ON Wednesday, I attended a graduation ceremony for participants in a Central City Concern program providing community service volunteer experience.  It was a tad hot squeezing dozens of people into a small space at the office on NW 3rd, but truly inspirational.  This photo is of Wayne Clark, Community Volunteer Corps graduate, after the ceremony.

Photo by Jennifer McDonald “Mac,” MA

Development Officer, Central City Concern

The Community Volunteer Corps (CVC) at Central City Concern (CCC) is just over a year old.  On July 7^th, we celebrated another graduation with 23 successful participants who completed 80 hours of community service over a three-month period. Community Volunteer Corps brings meaningful volunteer work opportunities to clients in CCC housing as a therapeutic and practical tool towards self-sufficiency, as well as opportunities for public service for other volunteers from the community. CVC provides mentored work experiences to participants as a training ground for future employment and as a service to the community.  Since inception, CVC participants have given 11,172 hours of service to the community, working with Portland Parks & Rec., the ReBuilding Center, Hollywood Senior Center, Oregon Lions, Free Geek, and other community partners. The Community Volunteer Corps has 107 graduates to date, and they have a busy summer schedule ahead with a record number of participants. Volunteering is a gift that blesses the givers as well as the recipients.

Thanks to Kathy Pape, Community Partnerships/Strategic Development leader at Central City Concern, and photographer Mac, for assistance with this blog post.