PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Portland non-profit, Community Energy Project, is hosting a fundraising event in May to support its mission of making energy efficient upgrades to homes in low-income communities across the city.
The Swing into Spring event, starting at 5:30 p.m. May 11, includes a live auction, live swing music, drinks and dinner at Portland’s Polaris Hall.
The non-profit dubbed the event “a great way to support sustainability and social justice, over cocktails.”
CEP, which started in 1979, aims to help low-income communities lower their carbon footprint and stay safe in extreme temperatures — offering workshops on DIY weatherization, led poisoning prevention and helping community members make safety repairs and energy upgrades.
“We go out in our direct service program, and we’ve made 18 deep energy retrofits for homes and we’re going to do another 40 to 60 this year and we do that at no cost to our participants,” CEP Program Director Sherrie Villmark said.
The Swing into Spring event is one of several events in Oregon celebrating sustainability as part of an Earth Day Oregon initiative.
Earth Day Oregon Executive Director Kelly Stevens explained, “this is our fifth campaign year, and we bring together non-profits and businesses across the state to raise awareness and donations for amazing non-profits all around Oregon who are advancing sustainability.”
With 100 non-profits participating in Earth Day Oregon partnerships in 2023, along with 300 business partners, Stevens says the organization hopes to raise more than half a million dollars through the events.