Slater Architecture is purposeful and intentional about utilizing talents and knowledge to give back to the community, both locally and abroad. A few of the ways this has been accomplished are shared below.

Pacific Northwest Outreach – Gresham, OR
Board member since February 2011
In 2011, the non-profit organization (formally Frontier Missions) was forced to downsize and relocate, due to the economy. I donated architectural services to design a tenant improvement for the new office space. I provided volunteer labor for the majority of construction for the new build-out, saving the organization substantial, much-needed money.

Home conversion to ADA – Camas, WA
A young couple, struck with a sudden but rare type of cancer, found the need for their three-story home to be fully wheelchair accessible. I donated architectural services, construction labor, and coordination skills to add an elevator, a stair lift, bathroom reconfiguring, a ramp in the garage and various remodeling needs.

Josiah Venture storage building – Czech Republic
A non-profit organization in the Czech Republic was in need of a storage building at their training facility. I donated architectural services to design the building, and guided a team from Vancouver, WA in volunteer construction for a week. Two months later, I guided a second team from Pennsylvania for another week to complete the project. The challenge of learning foreign construction practices, using non-standard construction materials, and using the metric system was a unique aspect of this project.

City of Refuge orphanage – Jamaica
I joined a team from California to spend a week in the remote mountains of Jamaica to provide maintenance on several buildings. I was able to provide some much-needed electrical work, do some maintenance on the water system to get it working again, and do various carpentry projects. The children were delightful to interact with.

Laurelwood Baptist Church siding – Vancouver, WA
Volunteer labor and coordination to install window trim and new horizontal lap siding on an existing church building

Amor Ministries house construction – Tijuana, Mexico
On two separate occasions I have joined a team from Vancouver, WA, to construct a home for a family in Mexico. The construction was completed in a week, without the assistance of any power tools. Hard work and long hours are behind the success of these two projects.