Spring Friends & Allies Summit
Thursday, May 12, 5-7pm
Laurelhurst Club
+
Days of Service on May 6 & 7

Let's gather in person to celebrate  the hard work and countless hours that hundreds of friends and partner groups contribute to making Portland’s parks clean, accessible, and thriving. This is an opportunity for you to meet your fellow parks leaders, local park volunteers, community builders, advocates, and simply the people who are making parks better!  

The Portland Parks Foundation, in partnership with PP&R, is bringing our parks communities together on May 12 to recognize your impact, share your stories, and connect with each other. At the summit, we’ll introduce you to all the nominees for the U.S. Bank Parks Champion and the Joey Pope Award for Parks Leadership nominees and announce the 2022 honorees. 

We will learn about inclusive leadership, the authentic narrative of the lands we now steward as parks and the importance of inclusive park programming from our keynote speaker, Gabe Sheoships, Executive Director of Friends of Tryon Creek, and will hear from PP&R Director Adena Long.

To get started, we will have two Day of Service events on May 6 and May 7 with field workshops! A great opportunity to network, learn and provide volunteer service side by side with volunteers and community groups dedicated our parks system. Each location will include a field workshop and a service component.

Day of Service

Friday, May 6: Day of Service, 1:30pm-4:30pm

  • Gabriel Park: Pollinator Garden Workshop + Ivy Pulling

Join us at Gabriel Park to enjoy the beautiful 90+ acre park as Friends of Gabriel Park leads a workshop on pollinators and birds in the local area. Then join Friends of Gabriel Park and PP&R in removing ivy in the natural area adjacent to the pollinator meadow. PP&R will provide tools, gloves and project instruction. Face coverings are optional to wear at the event. Kids are welcome.

Saturday, May 7: Day of Service, 9am-12pm (Allow for a 15-20 minute walk to the site)

  • Gateway Green: Partnership Workshop + Ivy Pulling

Come check out Gateway Green, Portland’s newly renovated world-class recreation destination! With over 25 acres of park space, discover the wonders Gateway Green has to offer, whether you enjoy running, biking, or walking, there is something for everyone! Volunteers will participate in a conversation about community engagement successes and barriers with local organization Friends of Gateway Green. Then grab a pair of gloves and help remove English Ivy in the natural area. Stay later and get a site tour from Friends of Gateway Green’s Board Chair, Paul Dickow. PP&R will provide tools, gloves and project instruction. Face coverings are optional to wear at the event. Kids are welcome.

Summit Program

Thursday, May 12, 5pm - 7pm at The Laurelhurst Club

  • Keynote speaker, Gabe Sheoships, Executive Director, Friends of Tryon Creek

  • Remarks from Adena Long, PP&R Director

  • Announce 2 U.S. Bank Parks Champions

  • Announce Joey Pope Award for Parks Leadership

  • Emceed by JR Lilly and Silas Sanderson, PPF Board Members

This a free event that is open to anyone who supports Portland’s parks. We'll provide food and your first drink is on us. Masks are optional. Street parking is available near the The Laurelhurst Club, 3721 SE Ankeny St, Portland, OR 97214 or you can take the 15, 20 or 75 bus line to the nearest stop.

About Gabe Sheoships

Gabe is the Executive Director of the Friends of Tryon Creek, where he leads efforts focused on community building, environmental sustainability and protection of the natural world. Gabe is Cayuse and Walla Walla from the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. Gabe has spent his life along the travel corridors and pathways of the Columbia and Willamette Rivers, following traditional migratory routes of his ancestors. Gabe has dedicated his life’s work to protecting Indigenous First Foods, encouraging healthy ecosystems and empowering people to act as stewards of the land and water. In the Portland metropolitan area, Gabe has roots and relationships with Black, Indigenous, Immigrant and Refugee communities that date back to the 1980s. Through these relationships Gabe has built and advocated for change and continued support to meet community needs that have shifted and grown in his 20 years of work.