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Blazers Community Builders (BCB)

BCB is the Blazers own employee volunteer program and it is starting its third season. During the off season, teams of Blazers employees set out once a week (monthly during the season) to participate in community service projects dedicated to revitalizing North and Northeast Portland neighborhoods. Some projects include creating a community garden, cleaning local parks, painting playground equipment and building a Habitat for Humanity home. Since its inception, Blazers staff have clocked nearly 5,000 sweaty hours impacting over 15,000 residents in Portland's inner city.

Last October, the Blazers were honored with the 1999 Points of Light Foundation Award for Excellence in Corporate Community Service, in large part due to the effort and accomplishments of the BCB program.

Blazers Community Builders Youth Corps was modeled after BCB and designed to be BCB for kids. The Blazers run the program with Portland Boys & Girls Clubs.

Blazers Community Builders Harvest Dinner

The Blazers host an annual Harvest Dinner at the Rose Garden for homeless, shelter-bound or critically low-income people within the Portland Metro area. The event is a partnership with many corporate and community organizations. Blazers Community Builders teams served dinner to over 4,000 people at this year's dinner, served an additional 200 meals to North Portland Meals-on-Wheels recipients and another 2,500 meals were provided to local shelters.

Blazers Holiday Express

Throughout the month of December, BCB teams deliver holiday cheer to non-profit organizations that help kids in the Portland area. Blazers staff, players, coaches and broadcasters provide over 800 Christmas trees and serve a pancake breakfast to charity organizations and low-income families in Portland. Rasheed Wallace and his family lead a Christmas ornament drive prior to the event, collecting thousands of ornaments and then personally giving out the ornaments to kids receiving trees at the event. BCB teams also adopt Head Start classrooms, delivering presents and clothing to the students before Christmas break.