Last week, a group of 5th graders from the McPolin Elementary After School Program, were able to take a special field trip to the Stein Eriksen Lodge to participate in the MBK  employee retreat.

MBK is a senior living/nursing home company. The kids got quite a kick out of learning about what the employees do on a daily basis. The MBK Director shared with the kids that “when people like your grandparents can’t take care of themselves anymore, we take care of them. We get them dressed, feed them, and give them baths.” It was quite a learning experience for the kids and they truly enjoyed the time with the MBK employees.

During their annual retreats, MBK connects with a local organization to make a donation as part of their Good Works Projects. This year, Promise Park City/United Way was the recipient of school supplies, snacks, musical instruments, and many other items, totaling more than $800! The organizers also presented the 5th graders at the event with gift bags.

During the field trip, the MBK employees teamed up with groups of students and played “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader.” The McPolin students were so impressive and intelligent and everyone had a fabulous time!

A huge THANK YOU to MBK for not only the much needed donations, but also for the time and attention they gave to these kids. You truly made a difference and showed how to LIVE UNITED!

Serving as Chair of the Tocqueville Society, Ron Jibson, Chairman, President, and CEO of Questar Corporation, is leading an effort to reimagine this donor network. A newly formed committee has established a goal to create events and exclusive outlets for members that encourage greater investment and a stronger affinity to the goals and mission of United Way. These events are also intended to appeal to prospects and members and create a place where everyone can network, socialize, and see their investment in action—literally changing the odds for children and families in our community!

As a way to kick-off the effort to reimagine Tocqueville Society, Tom Love, Sean Slatter, and Ron Jibson recently held luncheons for Tocqueville Society members.  The luncheons were an invaluable opportunity for members to gather in a small intimate setting to get to know one another and give feedback on how best to increase engagement of members of this network.

A big thank you to Sean and Ron for hosting at ZY Restaurant and Alta Club! We’d also like to thank Tocqueville members who attended and gave us feedback.  We are looking forward to a great year of opportunities tailored to fit the needs, interests and availability for members of Tocqueville.

Tocqueville Society is comprised of philanthropists who demonstrate extraordinary generosity by investing $10,000 or more annually. These caring individuals make an outstanding commitment to improving the quality of life in our community. To learn more about Tocqueville Society or any of our other donor networks, please contact Shannon Harmon, Leadership Giving Director at shannon@uw.org, or 801-736-7704.

This week, SimplexGrinnell decided to extend their month-long campaign by a week because they’ve seen such strong support helping their local United Ways.  The Salt Lake office of SimplexGrinnell ramped up their efforts this year with a special emphasis on ensuring their employees knew that their donations will stay right in the surrounding communities. We appreciate the passion and strong testimonials of those running the campaign.

Last year, SimplexGrinnell employees raised over $150,000 for United Ways in the US and Canada with about half of those funds being directed to the United Way Youth Venture Initiative.  This youth-led enterprise focuses on empowering kids to be change makers, regardless of their age.

United Way of Salt Lake and our partners indeed know the power of our youth.

We appreciate the enthusiasm and generosity local SimplexGrinnell employees showed this month—congratulations on your best campaign yet!

United Way of Salt Lake believes that creating healthy behaviors and attitudes can lead to a healthier life overall, and this week 24 Hour Fitness affirmed that they share this belief.  Thanks to Wellness Manager and Corporate Trainer Melissa Cox, 24 Hour Fitness is taking a greater interest than ever in our community.

Although 24 Hour Fitness is new to working with UWSL, they have certainly jumped in with both feet.  In our overall objectives of education, income and health, 24 Hour Fitness has decided to focus their energies on the “health” aspect of our pipeline, aligning their own values with those of United Way.

This week, 24 Hour Fitness came out to United Way to talk to our own employees about their commitment to become involved with our programs and to share some advice on health and wellness.

Their plans for involvement in United Way and the community are exciting.  In addition to running a workplace giving campaign, 24 Hour Fitness is planning to start volunteer projects at our neighborhood centers that would engage children not only in fun exercise programs, but also in discussions about nutrition, fitness and overall wellness.  They are also looking at sponsoring a 5k run in the fall for both their employees and patrons, with the proceeds going to United Way of Salt Lake!

After highlighting their future plans with United Way, Melissa and two of her trainers spoke to us about wellness topics.  While covering varied subjects such as general nutrition, diet myths, vegetarian proteins, and office exercises, Melissa and her training team answered questions and gave demonstrations.  After all, if we hope to successfully encourage healthy habits and behaviors in our community at large, then it is certainly a good idea to look inwards and make sure that we are working towards a healthier lifestyle for ourselves.  This is what it means to LIVE UNITED.  And I, for one, am sitting up a little straighter today!  Thank you, 24 Hour Fitness!

Last week was an exciting one here at UWSL! We held our annual workplace giving campaign where we got the chance to raise money for our work in the community. UWSL employees generously gave of their own means as well as solicited friends and family to give through Teamraiser, an online fundraising tool. Campaign activities included a kick-off breakfast with a presentation from Zenia Frendt, a leadership tour at Granite Park Jr. High, a delicious potluck, Minute to Win It games, a silent auction, opportunity drawing, and an incredible casino-games wrap-up party!

UWSL employees, friends, and family were able to raise over $64,000 for our campaign which goes right back in to the community to help us change the odds for children and families! I personally was blown away by my fellow coworker’s passion for and generosity towards our work! It is a privilege to work with such outstanding people!

A huge thank you to Stacey Earle, Operations Director at UWSL, and her campaign committee for planning such a fun and successful campaign!

Thank you to all who donated items for our auction or raffle, or contributed in other ways to our campaign! We couldn’t have done it without you!