Floating Waterways for Good Causes

Every summer, teams of Waggener Edstrom (WE) employees based in Portland and Seattle return to the office with sea legs after using WE volunteer hours in boats to benefit the greater good.

First to hit the water this year was a team of 13 eager kayakers that rid Lake Union of more than 55 pounds of rubbish during a Puget Soundkeeper Alliance-led float trip.

Colleagues connected with each other while enjoying the beautiful Pacific Northwest, and most important they were proud to help the nonprofit protect and preserve the waters of Puget Sound. WE supported the event with a financial contribution to send a group of underserved children on a similar adventure. Ahoy!

High five to WE Portland comrades for collecting 200 pounds of garbage from a local river while teaming up with Tualatin Riverkeepers (TRK) to float the stunning urban waterway in canoes. 

Who knew that “garbage day” could be such a fulfilling experience! In addition, WE’s money donation covered at least one student summer camp scholarship. “Your team of 18 did an amazing job looking for garbage aggressively,” said Mike Skuja, TRK’s executive director “finding more than our usual volunteer trips, really!”

And for the sixth consecutive year, the WE Paddlers raced in The Seattle Dragonboat Festival to add another plaque to the office trophy! “We raced against the big dogs this year and rocked it!” said co-captain Lisa Blessinger. “We were proud to tie for fourth fastest team out of 15 teams in our division. 

Despite racing in the rain, we had fun and improved our time each race with our fourth race being our fastest time yet! It was an awesome experience and brought together folks from different teams across the agency.” Our WE Paddlers’ sponsorship benefits Team Survivor Northwest, a nonprofit organization that provides fitness and educational programs to Washington women cancer survivors. #winwin