Monday, September 26, 2011

Lt. Governor Greg Bell Honors Utah’s Top Summer of Service Volunteers


Summer of Service Winners Receive Private Luncheon and Presidential Service Award

SALT LAKE CITY – In recognition of receiving the Presidential Volunteer Service Award, Lt. Governor Greg Bell and the Utah Commission on Volunteers are honoring three outstanding Utahns on September 27th, 2011 with a private luncheon held in their honor. The awardees contributed the most hours of volunteer service in their age category between June 1 and August 31 as part of the Utah Summer of Service. This year over 650 volunteers participated in the program and between them they served over 20,000 hours.

Daniel Ovard age 13, Shannon Babb age 23, and Dale Greenland age 53, recorded the most service hours in their age categories over the past three months, earning both a Presidential Service Award and lunch with Lt. Governor Bell.

“Volunteering is at the heart and soul of Utah and it is with great personal pride that I recognize these three Utahns for their service this summer,” says Bell.  “Let their examples serve as inspiration for all of us to increase our level of volunteerism in our local communities”.

Thirteen year-old Daniel Ovard volunteered 236 hours with the Living Planet Aquarium in Salt Lake City. He was the lead youth volunteer at the aquarium for the summer responsible for leading the youth volunteer program. He also spent considerable time doing research on a praying mantis project, evaluating its cost, time requirements, and feasibility for the volunteers to manage at the aquarium.

“I chose to volunteer at the Living Planet Aquarium because I was interested in marine biology and wanted to give something back to the community,” says Ovard. “I found volunteering a fun way to spend my summer.”

Twenty three year-old Shannon Babb, a student at Utah State University, volunteered over 400 hours with the Living Planet Aquarium as well. During her service Shannon discovered that there was a lack of knowledge relating to Utah Waterways. Shannon stepped in and over the summer did all of the research to design several dozen Utah tanks. She also was involved in calculating how many fish and of what species should go in which tank, as well as gathered all of the source data that would be needed for future signage.

“As a student at Utah State University, I feel lucky to live in a state that emphasizes both service and education in our communities,” says Babb. “Volunteering at the Living Planet Aquarium gave me the unique opportunity to not only give back that community, but to teach the public about the importance of water quality, and hopefully inspire the next generation to become interested in a subject I am very passionate about, exploring the natural world.”

Dale Greenland, age 53, from Magna, volunteered his time with the Community Action Program Food Bank in Magna. At the CAP of Magna, Dale could be found separating food into individual orders for incoming clients, unloading trucks with new supplies for the day, and separating the food into categories. Recently the local church organizations in Magna held a food run and collected 7 truck loads of food for the Magna office. This required some additional hours from Dale on Saturday’s but he felt like it was well worth his time.

“The Magna community donated huge quantities of non perishables and I would like to personally thank them,” says Greenland. “The Magna Community Action Program has been great to volunteer for and I enjoy giving back.”

In addition to the three top volunteers, all volunteers ages 5 to 14 who logged more than 50 hours of service, and those ages 15 and older who served more than 100 hours will also be honored with a Presidential Service Award and Recognition Pin.

Interviews Opportunities are available at the press conference with:

·         Lt. Governor Greg Bell

·         Dale Greenland, Adult Award Winner

·         Shannon Babb, Young Adult Award Winner

·         Daniel Ovard, Youth Award Winner

·         Melissa Bowers, The Living Planet Aquarium Volunteer Coordinator

·         Shar Lewis, Executive Director Utah Commission on Volunteers

 
Visuals Available at Press Conference

·         Lt Governor presenting awards to top volunteers

 
Press Kit Available

·         Summer of Service Fact Sheet

·         Award Winner Biographies & Photos

·         Commission on Volunteers Fact Sheet

·         Press Release

 
The mission of the Utah Commission on Volunteers, an office of the Lieutenant Governor, is to improve communities through service and volunteering. For more information on the Commission on Volunteers, and various volunteering opportunities across the state, log onto www.volunteers.utah.gov.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Commission on Volunteers Celebrates National Senior Corps Week

Commission on Volunteers Celebrates National Senior Corps Week
Seniors Take the Lead in Volunteerism

SALT LAKE CITY -The Utah Commission on Volunteers, in partnership with the State office of the Corporation for National and Community Service, will join the second annual nationwide celebration of Senior Corps Week, September 19-23, 2011, shining the spotlight on the impact of Senior Corps Programs in Utah.

More than 6,700 seniors in Utah contributed 1,218,985 hours of service in one of three Senior Corps programs last year: RSVP with 689,785 hours, Senior Companions with 237,514 hours, and Foster Grandparents with 291,686 hours. This age group provides the highest percentage of volunteer hours, helping keepUtah#1 in volunteerism in the nation.

“This second annual Senior Corps Week gives us the opportunity to say thank you and shine the spotlight on our 55 and older adults,” said Jake Murakami, State Director for the Corporation for National and Community Service said. “These volunteers continue to make an enormous impact in our communities throughout our state.”

Senior Corps works through existing organizations – RSVP (Retired Seniors Volunteer Program), Foster Grandparents, and Senior Companions – to engage age 55 and older volunteers in service to meet critical needs. RSVP volunteers provided services, such as safety patrols for local police and tutoring for youth, to more than 670 groups across Utah. Foster Grandparents served one-on-one as tutors and mentors to14,000 special needs young people. Senior Companions helped 1,300 homebound seniors and other adults maintain independence in their own homes.

“We are proud to be part of Senior Corps and grateful for the service they give to their communities,” Dwight Rasmussen, Program Manager for Foster Grandparents and Senior Companion of Salt Lake Aging Service said. “Older adults in Utah provide solutions to some of our communities most needy individuals. The services these members provide are not only critical to Utah’s economy, but also in setting the example for the next generation on the benefits and joys of volunteering.”

To mark Senior Corps Week, the Utah Commission on Volunteers is celebrating the efforts of senior volunteers across the state. Volunteers like Joe McQueen, 92 and Deanna Ince, 66, are examples of Senior Corps members making a difference in their communities.

Joe McQueen lives in Ogden and will celebrate 12 years as a Senior Companion on September 8th. His kind and easy going manner puts his clients at ease and his thoroughness keeps them on schedule. You can spot Joe daily at Wal-Mart, either taking someone shopping or doing it for them. He helps folks get to doctor and hair appointments and especially likes taking them to his favorite fresh spring water well. Joe says what he does is not earth shattering, he just simply likes “doing for people who need help.” He truly believes it’s the small things that make a difference. He serves his clients with grace, humility and style, and through his service, helps them continue living in their own homes.

Deanna Ince is a Foster Grandparent in Sandy, and “grandma” to many of the at-risk children she serves at the FamilySupportVillage. She has worked with over 500 at-risk children, providing emotional support to children who are often victims or have been witnesses to domestic violence or abuse in their homes. She gives the children, and the parents, a sense of stability because they recognize and know they are leaving their children with a familiar and caring adult. Deanna organizes crafts, reads and plays with the children. Everyone is always excited to see “grandma Deanna” with her cheerful attitude and infectious laugh.

In addition to Senior Corps programs, there are numerous opportunities for older adults to serve their communities. In commemoration of the 10thAnniversary of 9/11, we are asking seniors to join Utahns across the state and people throughout the country by serving and thanking our active soldiers, military families, veterans, and first responders in the week leading up to and culminating on September 11, 2011. Opportunities and ideas are posted on the Utah Commission for Volunteers website www.volunteers.utah.gov.

 “Every community has critical social needs that can become opportunities for older adults to serve,” said Lt. Governor Greg Bell. “Their valuable life experience and skills can directly help someone in need and make a significant impact in our communities.”

For more information on Senior Corps programs visit www.seniorcorps.gov or contact Jake Murakami at 801.524.5411. For statewide volunteer opportunities visit www.volunteers.utah.gov or contact your local volunteer center.

The mission of the Utah Commission on Volunteers, an office of the Lieutenant Governor, is to improve communities through service and volunteering. It furthers its mission by administering federal funds for AmeriCorps and National Service programs and increasing volunteerism by promoting community collaboration, volunteer recognition, youth and older adult service and providing training and resources for those working with volunteers. For more information or to find volunteering opportunities around the state, log ontowww.volunteers.utah.gov.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Utah Residents Mark 10th Anniversary of 9/11 by Serving Others


Volunteers across the state serve as part of a National Day of Service

[Salt Lake City] – September 11, 2011, marks the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on our country.  This is the perfect opportunity for Utahns to honor those who died and those who served during this time in our country’s history.

Who can forget the morning of September 11, 2001, when nineteen members of al-Qaeda hijacked four commercial airliners. Shortly after taking control, the hijackers crashed two of the planes into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, one into the Pentagon in Arlington, VA and a fourth into a rural Pennsylvania field after passengers attempted to retake control of the plane.  Over 3,000 people lost their lives that day along with many more fighting to protect our freedoms and keep us safe.  Some of our Utah friends and family lost their lives in these attacks and many Utahns volunteered their services in the aftermath.

"I, along with the Utah Commission on Volunteers, would like to personally invite you to join us in honoring Utah’s heroes, our shining examples of service and sacrifice, by participating in Utah’s 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance,” said Lt. Governor Greg Bell.  “This is your opportunity to serve those that so selflessly serve us by getting involved.”

The focus of service for the 9/11 National Day of Service is on active soldiers, military families, veterans, and first responders in the week leading up to and culminating on September 11, 2011.  There are a number of opportunities available to people of every age. 

First, check our website, volunteers.utah.gov, and either 1) Sign On and Sign Up online to show your support, share your story, and print a certificate of participation, 2) Volunteer and Serve by organizing a service project or volunteering with the organizations that serve these groups, 3) Say “Thank You” by writing a letter, making a visit, or doing a good deed.
 
The Utah Commission on Volunteers is also working with seven volunteer connector organizations throughout the state to provide opportunities for Utah residents to serve on this year’s 9/11 Day of Service and Remembrance.  These activities will take place between September 7-11, 2011.
 
In Cache Valley volunteers will focus on providing direct services to the children of military families and providing an avenue for increased community awareness.  Military children will be invited to participate in outdoor activities and team building exercises.  This event is the beginning of an ongoing mentoring program in Cache Valley.

Volunteers in Washington County are working with the Veterans Coalition with a focus on homeless veterans and military families.  The community wants to raise awareness about veterans’ issues and will do this through a series of projects targeted at veterans.

Volunteers in Weber County, working through United Way of Northern Utah, are teaming up with local schools to read stories to children about local first responders and military personnel.  Included in each book will be stories about Brady Howell, a young man from Ogden who lost his life on 9/11 at the Pentagon.  Books will be given to each of the children.  The Ogden Standard Examiner will video tape and record stories being read by parents who are being deployed and given to their children to enjoy while they are on deployment.

A variety of opportunities are available with the United Way of Salt Lake and their partners.  Daylilly Arts Inc will involve children in creating art that represents military and display these in libraries and city/county buildings. Letters to Soldiers will have volunteers collect needed items for care packages for soldiers and write cards to accompany them.  Kostopulos Dream Foundation will transport veterans to and from a trail ride site where they can ride horses or a pony cart along scenic Settlement Canyon and enjoy a barbeque afterwards. The Memorial Hill Veterans Restoration Project in Midway, Utah will finalize their veterans memorial and need volunteers to help with engraving and last minute preparations.  The Salt Lake County Volunteer Services volunteers are building a memorial to military and veterans at the county complex. 

Volunteers from the Six County areas (Sevier, Sanpete, Millard, Piute, Wayne, and Juab counties) will make quilts for the Triple Deuce, activated on June 1, 2011 and deployed to Iraq in August, 2011.  These light weight, durable blankets are made with camouflage fabric and can be used as a pillow for concealment or for shade.  Organizers will collaborate with local schools to have school children make cards to attach to each of the blankets.

Residents in Duchesne, Daggett, and Uintah counties will work with the Uintah Basin Association of Governments and RSVP will dedicate a day of service to veterans in their communities.  The day will consist of a food drive in collaboration with the local elementary schools, yard clean up and beautification for each of the American Legion Posts located within these counties, and will culminate with a dinner at the park for veterans and their families.

 “In commemoration of this event Utahns across the state and people throughout the country will be serving and thanking our active soldiers, military families, veterans, and first responders in the week leading up to and culminating on September 11, 2011,” said Shar Lewis, Executive Director of the Utah Commission on Volunteers.  “There are so many activities taking place throughout the state, and so many opportunities, that everyone can participate on some level.”

To learn more about participating in a variety of projects and events in commemoration of 9/11 Day of Service and Remembrance, please visit volunteers.utah.gov.  For interview and photo opportunities, please contact:

  • Sherilee Griffiths, Cache Valley Volunteer Center, 435-770-0748 or 435-753-1745
  • Carol Hollowell, Volunteer Center of Washington County, 435-674-5757
  • Leslie Herold, United Way of Northern Utah, 801-399-5584, Ext. 111
  • Amy Bosworth, United Way of Salt Lake, 801-746-2576
  • Shara Bastian, Six County areas (Sevier, Sanpete, Millard, Piute, Wayne, and Juab counties), 435-893-0735
  • Sandy Whalen, Uintah Basin Association of Governments and RSVP, 435-722-4518
The mission of the Utah Commission on Volunteers, an office of the Lieutenant Governor, is to improve communities through service and volunteering. It furthers its mission by administering federal funds for AmeriCorps and National Service programs and increasing volunteerism by promoting community collaboration, volunteer recognition, youth and older adult service and providing training and resources for those working with volunteers. For more information or to find volunteering opportunities around the state visit www.volunteers.utah.gov.

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