Tag Archives: Volunteer

Participate in National Volunteer Week with United Way of Salt Lake!

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by Kristen Glendening
UWSL Volunteer

As a volunteer working with UWSL, I have been provided with several wonderful opportunities to participate in events focused toward student and child readiness.  I have had new and exciting challenges and responsibilities that encouraged me to tap into my strengths and open me up to a world I’ve never seen before!

United Way of Salt Lake provides meaningful volunteer opportunities to help you grow and find your true potential. Whether that is working closely with students to promote education, working behind the scenes acquiring office-based knowledge or skill sets, or getting your hands dirty with clean-up projects–everyone can find a way to volunteer to make our neighborhoods better. I am always impressed with how active UWSL is within our community and how dedicated they are to changing the odds for children and families. I had a very humbling, challenging, rewarding time volunteering and working with United Way of Salt Lake!

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Get involved! National Volunteer Week is the perfect time.

Find volunteer opportunities at www.uw.org/volunteer and make sure to follow our Facebook and Twitter for up-to-date information on how to
GIVE, ADVOCATE, and VOLUNTEER with us.

Wells Fargo Provides the Basics for Students at Woodrow Wilson!

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drew_martinezby Drew Martinez
Senior Resource Development Executive

As part of a Wells Fargo conference, UWSL board member, Dave Golden, organized a service opportunity where he and his employees assembled 770 hygiene kits for Woodrow Wilson Community Learning Center. In only 15 minutes, Dave and his team stuffed 770 bags with a bar of soap, body cloth, shampoo, and deodorant for the older kids – then packed all the bags for delivery. Now, I must reiterate, this all happened in under 15 minutes! That’s what I call efficiency in providing services.

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While the employees were packing the kits they were able to read some facts about the odds that many students at Woodrow Wilson are up against and see some of the kids’ faces in pictures that were on each table. Woodrow Wilson Principal, Lynda Hart, was also on hand to share the story of the school.

When a family has limited funds, many children do not have access to the necessary personal hygiene items they need. Often these items can make a difference between a child being healthy and ready to learn and a child who is ill or embarrassed to attend school. By providing age appropriate hygiene kits to all 770 students at Woodrow Wilson Elementary, Wells Fargo employees ensured each child will be given the items they need to show up to school prepared to learn.

The kids were really excited to receive the kits saying things like “This is awesome!” or “This is one of my favorite things!” In fact, the 6th grade class was able to receive the kits from Dr. Bates, the superintendent for Granite School District, when he was visiting the school. What a great hands-on example of collective impact bringing together all sectors to help these children.

Thank you Wells Fargo and Dave Golden for all you
do to make sure every child has the tools to succeed.
Wells Fargo continuously shows what it means to LIVE UNITED.

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Young Leaders and Volunteers are Appreciated at PAL!

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heather_macdonald_1by Heather MacDonald
Volunteer and Community Engagement Director

On Thursday, February 21st Young Leaders and new volunteers were treated to a special day! The youth at PAL Boxing Center came together to throw a special Volunteer Appreciation event to celebrate the hard work and dedication that Young Leaders and other volunteers have provided to their program. This meant that instead of supervising activities, the volunteers got to enjoy the fun and games.

The youth at PAL love Minute-to-Win-it style games and we were able to participate in some of their favorites like a hula hooping contest and a three legged race. As a thank you to all Young Leaders, we received a framed t-shirt signed by PAL youth and staff. It was an honor to be a part of such a fun day and to hear them talk about the impact volunteers have in their lives. Here is what a few of the volunteers had to say about the event:

I had a wonderful experience spending the evening with students at the PAL Boxing Center in South Salt Lake. During the visit, we played games with students, including a game I’ve never heard of or seen that involved a pair of nylons, golf balls, and water bottles. It was a very interesting and fun game. It clearly wasn’t a game where I shined through! I appreciated the opportunity to connect with students (many who attend Granite Park Jr. High) in a different setting. It was great to see how much they all enjoyed their time at the Center and with each other. It brings me joy to know that these students have a place they can go after school where they are supported in their personal and academic endeavors. –Carmela Castandea

Recently, we spent time with students at the PAL Boxing Community and Welcome Center in South Salt Lake.  This center provides tutoring services, boxing programs, and other afterschool enrichment experiences for children from schools in the surrounding neighborhoods. I appreciated the opportunity to connect with the students through games and was impressed to see how much they enjoyed being at the Center.  For these kids, the Center provides more than just programming.  It is an opportunity for them to cultivate relationships with their peers and further engage in their community.  Through these programs, students are able to participate in activities that can help them achieve their potential.  I admire the students’ energy and their desire to be a part of a program that supports their personal and academic growth. –Chris Ellis

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If you are a Young Leader or have considered becoming a Young Leader, we invite you to join us on the third Thursday of each month between 3:00 -7:00 p.m. to participate in homework help, Kids Café, boxing, and recreation activities at PAL. For more information about becoming a Young Leader please contact Cristi Wetterberg at cristi@uw.org or 801.746.2569. To sign up as a volunteer please contact Heather MacDonald at heather@uw.org or 801.736.7715.

Thank you, Alpine Securities!

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lindsey_edwardsby Lindsey Edwards
Community Learning Center Coordinator
Woodrow Wilson Elementary

“It was fun, it was awesome.  It was, like the best day of my life!” –4th grade student, Woodrow Wilson Elementary

Alpine Securities volunteered to sponsor a Winter Celebration for the afterschool program at Woodrow Wilson Elementary.  The volunteers held a company-wide collection to make gift bags for every student (100 total) in the program.  The gift bags included a blanket, gloves, winter hat, candy, healthy snacks, juice, and small toy.  They also brought sugar cookies and frosting so that the kids could decorate dessert.  Elise Crosby, manager of the afterschool program reflected on the event by saying, “The volunteers went above and beyond in making the day special for the afterschool students and staff.  It really was a community event.”

Parents were notified of a Winter Celebration for the afterschool program to be sponsored by Alpine Securities.  The next day, a father with 2 boys in the afterschool program volunteered to be the DJ for the event.  He even brought a fellow musician, who is also a Granite School District employee to perform a few songs for the kids.  They transformed the gym into a full-on dance party!  It was a wonderful afternoon of gifts, cookies, and dancing.  It was a shining example for the students of what it means to be a community, to work together, to come together to celebrate and have fun.  Robin Farnsworth, parent and 3rd grade teacher at Woodrow Wilson Elementary, shared her thoughts about the celebration by saying, “my kids loved the Winter Celebration and were so excited when we got home. My son with Asperger’s loved his blanket and it has become his new favorite (that never happens). All my children reported having fun and how nice the (Alpine) people were who helped.  I appreciate the time and effort taken to make my children feel like important members of their community. I feel a sense of pride in my community when we get to participate in activities like this. Thanks for all you do to care for my children. It takes a village, and you are part of my village.”

Thank you to Alpine Securities for LIVING UNITED and to United Way of Salt Lake and DJ LaMont for creating community at our school!

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Young Leaders Volunteer at PAL Boxing Community and Welcome Center

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by Sheldon Byde
Young Leader, Guest Blogger

One of the monthly volunteer opportunities for Young Leaders happens at the South Salt Lake Police Athletic Activities League (PAL) Boxing Center. While PAL welcomes volunteers any weekday afternoon, a group of Young Leaders will be volunteering at PAL on the third Thursday of each month from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. Volunteers will tutor students from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. and then help with a variety of recreational or athletic activities after the kids take a break for a meal.

On October 18th, four Young Leaders volunteered at PAL. Even though the third Thursday of October fell on fall break this year, we were met by about 25 girls and boys excited to see new faces. The PAL coordinators had set up a series of “minute-to-win-it” games in the gymnasium, so the kids and volunteers got to do those activities instead of the normal hour of homework. Afterwards, the kids sat down for a meal provided by the Utah Food Bank’s Kids Cafe program.

The boxing coach and staff at PAL were very welcoming to volunteers. Everyone emphasized that the kids participating in the boxing program were required to maintain good grades. Any assistance they receive with school work allows them to maintain the standards necessary to participate in the program, which in turn provides a structured after-school athletic activity in a safe environment. They also assured us that volunteers did not need to be boxers! There was a coach and trained staff to direct the boxing, but PAL staff organized other activities in the gym for the kids (and volunteers) that weren’t interested in the competitive boxing program.

Check out the United Way of Salt Lake’s PAL Boxing Community and Welcome Center at http://www.sslpal.org/. A group of Young Leaders will be headed to PAL Boxing Center on the third Thursday of each month to volunteer. Please contact Heather MacDonald at heather@uw.org for more information on how to get involved.

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