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The mayor of Portland, Ore., has declared this coming May 1 to Oct. 31 to be the city’s Season of Service.
A collaborative effort between the city, local churches and nonprofit organizations, the 2009 Season of Service will continue a tradition started last year to actively address some of the area's greatest social needs.
This year, with the nation facing the worst economic conditions in a generation, the Season of Service is expected to bring much-needed relief in a state where the unemployment rates are moving closer to 10 percent.
"In 2008 we were 'practicing,' not knowing the worst economic downturn was headed our way," said Kevin Palau, executive vice president of the Luis Palau Association, which held an evangelistic event last year that brought together Christians throughout the city.
When the Season of Service first launched, civic leaders, businesses, service organizations, and churches had the goal of creating lasting connections and collaborations from the “Portland CityFest with Luis Palau” to meet social needs in the greater Portland-Vancouver metro area.
“The 2008 event brought together more than 600 churches and agencies, and nearly 30,000 volunteers to work on hundreds of critical service projects,” recalled Palau, whose father, Luis Palau, is known to many as the Billy Graham of Latin America.
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This year, according to Rick McKinley of Imago Dei Community, projects will focus on five areas – homelessness, schools, health and wellness, environmental projects, and hunger and poverty.
The 2009 Season of Service was formally launched Thursday morning at the Hinson Memorial Baptist Church in Southeast Portland with a kick-off event organized by the Palau Association and attended by civic leaders and 350 area pastors.
At the event, evangelist Luis Palau presented a $100,000 check to Portland Mayor Sam Adams as a gift to the city from Portland-area churches.
"The money will absolutely go to very good use," said the mayor, who said at the event that Portland had cut $20 million from the city budget. "This $100,000 means more than you will possibly know."
The funds will go toward local charities including the Home Again Mentoring Project, which helps homeless families transition into stable housing, and the Portland Schools Transition Center, which encourages youth who have dropped out of school to resume their education.
Donations were also given to community and civic leaders from Vancouver, Beaverton and Hillsboro, according to reports.
