Kevin Frazier
Frazier is a second-year law student at the UC Berkeley School of Law temporarily living in San Francisco and the editor of The Oregon Way, an online publication.
Gaps in the social safety net and tears in our civic fabric cannot be filled nor patched by the government alone. The well-being of our neighbors and the caliber of our public sphere are the responsibility of every Oregonian, not just their representatives.
The good news is that Oregonians are among the most service-oriented Americans. The bad news is that there’s no expansive platform connecting service opportunities across the state for Oregonians of all ages, skills, and geographies.
If state leaders build a platform for service, Oregonians will come. According to volunteer rankings compiled by AmeriCorps, Oregon has the third highest rate of volunteerism (43.2%). Similarly, 44.3% of Portlanders volunteer (5th among other major U.S. cities). While there are some sites, like Hands on Greater Portland, that help connect people with volunteer opportunities, many acts of service are generally acts of self-starters: folks willing and able to seek out opportunities to assist their neighbors.
To maximize the impact of Oregon’s volunteers and inspire others to serve, the state needs to learn from states like California and Iowa. California set a nationwide model for formalizing service opportunities. The state has created new service opportunities for students of all incomes, interests, and backgrounds, sending young Californians around the state and allowing them to earn tuition breaks at state schools.
Like Oregon, California is a state with growing income inequality and a seemingly intractable urban-rural divide. By sending San Francisco youngsters to the Central Valley, and vice versa, the state is taking a proactive approach to meeting needs and strengthening the state’s civic fabric. Imagine how much a teen in Portland could learn from working on projects with community leaders in Pilot River. It’s these sorts of transformative experiences that can change how Oregonians see one another and approach problem solving opportunities.
Creating opportunities is one thing; inspiring Oregonians to make the most of those opportunities is another challenge. That’s where Oregon ought to learn from Iowa. Based on research identifying 50 hours of volunteering per year as a sort of “tipping point” that creates a habit of service among individuals, Iowa started the “What’s Your 50?” campaign. This specific, tangible goal has helped Iowa continue to be among the most service-oriented states.
Oregon should go even further than Iowa in challenging Oregonians to step up for one another.
Though businesses can generally deduct a portion of charitable donations from their tax bills, new tax breaks should be developed specifically around service opportunities. What if Oregon businesses were granted tax cuts for proof of their employees volunteering more than 100 hours in a year? Small businesses could receive a similar cut by creating service opportunities for community members or donating a certain percentage of their proceeds to local nonprofits.
What if the gamification lessons we’ve learned from COVID-19 vaccination efforts were applied to volunteering? For every 10 hours volunteered, Oregonians could receive prizes and/or recognition for their service.
What if employers were encouraged to prioritize employment of young Oregonians who took a gap year after high school to spend a year serving others? This would help young Oregonians enter their next chapter of life with a more stable financial foundation and a greater appreciation for the state’s diversity, in all its forms.
Oregonians don’t need to be reminded of the power of service, but they need help incorporating it more easily into their lives from a young age. The lesson for Oregon is clear: government actions alone can’t solve every problem; the sooner we invest in service, the sooner we can patch our social safety net and stitch our civic fabric.
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Submit your essay of 500-600 words on a highly topical issue or a theme of particular relevance to the Pacific Northwest, Oregon and the Portland area to commentary@oregonian.com. Please include your email and phone number for verification.
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June 30, 2021 at 08:31PM
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Opinion: Oregon should foster our culture of volunteer service - OregonLive
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