WATSONVILLE — After the monthly company-wide meeting at West Marine on Thursday, and during the picnic that normally follows in the summer months, the employees got a chance to have a little extra fun at their bosses’ expense.
At the same time, they were contributing money to relief efforts for the victims of Hurricane Harvey in Texas.
The company set up a “dunk tank,” which allowed employees to pay to throw balls at a target, which would in turn dump the company’s executives into a large barrel of water.
Helping the victims was particularly important for the employees of West Marine, which has two retail locations in the Houston, Texas area, said Vice President of Human Resources Deb Askeda.
“We are a water life company,” she said. “Our business is all about water. Seeing people down there suffer from too much water hurts us deeply. This is a chance for the employees to help their colleagues.”
Meanwhile, four local people have traveled to Texas with the American Red Cross of the Central Coast to help with recovery efforts.
Al and Virginia Becker of Los Gatos, Mike Fyfe of Aptos and Joy LeClair of Santa Cruz are joining more than 1,500 American Red Cross volunteers and employees who are providing shelter and supplies to Gulf Coast residents affected by Harvey.
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For information on volunteering, visit www.redcross.org/volunteer/become-a-volunteer. For information on other ways to help, visit redcross.org or call 800-RED CROSS. Donors can also text the word HARVEY to 90999 to make a $10 donation.
