Oregon State Senator Margaret Carter among local individuals and businesses honored for outstanding volunteer leadership.

The Portland Trail Blazers and Hands On Greater Portland announced the Seventh Annual Heart of the Community Awards honoring exemplary volunteers who have made significant contributions through service. Presented at a lunchtime ceremony in the Governor Hotel’s Heritage Ballroom, the awards promoted volunteerism in the community and called attention to local individuals and organizations that model outstanding volunteer leadership.

Award winners were chosen in six categories, including Heart of the Community Award, Individual Volunteer Award, Youth Leadership Award, Volunteer Innovation Award, Hands On Volunteer Award, and the Corporate Volunteer Award.

The 2008 award recipients are as follows:

Senator Margaret Carter, Heart of the Community Award
Matt Bryant and Velvet, Individual Volunteer Award
Treva Erickson and MacKenzie Wear, Nathan Sibell Youth Leadership Award
Street Roots, Volunteer Innovation Award
Brenda Bowling, Hands On Volunteer Award
Intel, Corporate Volunteer Award

With KGW News Anchor Laural Porter serving as master of ceremonies, local business and community leaders - including Trail Blazers Chief Operating Officer Mike Golub and former honorees - were on hand to present the awards.

All proceeds from the event benefit Hands on Greater Portland, Portland’s volunteer center dedicated to matching individuals of all ages with nonprofit organizations throughout the Portland area.

The Heart of the Community Awards is also sponsored by Portland General Electric, Bank of the Cascades, Fred Meyer, NW Natural, Eco-Metro / Chinook Bank, Umpqua Bank, KGW Newschannel 8, First Tech Credit Union, Comcast, US Bank.

ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS The Portland Trail Blazers, members of the National Basketball Association (NBA), were founded in 1970, and purchased by Paul G. Allen in 1988. The team’s rich heritage includes 26 playoff appearances, an NBA championship in 1977 and a commitment to community service. With a corporate mission to “Make It Better,” the Trail Blazers strive to help children and their families throughout Oregon and southwest Washington learn, play, grow, get involved and live healthier lives. The Trail Blazers are the first and only pro sports franchise to receive the prestigious National Points of Light Award for excellence in corporate community service. A long-time partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of Portland led to the establishment of the Blazers Boys & Girls Club, the first team-sponsored club of its kind, and has resulted in contributions of more than $1 million. The Albina Head Start McCormack-Matthews Center, which provides education and health services to preschoolers and their families, was established in 2004 with nearly $1 million in contributions from Allen, the team, and former Trail Blazers star and a Portland native, Damon Stoudamire.

ABOUT HANDS ON GREATER PORTLAND Hands On Greater Portland is a nonprofit organization that connects 13,000 volunteers a year with meaningful volunteer opportunities, feeding the hungry, caring for the homeless, teaching children and caring for the elderly. As Portland's only volunteer center, Hands On partners with more than 250 nonprofits, schools and government agencies, providing critical volunteer support to the greater Portland metropolitan area through hundreds of one-day projects, on going volunteer teams and long term volunteer placements. Hands On makes a real impact on the community, develops volunteer leadership and helps volunteers learn more about the issues shaping our region. For more information, please visit www.handsonportland.org.