Thursday, January 24, 2013

The Utah Commission on Volunteers Receives State Farm® Lead Agency Designation to Engage Utah’s Youth in Large-Scale Projects for Global Youth Service Day, April 26-28, 2013


The Utah Commission on Volunteers Receives State Farm® Lead Agency Designation to Engage Utah’s Youth in Large-Scale Projects for Global Youth Service Day, April 26-28, 2013

Designation includes $2,000 grant for community improvement through youth-led service

Salt Lake City, UT YS (Youth Service America) announces the Utah Commission on Volunteers will serve as a State Farm Lead Agency, organizing Utah’s young people to lead projects that improve their communities. As a State Farm Lead Agency, the Utah Commission on Volunteers receives a $2,000 grant, as well as ongoing training and expert consulting, to develop high-visibility, youth-led community service projects in the lead-up to Global Youth Service Day (GYSD), April 26-28, 2013. The Utah Commission on Volunteers will sub grant these funds to local organizations who will engage in projects throughout the state.

Projects in the past included environmental cleanup and restoration efforts, collecting and sorting donated supplies for teen refugees, and preparing educational games, hygiene kits, and other supplies for schools in Uganda.

Project planning begins on Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service (January 21, 2013), and projects culminate on Global Youth Service Day, the world’s largest service event. As a State Farm Lead Agency, these local organizations will engage at least 600 youth in their GYSD events.

Applications for sub grants will be available on volunteers.utah/gov beginning January 25, 2013 and will close on February 21, 2013.

Now in its 25th year, GYSD reaches more than one million young people via partnerships with schools, community groups and faith-based organizations. Service projects will occur in more than 100 countries and will address community needs such as healthy living, childhood hunger, and environmental conservation.

“We are thrilled Utah is stepping up to lead Global Youth Service Day activities throughout the region,” said Steven A. Culbertson, president and CEO of YSA. “Every youth should have the opportunity to make a difference.”

  Global Youth Service Day helps to strengthen, educate, and create safer communities and we feel confident that young people will be at the forefront of these efforts,” said Kathy Payne, senior director of Education Leadership at State Farm.

 The Utah Commission on Volunteers is one of 100 recipients of the State Farm Lead Agency grant, which was available to organizations in the United State and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Ontario and New Brunswick. In partnership with YSA, State Farm awarded a total of $200,000 in Lead Agency grants to support youth-led projects designed to improve communities.

 
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Celebrating 25 years of youth changing the world, YSA (Youth Service America) improves communities by increasing the number and diversity of young people serving in substantive roles. Through campaigns such as Global Youth Service Day and Semester of Service; YSA Grants and awards programs; and resources and training opportunities, YSA activates millions of young people each year. Working with—and on behalf of—youth, adult mentors, organizations and schools, YSA promotes a global culture of engaged youth committed to a lifetime of community action, learning, leadership, and achievement. www.YSA.org and www.GYSD.org.

 
State Farm® insures more cars and homes than any other insurer in the U.S., is the leading insurer of watercraft and is also a leading insurer in Canada. State Farm's 17,700 agents and more than 67,000 employees serve 81 million policies and accounts – almost 79 million auto, fire, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and nearly 2 million bank accounts. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 34 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, visit www.statefarm.com® or in Canada, www.statefarm.ca.

 
About the Utah Commission on Volunteers

The Utah Commission on Volunteers (UCOV) is the state’s central coordinating body for service and volunteerism.  The Commission is responsible for developing, implementing, and sustaining a vision and culture of civic engagement and national and community service within the state. UCOV does this through; promoting volunteerism; administering National Service programs; connecting people with opportunities to serve; building organizational capacity for effective volunteer engagement and; participating in strategic initiatives that mobilize volunteers to meet local needs.  For more information, please visit volunteers.utah.gov

 

Media Information

 Local Contact:

Katie Barlow

Utah Commission on Volunteers

801-715-6717   kbarlow@utah.gov

 

National Media Contact:

Michelle Pendoley, Communications Director

YSA (Youth Service America) | Global Youth Service Day

202-650-5064   mpendoley@ysa.org