Opportunity Details
TeamWorks: Discover Portland! (age 18+) *Hands On*
Join a TeamWorks team of volunteers for a series of done-in-a-day projects led by a Hands On Greater Portland TeamWorks Leader. TeamWorks offers volunteers the opportunity to make a slightly longer-term commitment to volunteering, delve into a topic or issue-area, and get to know other volunteers in the process.
Portland, OR is home to all sorts of historic parks, buildings, and other landmarks. Its culture is rich with coffeehouses, bookstores, and bike shops, do-it-yourself projects around every corner, outdoor activities to keep you busy all year, and progressive ideas about transportation, sustainability, and food accessibility. Examples of these pillars of Portland culture are everywhere, but less visible are all the organizations working to put those ideas into action.
Are you new in town and looking to meet other recent transplants? Or are you just aching to get to know the city a little bit better? Then this is the volunteer team for you!
During this TeamWorks, we will get to know Portland through the eyes of volunteerism, exploring a variety of neighborhoods and social issues through the eyes of some of the vibrant nonprofits that call this city home. We'll spruce up the historic Mt Tabor park, support the arts and listen to some great music at the Columbia Symphony, take a tour of one of Portland’s historic cemeteries, help clean books for kids at the Children’s Books Bank, pull nails from salvaged building materials at the ReBuilding Center, and finally help build floats for Portland’s signature Rose Festival Grand Floral Parade. Also included will be a two stops at Portland Brewpubs where you will have the option to taste some local brew and learn about some local history.
What is TeamWorks? TeamWorks teams consist of approximately 10-15 individuals, led by a Hands On trained volunteer leader, who commit to volunteering for every project in the series, so please carefully check the schedule below before signing up! Signing up for the FIRST session will sign you up for the entire TeamWorks. If you know in advance you'd have to miss one of the projects, let us know and you might still be eligible to join the team. Questions can be directed to Catherine Moore, TeamWorks Leader,by using the "Email Opportunity Leader" link in the grey box at the end of the page.
Team Schedule:
Session One: Saturday, April 26, 9am-1:00pm
Spruce Up Mt. Tabor Park & TeamWorks Kick-off (SE Portland)
We’ll kick off our team at outside at Mt Tabor, an extinct volcano in SE Portland, and help maintain this unique park. We'll be removing invasive species, and possibly working on trails. Bring work gloves if you have them; leather gloves are recommended. It is also highly suggested that volunteers wear pants with thick fabric (such as jeans or canvas carhardts) and long sleeves to protect themselves from any run-ins with nettles, poison oak, etc. Water will be provided, but you might want to bring your own water bottle. After the project, we’ll head to lunch at a local pizza joint to get to know our team!
Session Two: Friday, May 2, 6:00pm-10:00pm
Support the Arts at Columbia Symphony Orchestra (Downtown Portland)
Help usher and sell concessions for the Portland Columbia Symphony Orchestra at their “Bon Bon’s and Bratwurst” concert. The Orchestra is a not-for-profit service organization dedicated to presenting quality performances of standard, worthy but rarely performed, and new orchestral repertoire. Portland Columbia Symphony Orchestra brings together musicians and audiences in friendly, affordable, and accessible concert experiences. Please wear nice, all black clothing and shoes you can stand in comfortably.
Session Three: Thursday, May 8, 6:00pm - 8:30pm
Lone Fir Cemetery Tour & History Share
We’ll visit Portland’s Lone Fir Cemetery and do a self-guided walking tour of labor and social activists who are buried there. After that, we’ll head over to Coalition Brewing, a local brewery that runs a brewing education program where home brewers have the chance to brew next to professionals and have their beer sold in the pub. We’ll have to chance to sample some local brews if we choose and share some Portland History Facts we’ve researched.
Session Four: Monday, May 12, 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Get Books to Children at the Children's Book Bank
Our next session brings us to the Children’s Book Bank, an innovative nonprofit that grew out of one woman’s Teach for America experience, during which she learned about the “book gap” that exists in our society. For children in poverty, one of the biggest obstacles to literacy development (which begins at birth) is the scarcity of books in the home; and while the ratio of books to children in middle-income neighborhoods is approximately 13 books to 1 child, the ratio in low-income neighborhoods is a mere 1 book to 300 children. The Children’s Book Bank exists to help narrow the book gap by providing the community with a place for families to donate the books their children have outgrown, moving thousands and thousands of children’s books into the homes of kids in need. We’ll help out by cleaning up donated books and get them ready to put into the hands of children.
Session Five: Monday, May 19, 6:30pm - 8:30pm
Portland History Pub at McMenamin's Kennedy School (NE Portland)
The Oregon Historical Society hosts a history pub each month where you can where you can listen to lively local history while sipping on a pint of handcrafted ale. We’ll hear from Former Portland Mayor Bud Clark talk about convincing voters that the well-liked tavern-keeper who had never previously held a public office was a serious candidate for mayor. Longtime Portland political analyst Tim Hibbitts will give an introductory presentation about the city's political climate of the 1970s and early '80s, then serve as moderator for the panel discussion.
Session Six: Wednesday, May 27th, 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Salvage Building Materials at the ReBuilding Center (N Portland)
Reduce, recycle, reuse! Help reduce the flow of useable building materials into the waste stream by volunteering at the Rebuilding Center's non-profit store for used building materials. We'll be doing a hands-on project, so come ready to work and have fun! Closed toe shoes required and bring work gloves if you have them. Wear warm clothes as the building is chilly. Some tasks may involve medium to heavy lifting.
Session Seven: Saturday, May 31, 9:00am - 2:00pm
Decorate Floats for the Portland Rose Festival (NW Portland)
The Grand Floral Parade is a Portland tradition for more than 100 years. We’ll work on putting organic material (aka flowers) onto Rose Festival Parade Floats to cover every visible surface of the float. We will be working in one of two large warehouses, so please come prepared with warm clothes. As a volunteer decorator, you will work with adhesives, wet floral materials, and occasionally paint. Please wear clothes which can get dirty and possibly damaged.
After we finish up the decoration, we'll round up over some food for a final wrap-up and explore our intentions for further engagement in our Portland community!
Click "Sign Up" below to reserve your spot on the team! Need help signing up? Call 503-200-3355.
Age Minimum (with Adult): 18+, Minimum Age:18+
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