By Shawn Jenkins, Chief Operating Officer, Western Region
Late last month, our WestCare Washington/WAServes team bid a very happy retirement to a colleague, friend, and tireless advocate for our community’s Veterans, our Special Projects Coordinator, Donald Lachman! Donald first joined our team in March of 2018 and in this role, he held his thumb firmly on the pulse of our community and played a pivotal role in helping develop new and inventive ways to better serve and support our Veterans including those living in rural and underserved areas of Washington.
Ever since this very newsletter, The Express, returned after several years off in June of 2020 to nearly 1,500 WestCare employee inboxes, Donald proudly shared all of the exciting new initiatives that we were a part of with the greater WestCare family without ever missing a deadline or his signature wit that he included with each and every article that he submitted. Reading these articles back tells you about the type of person that Donald Lachman is – thoughtful, clever, empathetic, and passionate about preserving the independence and dignity of the men and women who have served for our freedom.
Through Donald’s efforts, we were able to build and foster key long-term partnerships with community organizations and businesses including The Home Depot, Brigadoon Service Dogs, Timberland Regional Library, Lacey Veterans Service Center, YWCA, Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF), Heroes Café, Safeway/Albertson’s, and others – all with one mutual priority at the forefront – our Veterans and their loved ones.
Donald, on behalf of WestCare Washington/WAServes and the many Veterans that you’ve impacted through your countless contributions, thank you for your years of service in this field and we wish you nothing but the happiest days ahead in your retirement. This isn’t goodbye. It’s see you later, friend.
