Bless Field Officially Under Construction

We’re fully funded, permitted, and already breaking ground: Bless Field is officially transitioning from a fundraising project into a construction project. Work is underway with final touches expected early summer.

This vision couldn’t have gotten underway without our many donors and supporters who have given time, money, and attention. We’d especially like to thank:

107ist Portland Timbers Football Club Providence Health & Services Widmer Bros. Portland Development Commission FieldTurf Adidas LifeWise Daimler Factory North Oregon Premier League TripWire Knowledge Universe 105 Howitzers The Duane Graf Family Underdog Sports Eleventy Ones Pitch Invasion And all the other many generous donors like you!

Stay tuned for more announcements and our plans to officially open Bless Field.

OPI Work Day - Operation Franklin High

OPI Work Day - Franklin High School

Friends

In cooperation with the Timbers Army and Portland Public Schools, OPI supporting repair efforts at two local high schools. These events are a little different than our usual park fix-ups, so be sure and check out the details below.

• Who is this for? This event is initially reserved for members of the Timbers Army Football Club to help them satisfy their volunteer service requirements. Franklin High School is being repaired by members of OGFC.
• When is it? Saturday, June 8 from 12:00 to 3:00 (immediately after the OGFC Gold match).
• How long will it take? Plan on about 3 hours.
• Where is it? Franklin High School is at 5405 SE Woodward St (map)
• How do I participate? Please sign up on this Eventbrite page (free). By volunteering, you also agree to OPI’s liability waiver.
• What should I bring? In addition to dressing properly for the weather and bringing your own water bottle, we’ll need some people to bring some equipment. We’ll be trimming back some overgrown vines and bushes so if you have some hand branch trimmers/clippers, please bring them. Ideally, we’d also like to have one or two gas powered or cordless edge trimmers as well.

Thanks so much for your help. If you can’t help out with this event, keep an eye on our blog for information about other volunteer opportunities.

OPI Work Day - Operation Marshall High

Friends

In cooperation with the Timbers Army and Portland Public Schools, OPI supporting repair efforts at two local high schools. These events are a little different than our usual park fix-ups, so be sure and check out the details below.

• Who is this for? This event is initially reserved for members of the Timbers Army Football Club to help them satisfy their volunteer service requirements.
• When is it? Sunday, June 2 from 9:00 to noon.
• How long will it take? Plan on about 3 hours.
• Where is it? Marshall High School is at 3905 SE 91st Ave (map)
• How do I participate? Please sign up on this Eventbrite page (free). By volunteering, you also agree to OPI’s liability waiver.
• What should I bring? In addition to dressing properly for the weather and bringing your own water bottle, we’ll need some people to bring some equipment. We’ll be trimming back some overgrown vines and bushes so if you have some hand branch trimmers/clippers, please bring them. Ideally, we’d also like to have one or two gas powered or cordless edge trimmers as well. We’ll also be prepping and painting the steel goals on site. We’ll be supplying paint and related supplies, but having one or two cordless orbital sanders to take some of the rust off before painting would make a big difference. If you can bring any of these heavier pieces of equipment, please email Scott Swearingen or your team manager and let them know what you can bring. We don’t want to end up with dozens of gas powered weed eaters.

Thanks so much for your help. If you can’t help out with this event, you might be able to help out with a similar event on June 8 at Franklin High School. Check here for details.

OPI Work Day: Operation Lents Park - April 20

Friends of OPI!

We are back for our first event of the season with field work at Lents Park. As in the past, PPR staff will be directing operations and lending a hand as we improve 3 pitches. We kick off promptly at 8:30 a.m. We'd love to have you out for our first event of 2013.

• When is it? Saturday, April 20. Work begins at 8:30 a.m.
• Where is it? We’ll be at Lents Park which is located at SE 92nd Ave and Holgate Blvd.
• How do I participate? You must register on this Eventbrite page (free). We need 50 volunteers for this event. As usual, you'll be asked to sign the City's liability waiver when you arrive. By volunteering, you also agree to OPI's liability waiver.
• What kind of work will we be doing? If you have been to one of our park events before, expect more of the same. We'll do stuff like spread fresh soil to level out the ruts in the pitch, lay seed, paint goal equipment, restore goal mouths and repair sprinklers. 
• What should I bring? Work clothes, proper footwear and some work gloves will be all you need. Wear layers if it looks to be cool - sunscreen if the sun is baking. All other supplies and equipment will be provided by PPR.
• How long will it take? Our experience with these events tells us that we should be done in approximately 4 hours. This is a big park, but many hands make light work.

If you can't make this event, keep an eye out for our other events this season on May 11, June 22 and August 31.

OPI Workday - Equipment Repair - August 5

Hello OPI Supporters!

Time again to support our City and the game we love with another OPI workday. We’ve got something a bit different this time and it should be lots of fun.

For this event we’ll be teaming up with our friends at Portland Parks and Recreation to prep and paint the City’s inventory of steel goal equipment. PPR has graciously offered to host a BBQ of hot dogs and burgers for volunteers. Also, recognizing that the Timbers have a 4:00 p.m. kickoff v FC Dallas, we’ll have early admission TA wristbands for volunteers. Sound good? Details below.

• When is it? Sunday, August 5. Work begins at 8:30 a.m.
• Where is it? We’ll be meeting at the PPR maintenance facility located at 6437 SE Division (map). There is plenty of parking and restrooms on site.
• How do I participate? You must sign up on our Eventbrite page (free). We can accomodate up to 50 participants for this event. We’ll have early admission wristbands for those who volunteer - you must be registered and in attendance to receive your wristband. One wristband per person! If your buddy needs a wristband, your buddy needs to volunteer! ou'll be asked to sign the City's liability waiver when you arrive. By volunteering, you also agree to OPI's liability waiver.
• What kind of work will we be doing? The City has approximately 100 goals at the facility. We’ll prep and paint as many as we can in the time allotted.
• What should I bring? You only need to bring clothes you don’t mind getting paint on. Work gloves (latex can be good when painting) might be a good idea. Also, a simple dust mask might make some of the work a bit easier. All other supplies and equipment will be provided by PPR. Don’t forget your sunscreen!
• How long will it take? The match vs. FC Dallas is at 4:00. Wristbands will be handed out around lunch. The wristband gate opens at 2:00 so folks with wristbands will want to finish up and head downtown between 12:00–12:30. We expect to have everything wrapped up by 1:00 or so.

Prep and paint is key to ensuring that this equipment enjoys a long life at the ends of our pitches so your help on this event is appreciated. If you can’t make this event, be sure to block out August 25 and September 22 on your calendar and keep an eye on our blog for more information about other OPI events and activities.

Upcoming Event! Bloomington Park - June 30, 2012

Hey Everyone

Its time once again to grab your work gloves and join OPI to help make our City’s pitches a better place to enjoy the beautiful game. For our first event of the summer we’ll be fixing up the full sized grass pitch at Bloomington Park in Southeast Portland on Saturday, June 30. Full details below:

• Where is it? Bloomington Park. SE 100th Avenue & Steele Street (map)
• When is it? Saturday, June 30. Work begins at 8:30 a.m. Please arrive on time as you’ll need to sign the City’s liability waiver before beginning work.
• How do I participate? You MUST sign up on our Eventbrite page (free). For this first event, we’re capping registration at 50 participants. Also, you must have previously signed up on OPI’s mailing list or be members of the 107ist. Anyone who will be meaningfully digging needs to register. Kids who won’t be working do not need to register (but feel free to bring them out).
• What kind of work will we be doing? The work will be similar to what we did at Ed Benedict last summer. Work will include things like moving soil to fill the ruts and uneven spots in the pitch, leveling the surface, overseeding the soil and excavation and repair of the park’s irrigation system. PPR personnel will be on hand to supervise and direct the work. We also hope to have some lighter duties available (cleaning and painting the goals) for those who may not be able to dig.
• What should I bring? All tools will be provided by the City of Portland so leave your shovels and wheelbarrows at home. You should bring work gloves and appropriate footwaear. If it is cool, wear layers! If it is sunny, bring suncreen! We’ll have some family friendly beverages and small breakfasty items on hand.
• How long will it take? If you ask City personnel, our work rate is legendary. Expect 3–5 hours. We’ll be done in plenty of time to get you on your way to your favorite viewing location for Timbers at Colorado Rapids at 6:00 p.m.

Can’t make this one? No worries. We have 3 more events scheduled for this summer - be sure to add those dates to your calendar. Keep an eye on this space for more information and where/how to sign up. Questions? Drop us a line at volunteer [at] pitch-invasion [dot] org.