Iftar.”

During the summer, Major Drilling Indonesia gave support to a special needs school in Marisa, Gorontalo District in Sulawesi, Indonesia. The school serves 124 students with various disabilities. Major Drilling provided much-needed supplies including wheelchairs, uniforms and stationery.

Philippines

In April, the branch donated collapsible tents for the community of Tubod, Surigao del Norte, In partnership with LGU-Tourism Office. The tents provide much-needed shade for guests and visitors near a community gathering area at Mahucdam Water Nature Adventure Park, a mountain lake near one of the Major Drilling camp locations.

The Philippines team also supplied construction materials to build additional classrooms at Lap-Angan Elementary School in Mankayan Benguet.

Brazil

Major Drilling Brazil teams were honored to donate to the exceptional children and staff at Apae de Esmeraldas. The branch presented a donation to support activities that bring comprehensive care for people with intellectual disabilities, multiplex and autism and their families.

In December, during the holiday season, it’s a yearly tradition for the Brazil team to spring into action and provide community support for a local nursery school. Each year, the drilling team delivers cleaning and hygiene products in a festive way, a delight for all.

Chile

Drilling teams found many ways to enhance their community involvement in 2023. Through their donations and volunteer time, they strengthened several local organizations including two rural schools, a grandparent’s club and a children’s sports club.

For Altovalsol Rural School, they delivered 10 electronic tablets for children with autism, an amplification system for plays and special events at the school, two microwaves and an electric grill for the dining room. The Caupolicán Children’s Football Club received sixty Christmas gift bags and a monetary contribution. The branch also made a difference by recycling items to contribute to unhoused children in La Serena.

In honor of Earth Day, the drilling teams proved that 40 people can make a difference as they collected plastics, irrigated plants, set up recycling points, and held trash cleanups. They also made a significant transition to refillable water dispensers and reusable bottles, eliminating the use of 820,000 plastic bottles annually.

Argentina

Likewise, in Argentina, Earth Day commemorations centered on how the branch can interact positively with the environment. They introduced a reusable water bottle to every employee, established waste segregation bins as well as tracking fuel consumption, water use and waste disposal.

Mexico

Community involvement brought a lot of joy to the Mexico branch and its neighbors near the city of Hermosillo through donations to support community dining rooms and a children’s support center.

The branch provided a monetary donation and the purchase of meat for the Father Lezama dining rooms in Colonia San Luis and ejido La Victoria where diners are mainly “Trampitas” or immigrants who are passing through and in need of a hot meal.

For the Children’s City, an institution of 22 houses for girls and boys experiencing intrafamily problems and poverty, Major Drilling made a donation of beds and a new 12-ton air conditioner complete with installation and required materials.

USA

Major Drilling USA returned once again as a Bronze Partner with Special Olympics Utah for its Black & White Bocce Ball competition in October. The USA branch is grateful to be part of this amazing community of athletes.

Also in October, the USA team raised funds through its annual Major Drilling Golf Tournament and was delighted to deliver a check for the proceeds to benefit the Work Activity Center in West Valley City, Utah, proceeds support the Center’s mission to enrich the lives of people with disabilities by providing opportunities for independence and individual growth.

Canada

In April, it was an honor to sponsor a team in the Sudbury PEO (Professional Engineers Ontario) Hockey Tournament, in support of the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers’ efforts to help Northern Ontario Families with Children with Cancer. The several Major Drilling employees that made up the roster spent a vigorous weekend engaged in a great cause with “lots of smiles, sore muscles and laughs.”

The headquarters team was also pleased to support Heart & Stroke NB / Coeur + AVC N.-B. with a $10,000 donation for research and school education programs.

Sudbury, Ontario, is an area where Major Drilling’s teams have a long history of working, living and growing families, so investing in the region’s youth and supporting their healthy, enriching activities is important. In November, Major Drilling donated $10,000 for a new scoreboard and shot clocks for a local school’s gymnasium.

Australia

Major Drilling’s Australia team, McKay Drilling, continues to do all it can to remove stigmas around mental health and suicide that prevent people from seeking the help they need in times of crisis. With industry partners, they commemorated “Dooga Day” to honor their colleague lost to suicide in 2020. At a special “Brekkie BBQ,” teams learned from experts with FIFO Mental Health Group and MATES in Mining. They also fundraised in support of Lifeline WA, whose mission is to provide access to 24-hour crisis support and suicide prevention services.

Learn more about what Dooga Day means to them here.

Community involvement is more than a social responsibility at Major Drilling, it’s part of our company culture. See past stories about Major Drilling’s commitment to the communities where it does business:

2022: A Year of Major Drilling Cares 

Major Drilling Cares in Many Ways in 2021

Through COVID-19, Natural Disasters, Major Drilling Shows it Cares Worldwide

Follow Major Drilling on LinkedIn, X, Facebook and Instagram to receive the latest company news and updates. Established in 1980, and publicly traded as Toronto Stock Exchange ticker symbol TSX: MDI, Major Drilling is the preferred specialized drilling contractor for all tiers in the mining industry. The company has over 1,000 years of combined experience and expertise within its management team alone. It is creating value by partnering with customers and communities to discover minerals for building a better future. Major Drilling is a key player in the supply chain for the battery metals and critical minerals that are driving the green energy transition. Learn more about how to make your next drilling project safe and successful with Major Drilling.