Volunteer Highlight: Peter Greenfield

Did you know that New Year in the Park (NYP) is now entering our 5th official year? Every April, for the last half decade, members of the Portland community and beyond gather at Glenhaven Park to celebrate a very important cultural celebration in Southeast Asian: Lao, Thai, Cambodian, and Burmese New Year.
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In 2018 we saw attendance rise to an all-time-high of 8,000 attendees over the course of the day. With New Year in the Park growing into such a great cultural event for the Portland Metro area, we're expecting even greater numbers this year.

New Year in the Park would not be possible if it weren’t for volunteers like Peter Greenfield.

Peter is a retired engineer and clinical hypnotherapist. He has been an eager student of Asian cultures for many years now. His parents collected Asian art and traveled extensively throughout Asia, and that enthusiasm was instilled into him as well.  Even though, Peter isn’t Asian, he hopes to be considered "honorary.” He loves having the opportunity to help share the beauty and peace that he comes across.

Peter joined the NYP planning committee early last year and generously volunteered to help out other volunteers! During last year’s event, he helped check-in over 100 high school volunteers from all over Portland. He mentioned that he was “very impressed by the organization of the committee and the commitment and work ethic of the people on it."

Peter also mentioned that “New Year in the Park is an excellent way to bring to the broader community some experience and enjoyment that the Thai, Lao, Cambodian and Burmese groups have to offer.  One of my passions is to have a society where everyone is accepted and the gifts each group brings to the table are appreciated.”

“I tell people that they should attend because it is a fun event that brings wonderful samples of diverse food, culture and entertainment together for all to experience and enjoy.”
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We rely on volunteers such as Peter to continue to narrate our story and bring our celebration to life. If you are interested in being apart of NYP planning committee or want to help out day-of, please contact us at nyp.pdx.info@gmail or visit our contact page.

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