Workshops at World of Speed Let Women Practice Car Care Hands-on

A lot of women customers have told Les Schwab Tire Centers they want to learn more about how to take care of their cars, so we offered three basic car care workshops for women this spring. We teamed up with World of Speed, an educational and interactive motorsports museum in Wilsonville, Ore., to host these events. The sessions were hosted by Les Schwab managers: Joe Rector, Jerry Lee, Kevin Leasure, Dorian Moore, Howard Magden, Gary Wanderscheid and Cam Durrell.

The World of Speed features historic racecars, boats and motorcycles that tell the story of motorsports culture. Through interactive exhibits and hands-on activities, it offers visitors a behind-the-scenes view of the racing world; including drag racing, road racing, land speed racing, motorcycle racing, open wheel, NASCAR and hydroplanes.

The museum hosted an educational clinic for women to practice basic car care skills — some for the first time — and get answers to their questions. Even though the workshops were geared toward women, some participants also brought along the men in their lives.

At the session hosted by Dorian Moore and Kevin Leasure, a store vehicle served as the women’s guinea pig. Kevin and Dorian demonstrated how to change a spare tire and then had their students practice raising and lowering the car with the jack from the trunk. When it came time to remove the lug nuts with the lug wrench, Kevin and Dorian were invaluable references on how to get the easiest mechanical advantage out of the equipment.

The managers reassured the attendees of one crucial point: That if their tire went flat in an isolated area where there was no phone service, it is OK to “just drive on it.” As Kevin pointed out, “We can replace the tire or the rim, but not you!”

A total of 36 students attended the workshops. The participants came away with greater confidence and knowledge, as well as a complimentary tire pressure gauge and a penny to measure tread depth.

“We’ve had great feedback, so far, from the workshops,” said Lewis Ferguson, World of Speed’s director of education. “Not only is World of Speed proud to offer this program with Les Schwab, we’ve heard from participants that the class is very informative and they benefit from the hands-on demonstrations.”

World of Speed and Les Schwab Tire Centers plans to host a father-daughter car care course as another way to teach car care basics in a casual, comfortable environment.

Les Schwab Invitational: 20 years of Great Basketball

In December, the Les Schwab Invitational basketball tournament celebrated its 20th anniversary. According to a USA Today ranking based on talent level and attendance, the LSI is the No. 2 basketball tournament in the United States. John McCallum, president of Prime Time Sports, the tournament’s organizer, has been the director of the event since its inception and is one of its biggest champions.

“For a tournament to last that long and keep getting stronger says a lot about the Oregon fans who come out and appreciate grassroots basketball,” said McCallum.

Two legendary high school coaches, Barry Adams and Nick Robertson, began dreaming of what became the LSI in the 1990s. At that time, many of Oregon’s best high school boys’ basketball teams were already traveling out of state to play in preseason holiday tournaments. Although the players got to pit themselves against other high-caliber teams, most fans couldn’t travel to root for them.

In 1996, with approval from the Oregon School Activities Association and financial assistance from local sponsors, the Oregon Holiday Invitational was born. In 2000, the tournament was renamed to recognize Les Schwab Tire Centers’ continued support.

“Les Schwab has been a tremendous partner and was the perfect fit for lead sponsorship, given the company’s OSAA partnership, commitment to high school sports and dedication to making Oregon communities stronger,” McCallum said.

The LSI benefits schools and students beyond the teams competing because they receive free tournament passes worth $70. The kids can sell the passes and use the money to pay for athletic gear. In addition, clubs such as band and choir at Liberty High School, the home venue, run all concessions for the event and keep the money they earn.

For the 20th anniversary, the concourse at Liberty was full of photos of the players, some of whom have become NBA all-stars. Not surprisingly, McCallum’s favorite memories from his 20 years as director includes two of them: Kevin Love, who played for the Lake Oswego Lakers (and plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers); and Kyle Singler, who played for the South Medford Panthers (and plays for the Oklahoma City Thunder).

The two rivals and their teams met during the LSI on Dec. 29, 2006, in a rematch of their 2006 Oregon State Championship final. The defending state champion Lake Oswego Lakers battled the South Medford Panthers in front of the biggest crowd ever assembled at Liberty High School, a game televised by ESPN. The Panthers evened the score with the Lakers with their 71-63 victory.

The next day, in the final match against No. 1 Oak Hill Academy from Virginia, Kyle Singler brought a raucous crowd to its feet when he spun baseline on his defender and nailed a ferocious dunk to bring the game within 7 points, with 30 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. Though Oak Hill prevailed in the end, the match showed the LSI at its finest: Oregon high school basketball players putting themselves on the line against the best teams in the country and Oregon supporters behind them all the way.

Working with FFA Student Members to Fight Hunger

Every October, the student members of the FFA help collect as much food and funds as possible for the annual Drive Away Hunger Initiative (#DriveAwayHunger). Les Schwab stores across Oregon were able to take part in the campaign as a drop-off location for donations as well as a pick-up location for special collection bags.

This year’s initiative brought in 456,546 pounds of food. That’s enough to provide 342,420 meals to deserving families.

The Oregon Food Bank has seen a 40% increase in demand for emergency food boxes since 2008. That steady increase is why FFA student members work so hard every year to help collect food and funds. With their motto of “learning to do, doing to learn, earning to live, and living to serve,” the more than 6,500 Oregon FFA members are doing their part to end hunger. Their hard work and dedication have not gone unnoticed. Les Schwab locations throughout Oregon look forward to helping again next year.

You can learn more about Oregon FFA at oregonffa.com.