Five Portland-based employees of the international accounting and auditing firm Deloitte spent much of a hot Friday sprucing up the grounds of Catholic Charities’ Kenton Women’s Village.
It was part of a national “impact day” when workers who usually labor in offices get a little dirt under their nails. There were about 20 projects in the Portland and Salem areas alone.
Mowing, weeding and painting were on the agenda June 7 at the North Portland tiny home village.
“It’s a chance for everybody to get involved in the community,” said Connor Dwyer, a Deloitte senior manager who organized the Kenton crew and handled an electric mower on an overgrown hillside.
Connor Dwyer of Deloitte mows.
The village has served as a model for other approaches to homelessness and is admired by many Portlanders, said Dwyer, who serves on the Catholic Charities finance committee.
“I like this place,” said audit senior Evie Sabo as she yanked weeds out of the gravel. “Everyone in Portland is talking about the need for housing.”
Evie Sabo of Deloitte eradicates weeds at Kenton Women’s Village.
Wielding a pickax was Dave Gorretta, an audit partner at Deloitte who at one time was chairman of the Catholic Charities board. More than a decade after making sure Catholic Charities got its new headquarters, Gorretta was dealing with deep-rooted ryegrass.
Working nearby were managing director Scott Schiefelbein and audit senior Justin Misner. Misner had grown up in the area, having graduated from Holy Cross Catholic School. He said it was good to be back in his old neighborhood.
Scott Schiefelbein and Dave Gorretta of Deloitte remove weeds at Kenton Women’s Village.