BEAVERTON, OR -- Instead of reporting to work today, more than 900 Oregon-based Nike employees volunteered out in the community, doing everything from helping teach P.E. classes in the schools to providing maintenance on the popular Sckavone Baseball Stadium at Westmoreland Park.

Organized in partnership with Volunteers of America Oregon and Hands On Portland, Nike's Community Involvement Day involved volunteer efforts at 41 locations in Multnomah and Washington Counties. Led by Nike President of U.S. Operations, Gary DeStefano, each team of volunteers devoted five hours to the community organization they chose to assist for the day. In one day, employees contributed approximately 4,500 volunteer hours, or a dollar value of more than $77,000 in volunteer time* (*source: Independent Sector). In addition to the hours contributed, Nike will make cash donations totaling more than $40,000 to this year's beneficiaries.

"Giving back through employee involvement has always been at the core of Nike's belief in what it means to be an Oregon company," said Gary DeStefano, Nike President of U.S. Operations. "Whether it involves helping kids get physically active or working to address the issue of hunger, Nike and its employees are proud to dedicate this special day for making a significant, positive impact in our community, and our goal is to bring this same level of enthusiasm to ongoing efforts throughout the year."

Although this annual event began in Oregon, each year additional cities join in the event. This year, the event includes Memphis, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco and the U.K. Each non-profit organization selected for Nike's Community Involvement Day in Oregon received the volunteer hours and a cash donation to support programs in the following areas: youth sports and recreational/physical activity; youth and family services; resources for senior citizens and the disabled; housing and sustainable communities; hunger and homelessness; and animal care.

As in years past, Nike worked with Hands On Portland and Volunteers of America to identify the beneficiary organizations and associated projects that were selected for inclusion in this year's event.

"Nike is an outstanding role model when it comes to encouraging community involvement and employee volunteerism," said Christee Sweeney, Director of Development and Communications for Volunteers of America Oregon. "The company gives back to our community not only through traditional charitable cash donations but also by sharing the strengths and skills of its employees on this incredible day of community service."

In Oregon, employee volunteers led children in physical activities at several Portland Public Schools, helped repair bicycles at the Community Cycling Center, provided maintenance in several Portland parks, including Westmoreland Park's baseball stadium, read to children, helped build low-income housing, helped make West African hand drums at Ethos and provided assistance at a variety of other community sites.

"Nike sends more than 800 employees into our community every year on this day of service," said Hands On Portland Executive Director Andy Nelson. "It sends a strong signal to the community that volunteerism is not optional but a necessary ingredient for community change."

At the kick-off event held this morning, six Nike employees were awarded the Blazers Community Champions Award for their outstanding commitment to community service. The award, which is given annually, is presented to employees who have been nominated by their peers for their work within their surrounding community. Most of this year's recipients contributed more than 500 hours to the community organization of their choice. This year, the award was presented by Darnell Valentine, the Portland Trail Blazers Director of Player Programs. This year's award recipients and the organizations they've supported are:

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NIKE, Inc. based near Beaverton, Oregon, is the world's leading designer, marketer and distributor of authentic athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories for a wide variety of sports and fitness activities. Wholly-owned NIKE subsidiaries include Converse Inc., which designs, markets and distributes athletic lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories and Hurley International LLC, which designs, markets and distributes surf and youth lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories. For more information, visit www.nikeinc.com.

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