Utah Commission on Service and Volunteerism                                                                                  February 2017
2017 MLK DAY OF SERVICE  
 2500+  VOLUNTEERS,  5500+  HOURS OF SERVICE

We at UServeUtah would like to thank our 2017 MLK Day of Service grantees for giving back to their communities and empowering volunteers across the state in service! Click  here for more details about their specific projects.


Learn more about our Day of Service  grants.

Family Support Center of Southwestern Utah held a free family portrait day. A volunteer photographer taking family portraits.
Neighborhood House volunteers sorting donated items for their annual free Thrift Shop. Public & School Partnership volunteers collecting donations for food and hygiene kits.
Playworks  volunteers making monsters dolls for Primary Children's Hospital. 
Photo by Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
Students from the Brigham Young University Center for Service and Learning wrote letters to troops for Project Uplift.
2017 NATIONAL SERVICE DAY ON THE HILL
A meriCorps programs and their visitors at the Capitol.

On Thursday, February 9, UServeUtah hosted the third annual National Service Day on the Hill. National service programs from across the state gathered at the Utah State Capitol to share their role in building strong communities.

Representatives from AmeriCorps Utah, AmeriCorps VISTA, and Senior Corps  were recognized in the House and in the Senate. Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox also addressed the national service programs and highlighted the collective impact of national service efforts in Utah.

Thank you to everyone who participated! Check Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for more pictures using our #DayOnTheHill2017.
UTAH AMERICORPS MEMBER OF THE MONTH
Greg Bates, UServeUtah National Service Program Manager, shakes hands with Andrew Schwartz.
 
Congratulations to  Andrew Schwartz , our first AmeriCorps Utah Member of the Month!

Andrew is serving with the Boys and Girls Club of Utah County STEM initiative and is an amazing example of a dedicated AmeriCorps member. Always one of the first to volunteer for responsibilities and opportunities, Andrew participated in the Engaged Citizenship Retreat and is serving on the Utah AmeriCorps Member Gathering planning committee.

At his service site, Rocky Mountain Elementary, Andrew takes the lead planning and organizing the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) sessions he and other AmeriCorps members provide. He regularly shares the great ideas he has with the other AmeriCorps members in the STEM Initiative, and is an active participant in every training meeting. He works hard to provide the students at Rocky Mountain with new and different opportunities to use STEM skills to solve problems and to help the students gain confidence in their ability to tackle challenges.  Thanks Andrew for your service!

AmeriCorps, also known as the Domestic Peace Corps, engages thousands of Americans nationwide in intensive, results-driven service in areas of  education, public safety, health, and the environment.
AmeriCorps members serve for up to a year and  receive a modest living allowance, health insurance, and training. 
COMMUNITY SERVICE STORY: ORCHESTRA OF SOUTHERN UTAH
By Sara Penny


Music has the power to build community and provide calm in times of trouble. Our Orchestra of Southern Utah musicians and Chorale put their hearts and souls into presenting live music. They represent all points on the political spectrum and that is irrelevant in playing Beethoven "Pastoral Symphony" or presenting the 76th performance of Handel's "Messiah" in Cedar City.

After an OSU concert Susan Allman wrote, "Thank you OSU for last night's concert. Thank you Adam Lambert, Jackie Jackson and Terri Metcalf-Peterson for their exquisite and beyond time duet and OSU for Beethoven's beautiful 6th Symphony. All gave me healing and hope... You did a beautiful job on all. As always a gift to the community for a small amount of money that is worth 10 times as much." A recently widowed patron wrote that the music provided her with much needed calm and she was glad she made the effort to get out.

Most of the musicians volunteer their time and talents so we can connect audiences with live music. We appreciate everyone involved in creating community through great music. Thank you for recognizing service as a valuable part of our Utah culture.

Sara Penny has played as a volunteer in the Orchestra of Southern Utah for 37 years.

For more information on the Orchestra of Southern Utah, see  myosu.org.
YOUTHLINK UTAH YOUNG HUMANITARIAN AWARD

Youthlinc is now accepting applications for the Young Humanitarian Award!

The Young Humanitarian Award recognizes service-minded Utah high school juniors and seniors and undergraduate students with a  $5,000 college scholarship  and $8,500 in runner-up awards. The application deadline is  Wednesday, March 15 .
DR. SEUSS DAY
  
On  Dr. Seuss Day ,  also known as National Read Across America Day , schools throughout the country celebrate Dr. Seuss' birthday to promote literacy. The United Way needs 300 volunteers at nearly twenty schools in Salt Lake and Davis counties to read Dr. Seuss books in classrooms and play literacy games with students at various times on  Thursday, March 2 .  

Pick a project and sign up at seuss.uw.org.

The Lt. Governor's Volunteer Recognition Certificate program let's you nominate an outstanding volunteer. Submit your nomination here.  

 

Every volunteer has a story, and we want to hear yours! Share your story  here.

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