BEAVERTON, OR — Instead of reporting to work today, more than 900 Oregon-based Nike employees volunteered out in the community, doing everything from helping teach P.E. classes in the schools to providing maintenance on the popular Sckavone Baseball Stadium at Westmoreland Park.
Organized in partnership with Volunteers of America Oregon and Hands On Portland, Nike’s Community Involvement Day involved volunteer efforts at 41 locations in Multnomah and Washington Counties. Led by Nike President of U.S. Operations, Gary DeStefano, each team of volunteers devoted five hours to the community organization they chose to assist for the day. In one day, employees contributed approximately 4,500 volunteer hours, or a dollar value of more than $77,000 in volunteer time* (*source: Independent Sector). In addition to the hours contributed, Nike will make cash donations totaling more than $40,000 to this year’s beneficiaries.
“Giving back through employee involvement has always been at the core of Nike’s belief in what it means to be an Oregon company,” said Gary DeStefano, Nike President of U.S. Operations. “Whether it involves helping kids get physically active or working to address the issue of hunger, Nike and its employees are proud to dedicate this special day for making a significant, positive impact in our community, and our goal is to bring this same level of enthusiasm to ongoing efforts throughout the year.”
Although this annual event began in Oregon, each year additional cities join in the event. This year, the event includes Memphis, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco and the U.K. Each non-profit organization selected for Nike’s Community Involvement Day in Oregon received the volunteer hours and a cash donation to support programs in the following areas: youth sports and recreational/physical activity; youth and family services; resources for senior citizens and the disabled; housing and sustainable communities; hunger and homelessness; and animal care.
As in years past, Nike worked with Hands On Portland and Volunteers of America to identify the beneficiary organizations and associated projects that were selected for inclusion in this year’s event.
“Nike is an outstanding role model when it comes to encouraging community involvement and employee volunteerism,” said Christee Sweeney, Director of Development and Communications for Volunteers of America Oregon. “The company gives back to our community not only through traditional charitable cash donations but also by sharing the strengths and skills of its employees on this incredible day of community service.”
In Oregon, employee volunteers led children in physical activities at several Portland Public Schools, helped repair bicycles at the Community Cycling Center, provided maintenance in several Portland parks, including Westmoreland Park’s baseball stadium, read to children, helped build low-income housing, helped make West African hand drums at Ethos and provided assistance at a variety of other community sites.
“Nike sends more than 800 employees into our community every year on this day of service,” said Hands On Portland Executive Director Andy Nelson. “It sends a strong signal to the community that volunteerism is not optional but a necessary ingredient for community change.”
At the kick-off event held this morning, six Nike employees were awarded the Blazers Community Champions Award for their outstanding commitment to community service. The award, which is given annually, is presented to employees who have been nominated by their peers for their work within their surrounding community. Most of this year’s recipients contributed more than 500 hours to the community organization of their choice. This year, the award was presented by Darnell Valentine, the Portland Trail Blazers Director of Player Programs. This year’s award recipients and the organizations they’ve supported are:
Each of this year’s recipients will receive the following from the Portland Trail Blazers: $100 donation to the non-profit organization of their choice; 50 Blazers game tickets for the non-profit organization of their choice; two tickets to a Blazers home game; and a souvenir basketball signed by Blazers coach, Maurice Cheeks, and Nike founder, Phil Knight.
For a complete list of this year’s community service recipients, please see the attached page.
About Nike in Oregon
Nike targets to contribute three percent of the preceding fiscal year’s pre-tax profits annually. In fiscal year 2004 ended May 31, 2004, this totaled $37.3 million in cash, grants and product to eligible charities, non-profit organizations and community business partners around the world. Of that, more than $3.1 million in cash grants and product donations went to hundreds of nonprofits in Oregon, including individual employee contributions of more than $1.1 million, and more than 5,900 volunteer hours in support of causes our employees care about passionately. Nike matches each employee contribution to eligible charities dollar-for-dollar, and volunteer time at $10 an hour–twice that if the programs help increase physical activity among youth. For more information about Nike’s community involvement in Oregon, visit www.nikeinoregon.com. For more information about NikeGO, visit www.nikego.com.
About Volunteers of America Oregon
Volunteers of America Oregon is a human services organization that meets the critical needs of children and families, provides rehabilitation programs, and senior and community services. Since 1896, Volunteers of America Oregon has helped people of all age’s live self-determined lives through community collaborations and 16 outcome-based programs designed to provide support that empowers individuals to make positive choices, build stronger families and live healthier, more fulfilling lives. Last year, more than 7,000 individuals benefited from Volunteers of America Oregon services. Log on to www.voaor.org for more information.
About Hands On Portland
The first and only organization in Portland of its kind, Hands On Portland makes volunteering easy and meaningful by providing well-managed and flexibly scheduled volunteer opportunities for 10,000 volunteers a year. Founded in 1996, HOP pumps more than $100,000 worth of people power into the Greater Portland community each year while working with 300 non-profit community partners. For more information on ways to volunteer, log on to www.handsonportland.org.
2004 Nike Community Involvement Day
Locations in Multnomah and Washington Counties
Bicycle Transportation Alliance – Gregory Heights Elementary School
Cat Adoption Team
Clark Center
Community Cycling Center
Community Transitional School
Ethos
Friends of Trees
George Middle School
Growing Gardens
Harvey Scott Elementary School
HIV Day Center
House of Umoja
Jean’s Place
King Elementary School
Marie Smith Social Center
Marysville Elementary School
OMSI
Oregon Food Bank (Washington County)
Oregon Humane Society
Oregon Zoo
Portland Habitat for Humanity
Portland Parks & Recreation – Clinton Community Gardens
Portland Parks & Recreation – Woods Park
Raphael House
Roosevelt High School
Schoolhouse Supplies
SMART Program – Aloha Park Elementary School
SMART Program – Irvington Elementary School
SMART Program – Kinnaman Elementary School
SMART Program – McKinley Elementary School
SMART Program – Sabin Elementary School
SMYRC
SOLV
St. Andrew Nativity School
The School and Community Reuse Action Project (SCRAP)
Velma Joy Burnie Center
Westmoreland Park
Willamette West Habitat for Humanity: Leadership Row
Willamette West Habitat for Humanity: Lindsay Lane
Wilshire Park
Women’s Residential Treatment Center
