The 2013 Stand Together Week edition, sponsored by Alaska Airlines, adidas, CenturyLink, Coca-Cola and Providence Health and Services, hit the midweek at a torrid pace.
Running from August 4-10, 2013, the week consists of 30 volunteer projects with various nonprofit organizations throughout the city, and will engages hundreds of supporters, including Timbers and Portland Thorns FC players, coaches, ambassadors and front office staff. Each project has a meaningful impact on the community with an overall focus on benefitting youth and the environment.
Kicking off Sunday at Dairy Creek Park in Hillsboro, Timbers players Will Johnson, Jack Jewsbury, Diego Chara, and Diego Valeri joined volunteers from the KeyBank Little Timbers Fan Club to clean up the park. Together they resurfaced the trails, pulled weeds, and cutback plants that were creeping on to the trails.
Stand Together Week 2013 spread out across Portland on Monday with Steven Evans, Sebastian Rincon, David Horst, Bright Dike and Brent Richards wiorking with fans and volunteers at local organizations Portland YouthBuilders, Growing Gardens, Schoolhouse Supplies, 4 Worlds United Soccer Alliance and AC Portland.
Tuesday saw Mikael Silvestre and Timber Joey at Mt. Tabor Park with volunteers and representatives from Portland Parks and Recreation. The group was tasked with removing weeds and non-native plants from the park in order to aid the growth of native sword ferns.
According to Susan Hawes, stewardship coordinator with Portland Parks and Recreation, the ferns were planted a couple years ago by local school children. She says the ferns need help establishing themselves and non-native plants make that difficult. Portland Parks and Recreation is optimistic that as a result of the work done by volunteers the ferns will be on the right path to a health life.
Milos Kocic helped out with adidas at Habitat for Humanity, Thorns FC's Becky Edwards was with Alaska Airlines at Portland Police Sunshine Division and Timber Joey was everywhere--including Zenger Farms
Stand Together Week 2013 continues through Saturday, August 10. To sign up as a volunteer for one of the Stand Together Week projects or for more information on the overall initiative, please visit www.portlandtimbers.com/standtogetherweek.
Follow and join all the fun on social media with hashtag #STWeek.
