News Release from: Portland Parks & Recreation
PORTLAND PARKS & RECREATION AND CENTRAL CITY CONCERN CELEBRATE VOLUNTEER MILESTONE:
Posted: September 27th, 2012 2:28 PM
Photo/sound file: http://www.flashalertnewswire.net/images/news/2012-09/1399/58032/10K_Volunteer_hours_in_PDX_parks_2012-12.jpg (The commemorative golden shovel marking 10,000 volunteer hours in Portland parks. Portland Parks & Recreation gave the shovel to Central City Concern)
Photo/sound file: http://www.flashalertnewswire.net/images/news/2012-09/1399/58032/10K_Volunteer_hours_in_PDX_parks_2012-2.jpg (Emily (center left), a CCC Community Volunteer Corps graduate, poses with fellow volunteers and the commemorative golden shovel given to CCC by Portland Parks & Recreation.)
10,000 Volunteer Hours in Portland Parks
(Portland, OR) -
On Wednesday, September 26, Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) welcomed neighbors, volunteers, parents, and children to a celebration of the longtime PP&R partnership with Central City Concern's Community Volunteer Corps.
Clients of Central City Concern (CCC) have completed 10,000 volunteer hours in Portland parks. CCC works to provide comprehensive solutions to ending homelessness and achieving self-sufficiency.
The celebration, held at Portland Parks & Recreation's Lair Hill Park
(SW 2nd Ave & Woods) featured PP&R Director Mike Abbaté, Central City Concern board member Rob Teach, CCC and PP&R volunteers and staff, plus neighbors, school kids, teachers, and other partners.
Emily, a CCC volunteer who completed the CVC program on the day of the celebration, spoke candidly about why she chose to volunteer in Portland's parks. She talked about how her experiences helped enhance her skills, confidence, maturity, and life.
Portland Parks & Recreation Director Mike Abbaté presented CCC with a golden shovel commemorating this successful partnership (see attached photos). PP&R was the first partner - and remains a strong ally - of CCC's Community Volunteer Corps after its inception in 2009.
"Ten thousand hours is a landmark achievement," says PP&R Director Mike Abbaté. "The value of this long-lasting partnership is that it gives our parks even more care, and we are delighted that so many CCC graduates and participants get so much out of their work with us. We appreciate them immensely."
By the Numbers
10,000 volunteer hours break down into an impressive array of comparisons. It equals 416 days of round-the-clock work, or 1,250 eight-hour days.
500 Central City Concern's CVC volunteers have spent a total of 193 days in the field since the program was established in 2009.
Total amount of mulch spread: 205 yards
Total amount of bark chips spread: 244 yards
Total amount of leaves raked: 352 yards
Total amount of weeds pulled: 215 yards
A football field is 100 yards long!
About Central City Concern
http://www.centralcityconcern.org/
Providing comprehensive solutions to ending homelessness and achieving self-sufficiency.
Portland Parks & Recreation was Central City Concern's first partner when the Community Volunteer Corps was established in the spring of 2009.
CCC Executive Director Ed Blackburn's father engaged with the Civil Volunteer Corps in 1940s. This inspired Mr. Blackburn to create the Community Volunteer Corps.
Besides giving people a place to live, Central City starts them anew with education and counseling as well as drug and alcohol treatment programs. Part of the transition to a new life is a mission to give back to the community through the center's Community Volunteer Corps.
"Teams of clients - people in center programs - are sent into the community to work." The Oregonian, August 2, 2012
Central City Concern meets its mission through innovative outcome-based strategies which support personal and community transformation.
* Direct access to housing which supports lifestyle change.
* Integrated healthcare services that are highly effective in engaging people who are often alienated from mainstream systems.
* Development of peer relationships that nurture and support personal transformation and recovery.
* Attainment of income through employment or accessing benefits.
These four elements result in a transformation of world view and self-image - from a negative to a positive outlook - enabling people to become productive citizens who want to "give something back" to the community.
Central City Concern (CCC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit agency serving single adults and families in the Portland metro area who are impacted by homelessness, poverty, and addictions. Founded in 1979, the agency has developed a comprehensive continuum of affordable housing options integrated with direct social services including healthcare, recovery, and employment. CCC currently has a staff of 600+, an annual operating budget of $41 million, and serves more than 13,000 individuals annually.
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