Chambers Construction has always had a commitment to supporting career and workforce development. It is with that spirit that Joy Pendowski, Director of Marketing & Business Development, jumped at the opportunity when asked to be a mentor with a new program launched by Lane Community College (LCC), in partnership with Onward Eugene and the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, called Mentor Connect.

Mentor Connect is a new mentorship initiative designed to strengthen career pathways for local students and enhance education through real world, experiential learning opportunities. Mentors and their mentees will meet monthly over the course of six months in this pilot program, giving students direct insight  into various professional fields and one-on-one guidance/feedback that they might not get in the classroom or anywhere else that can help them get an edge up as they go into the professional arena.

As Joy works with her mentee, Sunny, they will work on things such as job-shadowing opportunities, community networking events, resume and portfolio preparation, interview practice, and whatever else Sunny feels would be helpful to build confidence and prepare him for success.

Mentor Connect was developed to align with LCC’s ongoing efforts to enhance career and technical education (CTE) pathways and ensure that students are equipped with the skills, confidence, and community connections they need to succeed after graduation.

For Joy, mentoring is not something new. In December, she will complete a year of working with Onward Eugene's Women's Network Program where she mentored a group of women business founders through different challenges businesses face as they work on growth and expansion. She has also spent the past several years working with University of Oregon students in the School of Journalism helping them with their portfolio presentations and delivering their work to a panel of professionals as they enter the workforce. This is an area of passion for Joy, and we're glad for it as she represents Chambers in the community.

Photo credit:  Amelia Remington Corbari, Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce

​In a mutually beneficial relationship, Chambers Construction has apprentices working with Habitat for Humanity to build new homes in their Fischer Village development, located in Springfield. In this partnership, Chambers is donating the labor, and in exchange, our apprentices are getting the necessary hands-on learning vital to becoming successful journeyman carpenters. It's a true win-win. Currently, as you can see in these photos, we have apprentices and interns working on the framing of a new unit, under the direction of tenured, experienced carpenters.

When abused and neglected children are removed from their homes, they are placed in overburdened court and child welfare systems, often slipping through the cracks and risk continued abuse or neglect. This is where Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) – or CASA volunteers – come into the picture, having the power to prevent this tragic reality.

CASA provides a powerful voice for abused and neglected children in Lane County. CASA volunteers work to prevent children from being re-abused by facilitating their move through the court and child protective services systems as quickly as possible into safe, permanent homes.

Lane County has one of the highest rates of children in foster care in Oregon: last year, over 1,100 children spent at least one night in foster care.  All of these children have suffered from neglect or abuse at the hands of their parents. Resources currently allow CASA to serve 465 children a year, about 40% of the need in our county.

Chambers Construction is proud to be a supporter of CASA, and we recognize the value their work has for our community. This month, CASA of Lane County is hosting its 17th annual Casino Night event (virtually) where they are raising funds for abused and neglected children in foster care.  The event features several auction packages, raffles, a Zoom Casino Gaming room and more. If you register by February 24th, you’ll be entered into a special prize drawing by CASA. You can register here for the event.

Learn more about CASA here:  https://www.casa-lane.org

“Chambers is a hero amongst our community. They go the extra mile to make lives – and everything they build – better.” – Jenny Bennett

This year, the Oregon Bankers Association awarded Chambers Construction its annual Community Applause Award. We are honored to receive such a prestigious award and it’s a great way to end 2020.

Founded in 1996, the Community Applause Award is given to an Oregon business to acknowledge its significant service and contributions to its community. Oregon banks nominate a business customer that they feel is worthy of the award, then an independent panel of judges carefully reviews the nominations and votes for a winner. Since the inception of the award, 43 Oregon businesses have been recognized, including Chambers Construction this year.

Jenny Bennett, senior vice president of marketing and business development at Summit Bank nominated us. When describing Chambers, Jenny said, “Chambers Construction is one of the most philanthropic, generous businesses in town.” We are humbled by that high praise.

Richard A. Chambers founded Chambers Construction in 1955. His philosophy was to maintain the same integrity, responsiveness and devotion to building and maintaining relationships with clients, the community and partners alike. Doing business with that in mind, we have continued quality construction and giving to our community.

Chambers Construction offers support to numerous nonprofits and foundations within the Eugene/Springfield area, including Oregon Cancer Foundation, Bags of Love, Womenspace, CASA of Lane County, Cascade Health, countless education foundations and many more.

We are also proud of our employees who volunteer, participate in fundraisers, attend events, and personally give of their time and money. Some even serve as board members for these vital community organizations.
Our philosophy of “community first” is the driving force behind our philanthropic endeavors, construction and business. This will never change.

Along with the Community Applause Award, the Bankers Association gave Chambers Construction a $1000 check as a donation in our name to Bags of Love, a nonprofit that supports youth in crisis. In addition, Summit Bank was awarded $500 for the nomination, which it promptly donated to Womenspace, also on behalf of Chambers Construction. Thank you, Summit Bank and Jenny Bennett, for the vote of confidence and thank you to Oregon Bankers Association and Oregon Business magazine for the award. We are truly grateful.

“Chambers is a hero amongst our community. They go the extra mile to make lives – and everything they build – better.” – Jenny Bennett
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A video about Chambers Construction and their community involvement was produced by the OBA and is available for viewing at https://youtu.be/hEPzWCmjK6A.

The ninth-annual Bras for Cause event starts today, October 1, 2020.

Shirley Lyons, owner of Dandelions Flowers & Gifts, along with her daughter, Toviana, started the Bras for Cause event in 2012. They were compelled to create an event that would bring awareness to breast cancer and raise money to support patients going through treatment. Borrowing a concept they had seen around the country, Bras for Cause was born.

All Bras for Cause proceeds help support the work of Oregon Cancer Foundation. The Foundation provides stopgap financial assistance to Lane County residents and individuals receiving cancer-related services in our area. That help takes the form of what is needed most, like gas money, rent, utility bills and groceries.

The fundraiser is meant to be a pick-me-up in the face of a serious disease affecting many people. This year, Chambers Construction is honored to be the presenting sponsor along with its entry – “Rack ‘em Up!”

To vote/donate visit brasforcause.org. Bonus: every dollar you donate will enter you into a special drawing at Chambers Construction to win one of six great prizes! $1 = 1 entry. You choose how many tickets you want entered for each item’s drawing. Email us for how to split your tickets: [email protected] OR [email protected].

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.

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.

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