POSTED SEPTEMBER 12, 2016
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1,000 volunteers, nearly $12,000 in micro-grants, 58 park projects to be completed
Date: Friday and Saturday, October 14 and 15, 2016
When: Times vary by project
Where: Visit the Portland Parks Foundation’s Parke Diem website parkediem.org to see the available projects and to sign up to volunteer.
The nonprofit Portland Parks Foundation (PPF) and Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) are pleased to announce the return of Parke Diem: Portland’s largest citywide volunteer event for the city’s beloved parks. More than 1000 volunteers are joining forces at 58 community gardens, neighborhood parks and natural areas across Portland for Parke Diem’s fourth year.
(PHOTO ABOVE: A 2015 PARKE DIEM EVENT AT COLUMBIA CHILDREN'S ARBORETUM)
Volunteers are welcome to sign up for Parke Diem events on October 14 and 15. Registration and information are available right now at parkediem.org.
“Portland Parks & Recreation can only do the great work we do because of partnerships with the Foundation, with our corporate sponsors, and with our volunteers, all of whom contribute such valuable resources,” notes Portland Parks Commissioner Amanda Fritz, who will once again take part in several Parke Diem events. “PP&R’s community gardens staff say that the volunteers at Parke Diem accomplish at least four months of work in just two days. I thank the Portland Parks Foundation for bringing so many volunteers together in the coordinated, two-day effort.”
As part of its 15th anniversary celebration, the Portland Parks Foundation is awarding $11,228 in micro-grants to support Parke Diem projects this year. The Foundation has also launched a campaign aiming to raise a total of $15,000 to invest in parks. Installing new trail railings in Forest Park, renovating the display garden at Leach Botanical Garden and installing and winterizing garden beds in 57% of Portland’s community gardens are just some of the exciting projects supported by PPF funds.
“Portlanders benefit so much from their parks, and Parke Diem is a great way to give back,” says Portland Parks Foundation Executive Director Jeff Anderson. “We're also pleased to be able to give micro-grants to support Parke Diem’s grass-roots projects--they may be small compared to the $11 million of investments we’ve made in parks and park programs since 2001, but the community volunteers make a little go a long way."
“It’s neighbors helping neighbors toward our shared goal of Healthy Parks, Healthy Portland,” says PP&R Director Mike Abbaté. “Parke Diem is an exciting way to make a real difference in the quality of life in our city,” We thank our friends at the Portland Parks Foundation for leading the charge.”
Parke Diem is led by a network of community volunteers and park “friends” groups that help craft the projects and mobilize the 1,000 volunteers.
“The 150 volunteers at Hoyt Arboretum have a tremendous impact on the health of the collection, says Hoyt Volunteer and Education Coordinator Lorraine Brooks. “Their 600 collective hours of work during Parke Diem are used to pull invasive plants, repot 400+ tree seedlings and prepare the arboretum for winter.”
Parke Diem is led by the Portland Parks Foundation, an independent, nonprofit organization formed in 2001 to bring resources for the long-term stewardship of Portland's parks and park programs. The Foundation works hand in hand with Portland Parks & Recreation, and is committed to building collaborations and investments that strengthen Portland's parks.
Lead Sponsor: Nike, Inc.
Volunteers are welcome to sign up for Parke Diem events on October 14 and 15. Registration and information are available right now at parkediem.org.
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