PPG completes Colourful Communities project in Poland

PPG has completed a Colourful Communities® project that helped revitalise the headquarters of the Institute for the Deaf in Warsaw. The project brought together 20 PPG volunteers who spent more than three weeks renovating all the rooms at the institute, including adapting them to meet the needs of wheelchair users and adding colourful sign language graphics.

PPG provided almost US$29,000 (120,000 Polish zlotys) for the project, including nearly 32 gallons (120 litres) of Tikkurila™ paint by PPG, including Tikkurila Optiva Clean Air with air-purifying technology. The volunteers helped with cleaning, painting walls and doors, and preparing decorations in the form of colourful flowerpots.

“Our aim is to unite the deaf community, to create a safe space for them to grow and develop independently, both privately and professionally,” said Małgorzata Talipska, President of the Institute for the Deaf. “Thanks to PPG  and the Colorful Communities programme, the standard of our premises has increased, the spaces have become more colourful, and we have gained new opportunities.”

The renovation works covered all rooms of the Institute, including a therapy room, an exercise room, a recording studio, a dining room and bathrooms.

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“The institute has undergone a major renovation. Now, its interiors have more colour and are more functional, making this place even more comfortable and accessible to everyone. We are proud of the commitment of our volunteers, the effects of their work and we are glad that we could support the deaf community by doing what we do best,” said Magdalena Salamucha, PPG Director, Poland, Central Europe & Baltics, Ukraine and Moldova, Automotive Refinish.

“The renovation of the institute is of particular importance to us because it reflects our focus on diversity, equity and inclusion, not only in the workplace, but also in a broader, social sense,” said Remigiusz Skąpski, PPG Market Director, Poland, Architectural Coatings.

The Colorful Communities programme provides PPG volunteers and products along with financial contributions to bring colour and vitality to communities where the company operates around the world, such as in Poland, where PPG has four production plants. Since the programme’s launch in 2015, 500 projects have been completed in nearly 50 countries, involving nearly 25,000 PPG volunteer employees and reaching more than 8.2 million people. PPG’s investment in the project since its inception has totaled US$10M, and this year the company said it would provide an additional US$5M by 2030 to further develop the initiative.