Kaylen & Andrew: 2010 Hands On Greater Portland Volunteer Award

The scene was hectic.  Dozens of volunteers streamed through the elementary school full of energy and hope.   They unfolded ladders, peeled off paint can tops, and spread tarps.  Ready and able, they stood at attention, awaiting instructions from Kaylen Miller.  As the volunteer leader at this massive volunteer project, Kaylen was on the spot.  Everyone needed her.  That was the moment when Andrew, Kaylen’s teenage son, stepped in.  Andrew grabbed a walkie-talkie and took over coordination of one large part of the project.  In that moment, Kaylen realized she had succeeded.  

Kaylen had raised her son to volunteer.  Since age 3, Andrew had volunteered with his mom on dozens of Hands On projects.  Volunteering was one way that Kaylen, a single mom, connected with her son.  At the school, Kaylen remembers that volunteers came to her at the end of the day to say how impressed they were with Andrew and his volunteer coordination skills.  Kaylen is glad that she made an impression on Andrew. “It is my hope that I have modeled the value of giving back,” Kaylen says.  Hands On and the Portland Trail Blazers feel that she has.  

Kaylen and Andrew are the 2010 recipients of the Hands On Greater Portland Volunteer Award.  This event goes to a volunteer -- or two -- who have made outstanding contributions as Hands On volunteers.  Kaylen and Andrew have done that.  Together, they have helped hundreds of people volunteer and meet critical community needs.  As Kaylen says, “Hands On is another part of my family.”