Out of nearly 20,000 volunteers, this person stood out from the rest
HereisOregon.com - December 11, 2023 - A nonprofit organization with over 50 years of serving Oregon has named Rachal Royce of Portland their Volunteer of the Year. With more than 20,000 volunteers participating in SOLVE cleanup and restoration projects in 2023, this accomplishment is no small feat. Throughout 2023, Rachal Royce stood out from the rest. Rachal Royce began volunteering for SOLVE in 2021 and has since attended 118 volunteer events, both as a volunteer and event leader. In 2023 alone, she attended 31 events. “Everyone at SOLVE has nothing but amazing things to say about her,” noted Peter Brewer, SOLVE’s Volunteer Manager, reflecting on why he thinks Rachal Royce was voted Volunteer of the Year.
Her willingness to go above and beyond is only one of the qualities that have given her recognition as a top-notch volunteer. When asked how and why Rachal got involved with the organization, she explained that she is from outside of Portland and has noticed that it has faced several challenges in the past few years.
“I was drawn to SOLVE events because removing litter from our city and natural areas gives visual evidence that people care about and take pride in our city,” she said. When reflecting on what aspects of SOLVE’s mission resonate with her the most, she noted, “I’m most inspired by SOLVE’s community involvement. Many of SOLVE’s events are hosted and well attended by residents or organizations from the local neighborhood, and their personal commitment to taking care of their space is inspiring.” She later added that her chocolate lab, Hank, “is grateful for a cleaner city too!” So far in 2023, SOLVE volunteers have removed 671,550 pounds of trash at 1,453 volunteer projects. And results are still coming in.
About SOLVE
SOLVE is a statewide nonprofit organization that brings Oregonians together to improve our environment and build a legacy of stewardship. Since 1969, the organization has grown from a small, grassroots group to a national model of volunteer action. Today, SOLVE mobilizes and trains tens of thousands of volunteers of all ages across Oregon to clean and restore our neighborhoods and natural areas, and build a legacy of stewardship for our state. Visit solveoregon.org for more information. The organization prides itself in empowering community members with the tools and access they need to take pride in their community. Any Oregonian (and residents of Southwest Washington!) can apply to become a SOLVE event leader and have access to a tool library, litter grabbers, work gloves, safety vests, trash bags, and all other event supplies necessary to host a safe and fun litter cleanup or habitat restoration project. Event leaders then open their events up to volunteers who support their cleanup or habitat restoration project by participating in the event. This has a rippling effect on public involvement, with over 1,000 volunteer opportunities available each year, all aimed at ensuring communities are safe, clean, and free from litter and invasive species. You can see the original article posted on HereisOregon.com here.