PBEM Recognition Events

Portland NET 30th Anniversary Party and City Council Recognition

Friends of Portland NET 30th Anniversary Party

Glenn Devitt and Jeremy Van Keuren receiving services awards from Friends of Portland NET.

Friends of Portland NET (FPN) hosted their first NET Recognition Event on June 1, 2024 for the 30th year of NET's founding. The event was held at Zion Lutheran (1015 SW 18th Ave) and attended by 110 volunteers. Speakers included Jeff Bissonnette, Chris Carey, Alice Busch, and Jeremy Van Keuren. FPN also presented Jeremy and Glenn Devitt with appreciation awards for their years of service with NET volunteers.

NET 30th Anniversary City Council Proclamation.

Portland City Council NET 30th Anniversary Proclamation

NETs and Portland City Council celebrating the 30th anniversary of Portland NET.

Portland City Council also lauded NET's 30 years of service to Portland Communities with a proclamation on July 10, 2024. The audience included approximately two dozen NET volunteers. The text of the proclamation reads:

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Video: City Council 30 Year NET Anniversary Proclamation; forward to the 36 minute mark in the video.

Whereas, the vitality of Portland is a deep spirit of civic mindedness and shared commitment to all residents' wellbeing; and

Whereas, the City of Portland launched the Neighborhood Emergency Team program in 1994 and has developed it to become among the largest and most esteemed volunteer emergency preparedness and response programs in the United States of America; and

Whereas, Neighborhood Emergency Team volunteers have worked tirelessly for 30 years to prepare Portland communities for natural hazards, ranging from severe heat and cold to a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake; and

Whereas, NET volunteers are committed to serve as immediate neighborhood responders to save lives in the first hours following a catastrophic citywide disaster and are an integral part of the City of Portland's emergency planning, having deployed 244 times in the past five years to support emergency response professionals; and

Whereas, NET volunteers contribute approximately 30,000 volunteer hours every year assisting professional first responders, engaging with communities, and training to respond to emergencies and catastrophic disasters; and

Whereas, NET volunteers have spearheaded local efforts to serve disaster-vulnerable communi­ties before, during, and after emergencies, including persons with access and functional needs, and socioeconomically disadvantaged neighbors; and

Whereas, Portland benefitted tremendously from the unwavering support of NET volunteers during the COVID-19 pandemic when they supported dozens of vaccine clinics, filled critical roles in Portland's Emergency Operations Center, embedded with the Portland Mask Project to sew over 20,000 masks primarily to protect lives of underserved communities and children, and provided safety education to Portland businesses; and

Whereas, volunteers in the NET program have supported houseless persons by becoming qualified to serve in critical roles at emergency shelters, and transporting guests to life-saving shelters during severe weather conditions; and

Whereas, NET volunteers have contributed their time alongside professionals of Portland Fire & Rescue, the Portland Police Bureau, and other agencies to help keep important Portland events safe, such as the Rose Festival, the Portland Marathon, the Out of Darkness Walk, the Pride Parade, and more.

Now, therefore, I, Ted Wheeler, Mayor of the City of Portland, Oregon, the "City of Roses," do hereby proclaim July 10, 2024, to be

Portland Neighborhood Emergency Teams Day in recognition of their 30 years of service and encourage all Portlanders to observe this day.