Volunteer Opportunities at Portland Parks & Recreation

How does Portland Parks & Recreation manage 240 parks, 15 community center programs and 40 (big and small) natural areas? With volunteers!

Parks and Gardens

“Cities are built by planners and engineers, but volunteers build communities.”

With 240 parks and 20 gardens throughout the city, 78% of Portland residents live within a half mile of an open space. How do we keep all these parks safe, clean and bursting with color? With the help of volunteers contributing more than 474,700 hours of service per year, the equivalent of more than 228 full-time staff.

Portland’s three major rose gardens have more than 20,000 rose bushes, and only 2.5 full time employees assigned to their care. How does the “City of Roses” manage? We have about 200 volunteer deadheaders who help. Thanks to them, wilting blooms are expertly snipped; allowing new buds to take their place and garden visitors enjoy a flush of color from June through Halloween.

Mt. Tabor Park is 190 acres, with miles of trails winding over hills between magnificent trees and flowering shrubs. Last year, 27 volunteer park patrollers spent 632 hours walking those trails. Along the way, they picked up litter and watched for problems; and most importantly, they provided a friendly presence and made visitors feel more secure. Other volunteers spent 2,500 hours removing invasive plants from the park, and the new Visitor Center welcomed 1,100 guests from across the United States and 32 countries.

Neighbors at Argay Park form our longest serving Adopt-a-Park group. Since 1998, they have patrolled the park, weeded flower beds (they became one of the first pesticide-free parks in 2004) and painted benches. During the summer months, they help us host movies and concerts in the park and encourage community pride and engagement. Not all our volunteer programs are huge, but they all make a huge difference.

Since 1989, volunteers at Columbia Park have kept “community” in their neighborhood park. In addition to keeping their park clean and green, they keep the stone cottage open as a gathering spot for socials, wedding receptions, birthday parties and other events. Outside, our Friends were the leaders who brought the new playground to the park.

Natural Areas Restoration

Protecting and Restoring Our Natural Areas

Natural areas provide an endless opportunity for community engagement through volunteerism. For decades, our natural areas have provided stewardship opportunities in Portland. Beginning with as few as three employees and a dozen or so volunteers, as the understanding of the value of natural resource grew, so did our commitment to its stewardship. Today, City Nature manages 81,966 hours of volunteer service. City Nature hosts at least two volunteer habitat restoration projects most weekends; dozens of schools work in what are effectively outdoor classrooms and staff work diligently to empower partner groups around the City. There are currently thirty groups dedicated to Portland’s natural areas.

In 2012:

City Nature West fostered an astounding 19 volunteer organizations to help the City’s Natural Areas Restoration Plan. With the help of these partners, our Natural Areas Stewards managed 28,408 volunteer hours. Together, they planted native plants, removed invasive plants and repaired trails.
The Willamette Watershed Steward directed 11,380 hours of volunteer labor. They removed invasive plants and reintroduced natives to stabilize banks and slow erosion. Along they way, they taught hundreds of community volunteers how the right plants in the right place work with their habitat to remove impurities from runoff and improve water quality in rivers and streams.
City Nature East managed 13,621 volunteer hours. One project along Johnson Creek matched 100 volunteers with 250 fourth and fifth graders, to train and mentor them to be good stewards of the environment. Together, they planted 4,203 new native plants, mulched 790 existing plants and removed 750 square feet of invasive English ivy.
The Community Gardens program boasts 1,300 beds thanks to 49 volunteer garden managers. This wonderful program taught approximately 3,000 people sustainable growing techniques while also providing them with the opportunity to grow their own healthy fruits and vegetables. Community Gardens are located throughout Portland:
- North: Beach, Boise-Eliot, Clarendon, Johns, Kenton, McCoy, Patton, Pier, and Portsmouth;
- Northeast: Cully, Everett, Frazer, Grant, Hazelwood, Helensview, Kennedy, Madison, NE 72nd, Rigler, Sabin, Senns, Sumner, Vestal, and Woodlawn;
- Northwest: Adams
- Southeast: Berrydale, Blair, Brentwood, Buckman, Centennial, Clinton, Colonel Summers, Earl Boyles, Ed Benedict, Errol Heights, Furey, Gilbert Heights, Ivon, Lents, Mt. Tabor, Oliver-Parklane, Peace, Sellwood, and Sewallcrest;
- Southwest: Front & Curry, Fulton, Gabriel, Vermont Hills, and Water & Gibbs
The Neighborhood Tree Steward program trained 163 neighborhood volunteers to determine the health of a neighborhood tree. Now sick trees can be addressed while and healthy trees are allowed to flourish in our neighborhoods. They are helping to grow a healthier, more sustainable urban canopy.

Recreation

People who help others tend to feel better about themselves and their lives.

For more than 100 years, Portland Parks & Recreation has provided safe, fun activities where people can connect with others, learn new skills and improve or maintain their health. From pageants to sports leagues and art shows to hikes, volunteers have provided ideas and talents to stretch our services and reach more people, to the benefit of all Portlanders.

Children whose parents participate in their early learning activities tend to do better in school.

In 2012, 173 people, mostly parents, volunteered in pre-school programs in our 15 community centers. As a result of these efforts, the children received more individual attention; volunteers learned new skills; and parents had the opportunity to create a social network of people with something in common – young children!

Check out a community center in one of these areas:

North: Charles Jordan, Peninsula Park, and St. Johns;
Northeast: Matt Dishman, and Montavilla;
Northwest: Hillside;
Southeast: Community Music Center, East Portland, Laurelhurst Dance Studio, Mt. Scott, Sellwood, and Woodstock;
Southwest: Fulton, Multnomah Arts Center, and Southwest @ Gabriel Park

Children who are confident in their own abilities are less likely to bully or be bullied.

756 middle school children volunteered with the Jr. Lifeguard, Swim Instructor and Playground Leader programs. They learned job skills, gained self-confidence, explored new career options and practiced what they learned.

Teens that are encouraged by adults tend to be more successful.

715 volunteers coached 3,750 players in basketball and volleyball last season. Team sports like these improve physical health, teach youth about healthy competition and demonstrate that there are many adults who care about their well-being.

Seniors who volunteer frequently tend to be healthier.

18 volunteers in the Sr. Recreation program led 35 hiking and golf trips during 2012. 13 participants per trip (a total of more than 8,000 participants) stayed busy, saw new sights and experienced good healthy exercise and fresh air thanks to these volunteers… And they had fun!