PORTLAND, Ore. -- First lady Laura Bush visited Oregon Thursday for a regional conference about helping America's youth.

Gov. Ted Kulongoski and a towering Portland Trail Blazer Greg Oden introduced her to the conference of students, teachers, mentors and others.

Oden, 20 and a 7-foot center, described himself as "kind of a big young person." He spoke about the positive influences of certain adults in high school. Then, he introduced Mrs. Bush and shook her hand.

Oden, who is sitting out his rookie year with a knee injury, had endorsed Barack Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination only days earlier.

 More: Oden endorses Obama

The conference was part of an initiative introduced by President Bush during the 2005 State of the Union Address to raise awareness of the challenges facing young people and encourage adults to connect with youth at home, school and in the community.

Laura Bush spoke about the importance of helping young people, saying today's young people face more challenges than ever.

AP Photo

Trail Blazer Greg Oden shakes hands with the first lady after introducing her at a youth conference.

"Drugs and gangs, predators on the Internet, violence on television and in real life are just some of the negative influences present everywhere across our country," she said. "As children face these dangers they often have fewer people to turn to for help."

She commended people who already work to help young people through various programs, such as mentoring and volunteer work, and encouraged more adults to support children.

Gov. Ted Kulongoski, raised by nuns in a St. Louis orphanage because his mother was too poor to take care of him, echoed the sentiment

"I know from my own personal experience the importance of just one caring adult turning challenges into opportunity," he said.