Community philanthropy is foundational to our business. Chambers Construction supports our community through partnerships with organizations that provide services for those in need. We give, volunteer and fundraise for more than 60 companies that aid community members in areas of education, art, medical, housing and more.

One such nonprofit is the Relief Nursery. The Relief Nursery prevents the cycle of child abuse and neglect through early intervention that focuses on building successful and resilient children, strengthening parents, and preserving families. The work they do is vital to the most vulnerable members of our society.

Around for more than 40 years, the Relief Nursery was born out of a need to protect children in abusive situations. Back then, the primary response to abuse and neglect was removing children from their families and putting them in foster care.

Instead, the Relief Nursery focused on preventative services and supporting children and families, so abuse didn’t happen in the first place. A group of leaders took a stand and fought to do better for the children of our community. At the helm was Peggy Hoyt and the women of the Junior League of Eugene. They joined with Lynn Frohnmayer and Mary Ellen Eiler of Child Protective Services and created Relief Nursery, a private, nonprofit agency dedicated to supporting families and keeping children safe.

Today the Relief Nursery serves more than 1,000 children and their families each year. They have seen great success — more than 93 percent of the children served have no reports of abuse or neglect. It is an honor to work with such a fantastic organization and it’s an extra honor when they send you a testimonial like the one below. Well done Relief Nursery, we love supporting you.

“Chambers Construction sets a high bar for corporate investment in our community. When you see a Chambers Construction sign at a work site, you can be sure that this company is building foundations across our community, sponsoring and supporting countless organizations, including Relief Nursery. Their commitment doesn’t stop at writing a check; they attend our events and stay connected to our mission. We are grateful for their encouragement and investment in our children and families.”
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-Kelly Sutherland, Executive Director

Our company President, Dave Bakke recently did a pretty incredible thing! In addition to helping run our great company, Dave is also President of the Board for Oregon Cancer Foundation (OCF). So, this year for the Neighbors helping Neighbors campaign, Dave promised to shave his head if the Chambers Construction team met their fundraising goal.

As the president of the OCF board, Dave helps lead the foundation by setting and meeting goals. He has a strong connection with the community and a deep passion for the cause.

The Neighbors helping Neighbors campaign usually ends with a breakfast celebration. However, this year it became a virtual event due to COVID-19. That didn’t stop the excitement or the festivities. On May 6, supporters grabbed their coffee and logged in online to find out how much the enthusiasts had raised for OCF.

Chambers Construction’s team goal was set at $30,000. They didn’t just meet their goal, they surpassed it by $6,000. And Dave lived up to his end of the deal – he shaved his curly locks right off and was happy to do so. We think it looks great!

The money raised for OCF goes to help the needs of those impacted by cancer in our community. The funds go directly to community members and provide things such as help with rent, utilities, transportation, food, and many other needs.

If you would like more information about OCF or to donate, volunteer or fundraise for this worthy cause, visit oregoncancerfoundation.org.

Just a couple of short weeks ago, March 1-7, we celebrated National Women in Construction week. This holiday is dedicated to changing the stereotypes that women face when it comes to a career in construction.

Our very own Cassandra Dare is a member of the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) – local chapter #77. She extended an invitation to the group to tour the Eugene Civic Alliance Civic Park project this spring. Several women took her up on her offer and gathered together at the new Civic Park on March 11. The ladies were excited to see the fullness of the project and what it means for our community.

“The ladies were happy and nostalgic while visiting the site of the old Civic Stadium,” said Cassandra. “They can’t wait for the new park to be filled with community members, especially the kids.”

The NAWIC was founded in 1953 by 16 women in the construction industry. At the time, there were very few women working in the field. The founders wanted to create a support network for themselves, hoping to encourage other women to join their forces. In 1955 NAWIC gained national charter and now there are 120 chapters with more than 4,000 member all around the country.

According to the NAWIC, there is a shortage of people (men and women) in the construction industry making it ripe with opportunity for women who wish to advance in labor and skill. If you or woman you know is interested a career in construction visit the NAWIC website.
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Cassandra Dare, project engineer, has worked with Chambers Construction for nearly six years. You won’t meet a more civic minded person. When Cassandra is not at work, she is volunteering, fundraising for charitable causes, or working in her yard. She heads up much of Chambers Construction’s community fundraising involvement, such as Bras for a Cause and the holiday giving program at Women’s Space. She also sits on the board of directors for Bags of Love. Cassandra inspires all of us, especially woman in construction.

To our Chambers Construction family,

Like you, we are feeling the effects of the mandates to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Our goal is to protect what is most important to us – the people who work for us, their families and our community.

In addition to government mandates, we have implemented additional steps to help flatten the curve:

• No more than four employees will meet together at one time.
• Breaks and lunches will be taken individually.
• Employees will maintain social distancing

We will update our policies as needed and are continuing to successfully complete our projects.

We will continue to support our employees, families and community however we can during this uncertain time. Stay calm, support one another and of course, wash your hands.
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Stay well,
Dave Bakke, President

Each year Chambers Construction partners with and supports vital organizations that help those in need. Our community’s children are a special focus. One of those dynamic partnerships is with the Pearl Buck Center.

The Pearl Buck Center annually supports about 600 children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in our area. Its programs include a preschool, community employment, supported living, life enhancing activities and a vocational academy. The Center’s belief is that every person has worth and value. Pearl Buck has treated all people with respect and empowered its clients to make choices for more than 70 years.

The Pearl Buck School was established in 1953 by Elisabeth “Lisl” Waechter in Creswell, Oregon. Lisl started the school named after Pearl S. Buck (whose own daughter had developmental disabilities), when she realized the lack of education for children with developmental disabilities. Later called the Pearl Buck Center, Lisl served as executive director for a total 38 years and was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the center.

This month, we had the privilege of sponsoring the annual benefit breakfast — a major fundraiser for the center. Like all years before, we will hear highlights of great accomplishments, about rapidly growing and thriving programs and how working together makes our community a better place for everyone.

“One of our core values is finding time and creating opportunities to help each other,” says Dave Bakke, president of Chambers Construction. “This commitment not only guides how we treat each other in the workplace but also includes our interactions within the communities in which we live.”

Chambers is proud to partner with an organization that puts such a high value on individuals who may fall through the cracks otherwise. If you would like to more know about the Pearl Buck Center and its programs or how you can get involved through donation or volunteering, visit the Pearl Buck Center website.

Leadership Eugene-Springfield has chosen Chambers Construction’s own Garrett Castle to participate in the program this year. Since 1986 the Eugene and Springfield Chambers of Commerce have promoted and fostered the development of civic leaders through this collaborative platform.

Meant to create knowledgeable, networked, skilled, involved and passionate leaders the program runs from October 2019 to May 2020. Participants will develop leadership skills, focus on community needs and grow their influence by working with other civic minded individuals.

Each month Castle will attend a day-long session that cover topics such as economic development, education, diversity and inclusion and team building to name a few.
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Each applicant goes through a rigorous acceptance process. We are proud that Garrett was selected and has the opportunity to join the program. Past participants from Chambers include Dave Bakke, Brian Erickson and Chris Boyum.

Cassandra Dare, project engineer with Chambers Construction was elected to the Bags of Love board of directors. She became board member at large in January of 2019.

Executive Director Becky Stenzel said that Bags of Love is excited to have Cassandra join the board and looks forward to having her input and wisdom as the organization moves into the future.

Bags of Love provides support to children ages infant through 17 years old, who struggle with abuse, neglect, poverty and homelessness. The organization supplies children with bags filled with basic necessities and comfort items. Annually Bags of Love supports more than 2,200 children.

Thank you, Cassandra, for donating your time to help bring vital aide to the children in need in our community.

For more information contact Bags of Love’s website or by phone at: 541-357-4957.

American Institute of Architects (AIA) Eugene held the 2019 Construction Craft Awards program on May 8, 2019, at the UO Ford Alumni Center.

Two of our superintendents, Tim Jacobs and Jon McCoy, were nominated for the prestigious Craftsperson Award. The last time this award was held by someone at Chambers Construction was in 2015 when our recent Superintendent retiree, Don Brockmann was the award winner.

Jon McCoy has been employed with Chambers for almost 30 years and has more than 46 years experience in the construction industry. Tim Jacobs has been an employee of Chambers for six years but is no stranger to the construction industry with more than 29 years of experience in his field.

The purpose of this long running awards program, which started in 1953, is to give special recognition to those individuals in the building industry who have mastered the ideals of their craft on a particular project or over the course of their careers.

AIA Eugene accepted nominations and a jury comprised of AIA Oregon architects, members of the construction industry and past award winners chose a winner, which was announced at the May 8 event.
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We are thrilled to share that the craftsperson award was given to Chambers’ Jon McCoy. Congratulations, Jon! We are so proud of you.

Several of our team members were privileged to attend the Springfield Chamber’s 69th Annual Awards and Installation Banquet on Friday, January 18 at the Lane Community College Center for Meeting and Learning.

The banquet brings together more than 300 influential community leaders, elected officials, business executives and chamber members to celebrate the great community spirit and citizens of Springfield, Oregon.

We were honored when Chambers Construction was announced as the prestigious Pillar of the Community award winner. The award is given to a business or organization that has made a long-standing impact on the community.

“One of our core values is finding time and creating opportunities to help each other,” said Vice President of Business Development, Brian Erickson about receiving the Pillar Award. “This commitment not only guides how we treat each other in the work place but also includes our interactions within the communities in which we live and work.”
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It was a fun, inspiring night for our team, full of great food, rich conversation and civic pride! We look forward to 2019 and beyond with enthusiasm, continuing our legacy of building and maintaining relationships with our clients, the community and partners.

Chambers Construction is proud to announce that for the second year in a row we have two teams competing in Bras for Cause! We’re excited to be exercising our creative muscles to help the Oregon Cancer Foundation to raise $100,000 to provide stopgap financial assistance to Lane County residents receiving cancer-related treatments. We’re having serious fun while seriously helping our community: the Oregon Cancer Foundation does great work, and we’re proud to “pair up” with them for this “brawesome” cause!

How it works is that every team decorates a bra in a creative theme, then they are posted online. This is where you come in! Stop by Dandelions Flowers and Gifts or visit the website and vote daily through the month of October. Every vote raises money for local cancer patients.
After the voting is done, the winning bra is announced at Girls Night Out, a woman-inspired celebration full of fun and activities. Help us give our community the support it needs by participating in this uplifting community event! Both our entries last year made the top ten – maybe this year we can bounce past the competition.

Vote for your favorite at https://www.brasforcause.org