Community Involvement

Associated Ministries
Merit joined Associated Ministries at the 31st annual hunger walk at the Fort Steilacoom Park in Lakewood. Each (1) dollar that was donated or raised provided (12) dollars’ worth of food to the hungry. We look forward to next year’s event.

Rebuilding Together
Merit Construction Northwest is a sponsor of Rebuilding Together. Rebuilding Together South Sound was established in 2001 and is part of the national Rebuilding Together organization. They are a volunteer, charitable group and repair or rebuild homes at no cost to low-income homeowners, particularly those who are elderly, disabled or families with children. The organization was first known as Christmas in April, which began in 1973 when a group of volunteers decided to devote one day a year to repairing dilapidated homes in their community. The project developed into the nation’s leading volunteer home repair organization. Across the country each year, more than 225,000 volunteers rehabilitate approximately 10,000 houses and non-profit facilities.

Boys & Girls Clubs
The Boys & Girls Clubs have been supported by Merit with time dedicated to serving on their board for 15 years. Members of our team have chaired the facilities committee and assist in procuring in-kind donations for construction. In addition, Merit has renovated a number of the Clubs' facilities, providing pre-construction and construction services and serving on their capital campaign committees.

For each new club we build, our carpenters donate their personal time to install rock climbing walls in the gymnasiums. This contribution saves the Boys and Girls Clubs approximately $3,000 in labor costs. In addition, our Superintendent started a "hard hat rental program" for visitors that don't have their own site required safety gear. As visitors arrive for a tour of the site, they are provided with a hard hat for a small donation. These donations are accumulated throughout the duration of the job and proudly donated to the Boys & Girls Club upon completion of the project.

Lakewood Rotary
Merit Construction Northwest has been involved with Lakewood Rotary for 18 years with active participation in fundraising for Rotary-supported community causes such as; scholarships for graduating seniors, community baseball facilities (Charlie Peterson Fields), the formation of the Lakewood YMCA and the Lakewood Boys and Girls Club; donations for the Mary Bridge Children's Sexual Abuse Center; the construction of Spring Brook Park and Christmas food baskets.

Commitment to Preserve Baseball in Tacoma
When it appeared that Tacoma would lose its franchise in the Pacific Coast League in 1971 because it was owned by parent Chicago Cubs, who wanted to move it, E.J. “Jimmy” Zarelli was one of the first to respond. Jimmy was the original founder of Merit Company in 1957 and one of Tacoma’s most notable civic leaders. Together with his close friend, Stan Naccarato, they helped form Baseball Tacoma (1972-1991), a partnership of 20 Tacoma-area men who put up the money to buy A PCL franchise. A team located in Tacoma, Washington has been in the PCL every year since 1960, for the longest current active streak of membership in the league. Today, the Tacoma Rainiers (Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners) are the minor league baseball team that you’ll find playing in Cheney Stadium, thanks in part to the efforts of these men to preserve minor league baseball in Tacoma. On June 4, 2009 the 20 founders of Baseball Tacoma were inducted into the Tacoma-Pierce County Sports Hall of Fame for their contribution to the game. We are a proud supporter of the Tacoma Rainiers to this day.

Relay for Life, Tacoma
Merit is a corporate sponsor of this annual event. Together with our partners, Star Rentals and Abergs, we coordinate and assemble the archway and provide generators and electrical feeds for the event each year. Relay for Life is the main volunteer-driven cancer fundraising event of the American Cancer Society. Originating in the United States, the Relay for Life event has spread to 21 countries worldwide. Relay events are held in local communities, campus universities, military bases, and in cyberspace. Although the main objective of Relay is to raise money for cancer research and cancer patients, the event is held to spread cancer awareness, celebrate the lives of survivors, remember those who lost their lives to cancer, and unite a community in the fight against cancer. It is estimated that Relay for Life events have raised over 3 billion dollars to date.

Playground at Fort Steilacoom Park
Together with the Rotary Club of Lakewood, Merit coordinated the creation of a world-class playground designed by over 3,000 children in the community and built solely by volunteers. It was our pleasure to provide two team captains, all heavy equipment (courtesy of Star Rentals) and labor for this week-long project. The following year we returned to the park to erect a picnic structure for Clover Park Rotary. http://www.ftsteilacoomplayground.org/