We crowned champions, found a new home for a playhouse, and raised over $88,000 (and the total is still growing)!

The 2026 Throwdown brought employees, clients, carrier partners, sponsors, and community supporters together for a day of competition, connection, and giving back. Everyone joined in to support Girls Build and HomePlate Youth Services, helping these organizations create brighter futures for young people in Oregon and Washington.

Sarah Friend, President of TPG, sees the Throwdown as a great example of our company culture: people supporting each other and the communities they serve.

“What makes me most proud is when I show up to events like this and all of the TPGers are here together,” she said. “People are all here chipping in. They’ve got their volunteer T-shirts on, and we’re having a blast together. It matters to our team members. It matters to me. It’s a really fun way of serving the community while building relationships with each other, and it’s something that stays with us long after the event is over.”

Supporting Two Organizations That Make a Difference

This year’s beneficiaries are building opportunities and support systems for young people throughout Oregon and Washington.

Girls Build encourages curiosity and confidence in girls by offering hands-on experiences in skilled trades. HomePlate Youth Services offers outreach, housing support, and essential services for youth facing homelessness in Washington County.

Support from the Throwdown helps HomePlate Youth Services provide meals, clothing, showers, outreach, and other daily services that meet young people’s needs.

“Being a TPG partner organization for the Throwdown this year truly means the absolute world to us,” said Carly Bornmann, Associate Director of Development and Communications for HomePlate Youth Services. “We have been experiencing reductions in government funding and have been relying heavily on our community partners.”

 

The donation to Girls Build helps refill scholarship funds, so more youth, including those in foster care and underserved communities, can join, no matter their financial situation.

This support is especially important because it lets the organization spend less time worrying about funding and more time helping young people.

“We want every child to have the opportunity to participate, regardless of their circumstances,” said Katie Hughes, founder and executive director of Girls Build. “This donation makes a really significant impact on who we’re able to serve and how many young people we can reach. It gives us the confidence to say, ‘Come to camp,’ knowing the scholarship fund is there to support them.”

 

A Community That Shows Up

The Throwdown succeeds because it’s about more than competition. This year, about 30 volunteers, 37 teams in beginner and advanced brackets, and over 50 businesses that donated raffle and auction items all came together for the event.

Generosity was everywhere. Employees, carrier partners, sponsors, donors, and auction participants helped raise more than $88,000 so far. One anonymous TPG employee gave $5,000, and employee donations and raffle purchases also qualified for TPG’s charitable matching program. A highlight of the auction was a handcrafted playhouse built by Girls Build campers. It sold for $750 to Tim Deggendorfer, with the money going to the organization’s scholarship fund.

Our sponsors made this event possible.

Thank you to our Market-Wide Sponsors: Brown & Riding, First Insurance Funding, Guardian, Regence, Unum, and Willamette Dental. We also appreciate our Premier Annual Sponsors: Chubb, Lincoln Financial, and The Standard; Bronze Sponsors: Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, Remodel Health, and RxBenefits; and Supporting Sponsors: The Hartford, PacificSource, Symetra, and J.P. Morgan.

Tournament Highlights

While the philanthropic mission brings everyone together, the competition is still a big part of the Throwdown tradition.

This year, 24 beginner teams and 13 advanced teams competed through the brackets, showing off impressive tosses, close games, and friendly rivalries.

 

Beginner Bracket

  • 1st Place: Corn Nuts (Sean Jackson and Bobby Gallup)
  • 2nd Place: Maized & Confused (Jake Shafer and Derek Wiley)
  • 3rd Place: The Standard (Ryan Lunden and Kyle Newman)

 

 

 

 

 

Advanced Bracket

  • 1st Place: Beaverton Bag Boys (Adam Johnson and Jeff Biggi)
  • 2nd Place: Schwabe SchBOOM! (Brian Nakashima and Todd Martz, Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt)
  • 3rd Place: Jake and Brian (Jake Thielen and Brian Boe)

Congratulations to all this year’s competitors, and thank you for making the Throwdown a memorable event.

 

Looking Beyond the Final Bracket

The matches are finished, but the impact is only beginning.

The support raised at this year’s Throwdown will help more young people find opportunities, stability, resources, and community in the coming months. Just as important, the event showed what’s possible when employees, clients, carrier partners, sponsors, and nonprofits unite for a shared purpose.

Thank you to everyone who volunteered, competed, sponsored, donated, bid, matched gifts, and supported this year’s event. You help keep TPG’s tradition of making a difference in our communities alive.

Want to learn more about the TPG Foundation and the causes we support? Visit the TPG Foundation webpage.

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Applications Open for 2027 Beneficiaries

Do you know a youth-serving nonprofit in the Portland or Seattle metro area? Applications are now open for organizations interested in being a beneficiary of the 2027 Throwdown or Paddle Palooza events.

Eligible 501(c)(3) organizations that support youth health or education can apply until December 1 at 5 p.m. For eligibility requirements and application details, visit the TPG Foundation webpage.