Lt. Governor’s 2011 Conference on Service Begins Tuesday

 Gail Miller and Shirley Sagawa Keynote During the Conference

 SALT LAKE CITY- Volunteers from across Utah will begin gathering at the Hilton Salt Lake City Center for the Lieutenant Governor’s 2011 Conference on Service Tuesday morning and will participate in a wide range of informative plenary sessions and workshops. The conference will run April 19-21 and registration is at capacity.

Hosted by the Utah Commission on Volunteers, the conference is the state’s largest gathering of volunteer and service leaders from the nonprofit, faith-based, government and corporate sectors. This year’s event features the annual Volunteer Recognition Awards Banquet which will honor and recognize the achievements of some of the most outstanding volunteers and volunteer programs in Utah.

The 2011 banquet keynote speaker is Gail Miller, wife of the late Larry H. Miller and owner of the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies. Miller is scheduled to speak at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 19. On April 20, Lt. Gov. Greg Bell will kick off the day with a keynote address at 8:30 a.m. Over 30 workshops will be held throughout the day providing information designed to strengthen volunteer organizations and communities.

Lt. Governor Bell and the Utah Commission on Volunteers are please to announce this year’s luncheon keynote will be Shirley Sagawa, author of The American Way to Change and The Charismatic Organization. Sagawa was named a “Woman to Watch in the 21st Century,” by Newsweek magazine and it is a please to have her speak at the conference. Sagawa is scheduled to speak at 12 p.m. Wednesday.

The conference wraps up April 21, when more than 500 volunteers will work with 7 agencies to provide meaningful service to the community. The service projects begin at 9 a.m. at the Hilton and various other locations.

“The 2011 Conference theme, ‘Partnering for Impact’ will leave participants coming away inspired, energized and ready to serve,” said Shar Lewis, Executive Director of the Utah Commission of Volunteers. “Our partnerships with the Utah Nonprofits Association, the Utah Society of Fundraisers and the Nonprofit Academy for Excellence promise to make this our most engaging conference yet.”

Media are encouraged to attend any of the conference’s events. For more information, contact Justin Hudspeth (801) 452-1221 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.

###