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Volunteer Opportunities: Jul-Sep 2008

By admin - Posted on July 15th, 2008
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Gardening, Art Walk, Big Service Day, Vance Park Carnival

Greetings, Parks & Recreation Volunteers!

Goodness berries and sunflowers, its looking beautiful outside and Parks & Recreation has numerous volunteer opportunities throughout the next few months for you to enjoy! Take a look and see how you can give back to Gresham this summer. Also meet new people, learn about the environment, and increase your contribution to the beautification of our public spaces.

This is Gresham Parks & Recreations - Volunteer Program's July Volunteer Update, which contains information about upcoming volunteer opportunities we have to offer. If you can join us for any of the projects below, please RSVP to the contact listed.

Volunteer Opportunities and Events July-September 2008

We really appreciate your volunteer time spent with us! Keep up the great work!

Sincerely,

Rachel Zarfas
Community Volunteer Coordinator
City of Gresham Parks & Recreation Division
NWSA AmeriCorps Volunteer
(503) 618-2789
www.ci.gresham.or.us/parks


Gardening at the Zimmerman House: Saturday July 12th, August 9th, September 13th, 9am-2pm

Take a step back into history by volunteering at the Zimmermann House. This 1874 farmhouse is a perfect reflection of typical Columbia River dairy farm life in the late 1800s. Volunteers are needed to weed and prune in the garden, which will contribute to the historical site's overall beauty.
Location: Zimmerman Park, 17111 NE Sandy Blvd.

Volunteers Needed: 3-5

RSVP: Dodi Davies, volunteer@frwhs.org, (503) 261-8078, Fairview-Rockwood-Wilkes Historical Society


Gresham City Kids in the Park: Tuesday, July 8th, 15th, 22nd, 29th, 10:30am-12pm

Radio Disney will be coming back for a second year to get things moving in Main City Park this summer. Gresham City Kids is a free camp is for kids between the ages of 3 to 14, who must be accompanied by an adult. Activities include music, crafts, games and puzzles, and special prize give a ways. Parks needs volunteers to help each Tuesday with arts and crafts activities. Volunteers are especially needed on Tuesday, July 29th when Parks will be providing the main activity of the day...a scavenger hunt in the park. Join in the fun and help provide exciting outdoor activities for children this summer. Refreshments and snacks will be provided!

Location: Main City Park, 219 Main Ave.

Volunteers Needed: 1-2 volunteers July 8th, 15th, and 22nd; 5 volunteers July 29th

RSVP: Rachel Zarfas, Rachel.Zarfas@ci.gresham.or.us, (503) 618-2789, City of Gresham – Parks and Recreation


Gresham Art Walk: Parks & Recreation Arts & Crafts Booth: Saturday, July 19th, 9am-5pm

What could be more fun then making art out of nature? This year the Parks & Recreations booth will be providing nature arts & crafts for children (and some festive adults). Volunteer for a couple hours and then enjoy the rest of the event! This family event includes art for sale, live music, other free children's arts and crafts, and the Gresham Farmers' Market. During the Art Walk, more than 85 artists from Oregon and southwest Washington will sell their original works along scenic Main Avenue between First and Fifth streets. Refreshments and snacks will be provided for volunteers!

Location: Gresham's Historical Downtown>

Volunteers Needed: 2 volunteers for Shift 1 (9:00am-11:45am), Shift 2 (11:45am-2:30pm) and Shift 3 (2:30pm-5:00pm)

RSVP: Rachel Zarfas, Rachel.Zarfas@ci.gresham.or.us, (503) 618-2789, City of Gresham – Parks and Recreation


Big Service Day!: Kelly Creek, Nadaka, Main City Park: Saturday, July 26th, 9am-1pm

July is "Parks and Recreation Month"! Come volunteer in some of Gresham's most popular natural areas and parks. Bring yourself, your club, your kids, your best friend or your co-worker! All are welcome!

Pick Your Project:

  • Project 1: Trail Project at Kelly Creek

    Work along side Parks & Recreation staff, committee members, and other volunteers to help create a new entry point into the very popular Kelly Creek Natural Area, making it more accessible to the local neighborhood.

    Location: Kelly Creek Natural Area, SE 16th Dr., between SE Hickory Way and SE Ironwood Way.

    Volunteers Needed: 20

    RSVP: Rachel Zarfas, Rachel.Zarfas@ci.gresham.or.us, (503) 618-2789, City of Gresham – Parks and Recreation

  • Project 2: Restoration at Nadaka Natural Area

    The Wilkes-East Neighborhood Association has been working for years to secure more funding for Nadaka. As part of a recent grant request, volunteers from the neighborhood will be gathering to clear invasive species and beautify the north facing entrance of the natural area. This project will not only encourage the native growth within the natural area, but increase security by opening the view into the park and help support future funding for park improvements.

    Volunteers Needed: 10

    Location: Nadaka Natural Area, NE Pacific St., between NE 175th Ave. and NE 176th Ave.

    RSVP: Rachel Zarfas, Rachel.Zarfas@ci.gresham.or.us, (503) 618-2789, City of Gresham – Parks and Recreation

  • Project 3: Japanese Garden Clean-Up at Main City Park

    Come help the Gresham/Troutdale Japanese American Citizen League clean up the Japanese Garden at Main City Park. This tranquil garden was built by the league in 1973, and includes a variety of significant traditional Japanese species such as bamboo, pines, and camellia bushes. Volunteers will be weeding, replacing gravel and doing light pruning of the trees and shrubs.

    Volunteers Needed: 20

    Location: Main City Park, 219 S. Main Ave., Japanese Garden island in the middle of the park

    RSVP: Rachel Zarfas, Rachel.Zarfas@ci.gresham.or.us, (503) 618-2789, City of Gresham – Parks and Recreation


Yamhill Community Garden Workshop: Harvesting Your Garden: Wednesday, July 30th, 1-3pm

One of the greatest joys of gardening is harvesting your hard earned work. However there are many things to consider during harvesting. When and how should you harvested vegetables? What are the best conditions to store your homegrown vegetables? This workshop will help you make decisions on harvesting and storing your vegetables, as well as provide donation sources for your access food. Not to mention, some gardeners will be bringing potluck dishes made from their own garden harvests! After the presentation, we will be collecting gardeners' access vegetables to donate to a local food bank. (English/Spanish presentation.) Volunteers are needed to help with set up, children's activities, and take down. Come volunteer or simply attend.

Location: Yamhill Community Garden, 19309 SE Yamhill St.

Volunteers Needed: 1-2

RSVP: Rachel Zarfas, Rachel.Zarfas@ci.gresham.or.us, (503) 618-2789, City of Gresham – Parks and Recreation


City Hall Community Garden Clean Up Event: Saturday, August 2nd, 9am-1pm

Ready, set, weed! Spring and summer have brought a lot of growth into the garden, along with unwanted weeds. Come help community gardeners spiff up this local garden and allow for a more fruitful crop. Volunteers will help weed and mulch garden pathways, turn compost bins, and pick up litter around the garden.

Location: Gresham City Hall, 1333 NW Eastman Parkway

Volunteers needed: 5

RSVP: Rachel Zarfas, Rachel.Zarfas@ci.gresham.or.us, (503) 618-2789, City of Gresham – Parks and Recreation


Vance Park Carnival: Thursday, August 7th, 10:00am-4:00pm

US Bank and Gresham Parks & Recreation are partnering to create a summer carnival for the community, filled with games, storytelling, crafts, arts, music, food, fun and prizes! US Bank volunteers are putting a lot of time into designing activities booths, as well and designing the day of logistics. We invite you to volunteer at the carnival, which will be one of our last summer events! Volunteers are needed to help set up, run booths during the event, and clean up afterwards.

Location: Vance Park, 1400 SE 182nd Ave.

Volunteers Needed: 4 volunteers for Shift 1 (9:00am-1:00pm) and Shift 2 (12:30pm-4:30pm)

RSVP: Rachel Zarfas, Rachel.Zarfas@ci.gresham.or.us, (503) 618-2789, City of Gresham – Parks and Recreation


Needed: Adopt-A-Park/Trail Volunteer Groups!

Do you know of a group that wants to adopt a park, trail, or natural area? We need groups of volunteers to help with invasive plant removal, shrub bed/tree well maintenance, native planting, park patrolling and a number of other opportunities for various parks, trails, and natural areas throughout Gresham. Requirement of 8 hours of volunteer service per year; commitment of one year.

For more details, contact: Rachel Zarfas, Rachel.Zarfas@ci.gresham.or.us, (503) 618-2789.