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April 16-22, 2023 is National Volunteer Week! This is a great annual reminder to get out into your community and give back. Here at Westlake we value philanthropy and volunteering, and want to take this opportunity to share our values as a company.

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What is Westlake’s volunteering philosophy?

In 1983, when Westlake was founded, our principals introduced a philosophy of shared success. As Westlake grows and thrives, we want to share that success with our neighbors, with an emphasis on providing support to non-profits working with underserved communities. This philosophy of practicing good stewardship is embodied in our Values Statement and put into action through ongoing corporate giving to organizations like the Oregon Food Bank, and through employee-led giving initiatives that are selected by our staff.

Each year, Westlake works with our staff to draft a list of organizations to support, which employees then vote on. Employee led giving initiatives are conducted in December and June, and typically focus on support for families, those experiencing homelessness, and animal-related charities.

Westlake is also supportive of staff’s regular volunteer efforts with professional and education organizations such as Professional Land Surveyors of Oregon (PLSO), Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS), Portland Community College, and the South Metro-Salem STEM Partnership.

What charity and volunteer work does Westlake have planned for 2023?

So far in 2023, staff have participated in a mock interview event for high school students, given classroom presentations to Portland Community College classes, and presented at the annual PLSO convention. Engineering staff have joined a Prosper Portland neighborhood action plan committee, and we will be continuing to volunteer for the Tigard “Adopt A Street” cleanup program, which we’ve been doing several times a year since 2017. 

We are excited to again have a team participating in the Lake Run, a fundraising walk/run on May 6th to support Northwest Housing Alternatives programs. Friends and family members are invited to participate as well. It’s not uncommon to hear some good-natured “trash talk” in the office among the competitive runners on the team.

We have employee-led charitable events on the calendar for June and December, and a staff favorite, the annual School Supply Drive to benefit a Tigard elementary school, is set for August.

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Volunteer activities WCI staff are participating in outside of the company’s commitments include:

• Maggie Thornton (Business Development Manager) was a founding member and currently serves on the advisory board for The Clackamas Bookshelf, a non-profit that distributes free books to children with limited access. Additionally, they run a low-cost community bookstore.
• Scott Sanders (CAD Designer) volunteers his time as a volleyball coach, coaching for Gervais High School, Kennedy High School, Canby High School, and currently NW Elite Volleyball Club for the past several years.
• Jacob Bibb (Project Engineer) recently worked with Friends of Trees, planting trees at the Saum Creek Trail with the Portland Younger Members Forum of the ASCE.
• Scott Zelenka (Project Engineer) and his family recently volunteered with ARCAS Guatemala, cleaning large bird enclosures while traveling through South America.