Busy this Saturday morning?

The tradition of community members pitching in on a Saturday in late August to help spruce up schools in Portland began as a faith-based outreach/service ministry coordinated by the Luis Palau evangelism organization. It sought to partner churches with their neighborhood school, providing volunteers from the congregation to spruce up properties of Portland Public Schools before the new term opened in September.

This year, Community Care Day is coordinated by SOLV (Stop Oregon Litter and Vandalism), although many faith-based congregations continue to make a special effort to volunteer at their local school. This Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon, help is needed at more than 60 Portland Public Schools. Alesia, Linda, and others in the Parkrose, David Douglas, and Centennial School districts, are they doing similar clean-ups? See the SOLV list to find one near you – or pick one in another neighborhood. Volunteering outside your own area is a great way to talk with people experiencing life in Portland in different ways. If you need help choosing… you can reach Markham Elementary in SW Portland by following the signs towards PCC Sylvania after taking the Capitol Highway exit off I-5 south, to help in a Title 1 school in one of the most ethnically diverse neighborhoods in Portland. And we need and welcome new volunteers.

So, are you busy this Saturday morning? Even if you can’t pull weeds or run a lawn mower, volunteers are needed to help with registration and refreshment tables, and to stroll around telling grunt-workers what a great job they’re doing. Stop by any site, any time over the three hours. It would be fun if readers of this blog post here which schools we worked at. Please help if you can spare even one hour.

Now you can’t say nobody asked you, or that you heard too late to be able to plan on pitching in for an hour or two.