Honoring the Spirit of Life

Bastek joins a long list of distinguished industry leaders who have come together with a common goal to help City of Hope fast-track its mission. And his new role will be celebrated in Las Vegas Feb. 26 during the Spirit of Life Gala and Golf Tournament.

Below, Bastek shared his thoughts on City of Hope, the Spirit of Life and the industry’s role as a force for good.

• When did you first learn about the good work of City of Hope?
I attended my first City of Hope event back in 1998 when the gala was held in Chicago as part of the Hardware Show. At that time, you had many of the titans from our industry gathered to support COH and speak to the work being done by the teams. Over the years of supporting COH, I’ve seen and heard about the organizations amazing impact.

Who specifically told you that you would follow in the footsteps of so many memorable industry leaders, and what was your initial response?
Industry vet Kevin Courtney,  who has been working on staff at City of Hope since his retirement from the industry, shared the news after several conversations about the honor. I'm incredibly humbled by the opportunity to follow so many past honorees whom I’ve known and admired throughout my career. And I'm especially humbled to follow in the footsteps of prior Home Depot leaders who have been past honorees, including our founders, Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank. Bernie and Arthur really led the charge, with others to adopt the City of Hope as the collective mission of our industry.

Home Depot is involved in so many charitable efforts—which of them hits you on a personal level with the most force?
We are thrilled to be involved with many charitable organizations both at a corporate and local levels. The work our Foundation does to support Veterans is incredible and makes a really big impact on multiple levels. Ensuring safe, affordable housing for our nations homeless and combat wounded veterans is something we can all rally around. While our financial commitment has been well documented, it’s the sweat equity from our associates and supplier partners in the communities that really stand out!

What's your view of the role of philanthropy in Corporate America (or even mom-and-pop-business America)? "Giving Back" has always been part of the DNA of our company, in fact, it is one of the eight core values that our associates wear on their aprons every day. The home improvement industry was created to help improve their living spaces but by participating in events like this and through our Foundation, we have the ability to help improve lives in even bigger ways by giving back to our communities that we serve in every day.

Any final thoughts on the fight against cancer? 
Cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide. National statistics show 1 in 3 women and 1 in 2 men will get cancer in their lifetime. By 2040, the number of new cancer cases will increase by 30 million people. I couldn't be more proud to support research organizations like, City of Hope, whose goal is make hope a reality for those who are fighting this disease.