Throughout the year, WP Engine employees participate in many give back opportunities for causes and meaningful programs in their own communities. From our San Francisco office to our office in the land down under, the WP Engine team lives out the company core value of aspiring to lead and committed to giving back by utilizing their many talents. Sometimes, it requires standing up to extreme physical challenges.

Standing Up to Cancer

Caleb Kerr Photography

This summer, a group of WP Engine employees participated in the 9th Annual TYLER’s Dam That Cancer event. TYLER’S Dam That Cancer is the premier fundraising event for Flatwater Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides access to mental health services for patients and families affected by cancer. Eight WP Engine employees, accompanied by three family members, joined the 185 volunteers that pledged to collectively raise $700,000 for this year’s event.

The WP Engine team had a goal of $28,000 ($2,500 per person) and blew it out of the water, raising over $40,000 and coming in third out of 20+ corporate teams. On June 25th, they joined volunteers in a 21-mile standup paddleboarding event to celebrate their successes.

The event started at Austin’s Mansfield Dam and had the paddlers traversing the whole length of Lake Austin, ending at Tom Miller Dam. The 10-hour day was grueling, with the summery Texas sun beating down on the team and high winds making it a challenge to stay the course. As Flatwater Foundation’s founder Mark Garza states, “A cancer diagnosis can affect a community. One diagnosis causes a wave across the community” and the organization “seeks to bring the community back to the serenity of flat water.”

Caleb Kerr Photography

WP Engine is proud to have participated in Dam That Cancer for the second year in a row. With our fundraising efforts – thanks to the generous contributions of fellow employees, friends, families, and our networks – we were able to make a splash and provide over 570 therapy sessions for individuals and over 440 sessions for families.