Blazers Host Youth Summit
April 2, 2004
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As youth across the nation get set to serve their communities on National Youth Service Day on April 17, the Blazers Community Builders Youth Corps will host a regional youth summit at the RoseQuarter campus on Saturday April 3, as a precursor to community service projects funded for National Youth Service Day.
The Blazers Community Builders Youth Corps has granted $40,000 to nonprofits across Oregon and Southwest Washington to put on projects for National Youth Service Day on April 17. Twenty-one nonprofits and schools received funds for service projects with more than 900 youth involved in the planning and direct implementation of the projects; over 5,000 individuals will be positively affected by the 21 projects.
At the summit, teens also will have a chance to talk about important issues at a Town Hall Youth Voice Forum at 4:00 p.m. with Oregon Secretary of State Bill Bradbury and singer/songwriter Art Alexakis, lead singer of Portland-based band Everclear. The one-hour question and answer session will be moderated by the City Club of Portland and also include Portland Development Commission president Matt Hennessee and Blazers president Steve Patterson.
Questions are expected to range from school funding in Oregon to youth engagement in the election process, the role of corporations, athletes and celebrities in positively engaging youth and the urban/rural divide.
Nearly 600 teens are expected to attend from all over Oregon and Southwest Washington, and approximately 350 teens from outlying areas will spend the night at the Memorial Coliseum after watching the Blazers vs. Hornets game.
The Blazers Community Builders Youth Corps ambassadors have been hard at work since this fall, when they set out on the leadership, community service and philanthropy mission of the BCBYC.
The group is made up of teens from all over Oregon and Southwest Washington who, after a year of serving as BCBYC Ambassadors, have lead community service projects in their communities and granted $40,000 to nonprofits all over Oregon and Southwest Washington. After a meeting in Portland, the teens attended the preseason Blazers game in Redmond, Oregon and learned how to organize a ‘done in a day’ community service project.
They gathered requests for proposals and granted $40,000 worth of community service projects regionally at a February session at the state capitol building in Salem.
Nonprofits that submitted requests for funds will attend the BCBYC Youth Summit at the Memorial Coliseum Exhibit Hall to exchange ideas and show their projects to other nonprofits and teens. In addition, funded groups will bring teens to participate at the Youth Summit.
The day will start off with a welcome in the Rose Garden at 1:00 p.m., then the youth will set up exhibits about completed community service projects that were funded by BCBYC at 2:30 p.m. From 4:00-5:00 p.m. the teens will participate in the Town Hall Youth Voice Forum, moderated by the City Club of Portland, followed by the Blazers vs. Hornets game in the Rose Garden. The teens will then spend the night in the Memorial Coliseum.
Summary of Events
April 3, 2004
11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Registration of Youth
1:00 - 2:00 p.m. Welcome in Rose Garden Bowl
2:30 - 3:45 p.m. Youth exhibits in Exhibit Hall
4:00 - 5:00 p.m. Town Hall Youth Voice Forum facilitated by City Club
featuring Secretary of State, Bill Bradbury, Matt
Hennessee, Art Alexakis, and Steve Patterson.
5:30 - 9:30 p.m. Blazers game
9:30 p.m. - overnight Overnight in the Exhibit Hall
April 4, 2004 11:00 a.m. Event close
About the organizations involved and the panelists:
Camp Fire USA
Camp Fire USA is a coeducational non-profit organization that builds caring, confident youth and future leaders. Operating locally since 1912, the Portland Metro Council is one of the most deeply rooted youth-development organizations in this community. Through year-around educational and recreational opportunities and experiences in schools, in the community, and at Camp Namanu, Camp Fire USA gives young people the skills and motivation they need to become successful adults. For more information, visit www.campfire.org.
Hands On Portland
Hands On Portland connects 10,000 people a year with rewarding, high-impact volunteer opportunities in the Portland Metro Area. Founded in 1996, HOP merged in 2003 with VolunteerWorks to create the Portland Area's largest and most-comprehensive volunteer service organization. Through HOP, volunteers select from one-time, group-based volunteering to longer-term opportunities to opportunities for volunteer leadership at 300 different non-profits, schools or government agencies. HOP also helps corporations develop volunteer programs, holds an annual Serve-a-thon for Schools and helps non-profits build their capacity to harness volunteer power. For more information, or to volunteer, visit www.handsonportland.org or call (503) 413-7787.
City Club of Portland
City Club of Portland is a nonprofit, nonpartisan education and research
based civic organization dedicated to community service, public affairs and
leadership development. Through weekly Friday Forums, citizen-based research
reports, special programs and issue committees, City Club examines issues of
importance to the Portland metropolitan region, the state and society as a
whole. Membership is open to everyone.
For more information about City Club of Portland, please visit www.pdxcityclub.org or call (503) 228-7231.
About the Panelists:
Art Alexakis
Art Alexakis, the lead singer and guitar player for the band Everclear, is well-known for his community activism including participation in “Rock the Vote” events, speaking to kids on the dangers of drug use and testifying before congress in support of a federally enforced child support system. Alexakis, a native of California, moved to Portland in 1992 with his wife and placed an ad for a bass player and a drummer in a local paper. He got only two responses and those three individuals formed the band Everclear. Alexakis had a difficult childhood and young adulthood and feely talks about his drug addiction, the drug related death of his brother and the impact that had on his life.
Everclear has had many hit albums, but is perhaps most well-known for So Much for the Afterglow in 1997 which produced hits “I Will Buy You a New Life,” “Everything to Everyone,” and “Father of Mine.” In 1998, the group won a Billboard Music Award as Modern Rock Artist of the Year. In early 1999, they were nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance for their song El Distorto De Melodica.
Bill Bradbury Governor John Kitzhaber appointed Bill Bradbury as Secretary of State in November 1999, and Bradbury was elected to a four-year term in November 2000. Bill Bradbury is the chief elections officer, auditor of public accounts, and manager of the state's official legislative and executive records, as well as Oregon’s second-highest-ranking elected official. Bradbury also serves as a member of the state land board. Bradbury has been a national leader on election reform, advocated for Oregon’s unique vote-by-mail system before Congress and helped make sure Oregon is one of few states with reliable optical scan ballots.
Matt Hennessee
Hennessee is a well-known and respected community servant who dedicates countless hours for education at all levels. He has been elected to numerous civic and community organizations including the Portland Development Commission, the Governor’s Task Force on Workforce Development and the High Scope International Education Research Foundation. He is currently an inspirational faith leader, serving more than 14 years as an associate pastor of the St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church.
Steve Patterson
Blazers president Steve Patterson joined the team in June 2003, and shortly pledged to make significant changes in the internal and external business operations of the team. Under his leadership, the Blazers announced a 25-point pledge to hold the franchise accountable for its actions and reconnect the Trail Blazers to the fans and the community. In his tenure, the Blazers have seen a significant jump in fan approval ratings, with 94% of fans polled at Blazers games feeling the team’s management is headed in the right direction. He is regarded throughout professional sports as one of its top executives and during his tenure with the Houston Rockets, he was twice runner-up in the balloting for The Sporting News NBA Executive of the Year.
As youth across the nation get set to serve their communities on National Youth Service Day on April 17, the Blazers Community Builders Youth Corps will host a regional youth summit at the RoseQuarter campus on Saturday April 3, as a precursor to community service projects funded for National Youth Service Day.
The Blazers Community Builders Youth Corps has granted $40,000 to nonprofits across Oregon and Southwest Washington to put on projects for National Youth Service Day on April 17. Twenty-one nonprofits and schools received funds for service projects with more than 900 youth involved in the planning and direct implementation of the projects; over 5,000 individuals will be positively affected by the 21 projects.
At the summit, teens also will have a chance to talk about important issues at a Town Hall Youth Voice Forum at 4:00 p.m. with Oregon Secretary of State Bill Bradbury and singer/songwriter Art Alexakis, lead singer of Portland-based band Everclear. The one-hour question and answer session will be moderated by the City Club of Portland and also include Portland Development Commission president Matt Hennessee and Blazers president Steve Patterson.
Questions are expected to range from school funding in Oregon to youth engagement in the election process, the role of corporations, athletes and celebrities in positively engaging youth and the urban/rural divide.
Nearly 600 teens are expected to attend from all over Oregon and Southwest Washington, and approximately 350 teens from outlying areas will spend the night at the Memorial Coliseum after watching the Blazers vs. Hornets game.
The Blazers Community Builders Youth Corps ambassadors have been hard at work since this fall, when they set out on the leadership, community service and philanthropy mission of the BCBYC.
The group is made up of teens from all over Oregon and Southwest Washington who, after a year of serving as BCBYC Ambassadors, have lead community service projects in their communities and granted $40,000 to nonprofits all over Oregon and Southwest Washington. After a meeting in Portland, the teens attended the preseason Blazers game in Redmond, Oregon and learned how to organize a ‘done in a day’ community service project.
They gathered requests for proposals and granted $40,000 worth of community service projects regionally at a February session at the state capitol building in Salem.
Nonprofits that submitted requests for funds will attend the BCBYC Youth Summit at the Memorial Coliseum Exhibit Hall to exchange ideas and show their projects to other nonprofits and teens. In addition, funded groups will bring teens to participate at the Youth Summit.
The day will start off with a welcome in the Rose Garden at 1:00 p.m., then the youth will set up exhibits about completed community service projects that were funded by BCBYC at 2:30 p.m. From 4:00-5:00 p.m. the teens will participate in the Town Hall Youth Voice Forum, moderated by the City Club of Portland, followed by the Blazers vs. Hornets game in the Rose Garden. The teens will then spend the night in the Memorial Coliseum.
Summary of Events
April 3, 2004
11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Registration of Youth
1:00 - 2:00 p.m. Welcome in Rose Garden Bowl
2:30 - 3:45 p.m. Youth exhibits in Exhibit Hall
4:00 - 5:00 p.m. Town Hall Youth Voice Forum facilitated by City Club
featuring Secretary of State, Bill Bradbury, Matt
Hennessee, Art Alexakis, and Steve Patterson.
5:30 - 9:30 p.m. Blazers game
9:30 p.m. - overnight Overnight in the Exhibit Hall
April 4, 2004 11:00 a.m. Event close
About the organizations involved and the panelists:
Camp Fire USA
Camp Fire USA is a coeducational non-profit organization that builds caring, confident youth and future leaders. Operating locally since 1912, the Portland Metro Council is one of the most deeply rooted youth-development organizations in this community. Through year-around educational and recreational opportunities and experiences in schools, in the community, and at Camp Namanu, Camp Fire USA gives young people the skills and motivation they need to become successful adults. For more information, visit www.campfire.org.
Hands On Portland
Hands On Portland connects 10,000 people a year with rewarding, high-impact volunteer opportunities in the Portland Metro Area. Founded in 1996, HOP merged in 2003 with VolunteerWorks to create the Portland Area's largest and most-comprehensive volunteer service organization. Through HOP, volunteers select from one-time, group-based volunteering to longer-term opportunities to opportunities for volunteer leadership at 300 different non-profits, schools or government agencies. HOP also helps corporations develop volunteer programs, holds an annual Serve-a-thon for Schools and helps non-profits build their capacity to harness volunteer power. For more information, or to volunteer, visit www.handsonportland.org or call (503) 413-7787.
City Club of Portland
City Club of Portland is a nonprofit, nonpartisan education and research
based civic organization dedicated to community service, public affairs and
leadership development. Through weekly Friday Forums, citizen-based research
reports, special programs and issue committees, City Club examines issues of
importance to the Portland metropolitan region, the state and society as a
whole. Membership is open to everyone.
For more information about City Club of Portland, please visit www.pdxcityclub.org or call (503) 228-7231.
About the Panelists:
Art Alexakis
Art Alexakis, the lead singer and guitar player for the band Everclear, is well-known for his community activism including participation in “Rock the Vote” events, speaking to kids on the dangers of drug use and testifying before congress in support of a federally enforced child support system. Alexakis, a native of California, moved to Portland in 1992 with his wife and placed an ad for a bass player and a drummer in a local paper. He got only two responses and those three individuals formed the band Everclear. Alexakis had a difficult childhood and young adulthood and feely talks about his drug addiction, the drug related death of his brother and the impact that had on his life.
Everclear has had many hit albums, but is perhaps most well-known for So Much for the Afterglow in 1997 which produced hits “I Will Buy You a New Life,” “Everything to Everyone,” and “Father of Mine.” In 1998, the group won a Billboard Music Award as Modern Rock Artist of the Year. In early 1999, they were nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance for their song El Distorto De Melodica.
Bill Bradbury Governor John Kitzhaber appointed Bill Bradbury as Secretary of State in November 1999, and Bradbury was elected to a four-year term in November 2000. Bill Bradbury is the chief elections officer, auditor of public accounts, and manager of the state's official legislative and executive records, as well as Oregon’s second-highest-ranking elected official. Bradbury also serves as a member of the state land board. Bradbury has been a national leader on election reform, advocated for Oregon’s unique vote-by-mail system before Congress and helped make sure Oregon is one of few states with reliable optical scan ballots.
Matt Hennessee
Hennessee is a well-known and respected community servant who dedicates countless hours for education at all levels. He has been elected to numerous civic and community organizations including the Portland Development Commission, the Governor’s Task Force on Workforce Development and the High Scope International Education Research Foundation. He is currently an inspirational faith leader, serving more than 14 years as an associate pastor of the St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church.
Steve Patterson
Blazers president Steve Patterson joined the team in June 2003, and shortly pledged to make significant changes in the internal and external business operations of the team. Under his leadership, the Blazers announced a 25-point pledge to hold the franchise accountable for its actions and reconnect the Trail Blazers to the fans and the community. In his tenure, the Blazers have seen a significant jump in fan approval ratings, with 94% of fans polled at Blazers games feeling the team’s management is headed in the right direction. He is regarded throughout professional sports as one of its top executives and during his tenure with the Houston Rockets, he was twice runner-up in the balloting for The Sporting News NBA Executive of the Year.
