Across the North Portland campus of Roosevelt high school, Saturday morning's air filled with the sounds of buzzing weed wackers and whizzing string trimmers.

It was the second annual Day of Service and 1,500 hundred volunteers were ready to give back. From power tools to simple hand trowels, no project was too big or too small.

KGW

Roosevelt High School.

"We want to express what we're for and not what we're against and what we're for is these kids," explains Pastor Kip Jacobs of West Linn's SouthLake Foursquare Church.

Jacobs' church was the sponsor of Saturday's event. It was a day to honor faith, family and community while at the same time proving everyone can make a difference.

"They have their buckets. They've been out weeding and hopefully as they grow older they'll learn there's more to life than having things. It's the people around you," says mother of two Dina Musgrave.

Musgrave is helping pull weeds with her two young daughters just feet from Multnomah Country District Attorney Mike Schrunk.

"I've got a neat office, good men and women and we can convict the bad doers but keeping them from doing it, the prevention, getting people involved, you know support the schools and of course this is near and dear to my heart because this is my own high school."

This work translates according to school staff at Roosevelt High School. In the year since the first day of service was held, the pride has rubbed off on those who walk the school's halls.

"The kids notice that kind of stuff. They say wow, I've got a nice building to go to. My facilities are better. The windows are clean. I can see out really well. It makes a big difference," explains administrator Devon Baker.

In a year of buget cuts and bad headlines, it would cost the Portland School District thousands of dollars to what was done Saturday for free. It was proof that giving back isn't tough and can really mean a lot.